What do hall marks on silver mean? "Hall marks" are the set of marks stamped on gold or silver at the Goldsmiths Hall; London; or by Assay Offices; to attest the genuineness of the metal and the date of its testing. The series may consist of four marks: (a) The makers private mark. (b) The standard mark to denote quality. (c) The hail mark; indicating the town where assaying was done (Anchor = Birmingham). (d) Date mark; a letter of the alphabet; used in cycles; and varied yearly. One of the earliest ordinances in connection with testing was that of Henry III in 1238. Illustration for one of a set of 50 "Do You Know?" cigarette cards issued by Carreras in 1939.