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hall-marking of gold, silver and pewter wares.
665
At first the hall-marking of these wares was superintended mainly by the
Goldsmiths’ and Pewterers’ Guilds themselves. The Riksguardien, as the
Government official was called who exercised a general superintendence
over the making of gold and silver wares, had duties essentially of a fiscal
nature, and, as a rule, only intervened when there was a suspicion of
embezzlement. The Hall Marks Act of 7 Dec. 1752 placed the actual
fabrication of these wares under State control. These matters were at
first managed by Kontrollverket, or the Assay Office, at Stockholm,
established in the following year. In 1910 they passed over to Mynt- och
jus teringsverket or the Royal Mint and Assay Office (shortly called
below Royal Mint). The Act of 1752, with certain amendments and
appendices was in force until 1912. In that year a new Act was passed
as to the hall-marking of gold and silver wares. That Act entirely
abolished the hall-marking of pewter wares.
As regards alloys, the legal minimum for gold wares is 760 °/oo, and for
silver wares 830 °/oo. In the case of gold three different qualities are
hallmarked: 23 carat gold (standard mark: 23 k) with 975 °/00 of gold; 20 carat
gold (standard mark: 20 k) with 840 °/oo of gold, and 18 carat gold (standard
mark: 18 k) with 760 °/oo of gold. As to silver, only one quality is
hallmarked, namely 830 °/oo, without a standard mark. As in the case of coinage
(see above), certain remedies or deviations from the above standard qualities
are allowed for, namely 5 °/oo for gold wares and 8 °/oo for silver wares. Further,
soldered wares may contain only so much solder that the gold, supposing the
ware to be melted, shall not fall more than 10 °/oo below the standard, and the
silver not more than 16 °/oo below the standard. Gold or silver wares may
not be combined with other metals which might easily be taken for gold or
silver.
When gold and silver wares are submitted to be hall-marked, they must be
stamped with (1) the maker’s mark (2) the mark of the place of manufacture
(3) the date mark (from 1759 onwards). Gold wares must also have the standard
mark.
The hall-mark for gold wares is three crowns in a heart-shaped shield for
Swedish wares, and three crowns in an oval shield for foreign wares. Silver
wares have a similar hall-mark, followed by an S. At the capital these
hallmarks are affixed, after due examination, by the Royal Mint. In the provinces
hall-marks are affixed by an official, on the faith of the maker’s statements as
to quality. Samples are then taken of the wares, and these samples are sent
in to the Royal Mint, for examination. If the maker has made a false
declaration as to the quality of his wares, he renders himself liable to prosecution.
The fee charged for hall-marking is 5 ore per gram of gold, and 3’33 kronor
per kilogram of silver. Gold wares weighing under 1 gram, and silver wares
weighing under 5 grams, are exempt both from hallmarking and the fee. The
maker, however, is liable to be prosecuted, if it be detected that his wares fall
below the minimum standards.
Gold and silver wares which fall below the minimum standards with
remedies are not allowed to be imported into Sweden. Hence all gold and silver
wares which come from abroad have to be sent up to the Royal Mint and Assay
Office for examination. If they are up to the required standards, they are
hallmarked, and the fee charged is the same as for Swedish wares. They also pay
an additional fee for every test which has to be made. Wares which fall below
the required standards have to be re-exported. The import of foreign gold and
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