185. Minerva head hallmark

Minerva’s head hallmark without lock of hair on the temple in an irregular octagonal frame, provided with a date-letter under the chin.

Hallmark of Minerva’s head without lock of hair on the temple in an irregular octagonal frame, provided with a date letter under the chin which (theoretically) changes every decade: A = 1973-1982, B = 1983-1992, C = 1993-2002 , D=2003-2012, E=2013-2022, F=2023-2032, G=2033-2042 etc. In actual fact, these hallmarks are only changed by the assay offices when they’re worn out and Paris is still (in 2024) using the date letter B. Number 1 under the neck for ^1st title silver (925/000). Assay office mark in front of the forehead for the departments. Paris and departments from 1973 to present.

The information on the Minerva head hallmark with a lock of hair on the temple facing the right and the other hallmark illustrations on this website come from the book Les Bijoux des Français, written by Mike Fieggen, expert in antique jewellery and hallmarks from Osprey Paris. This 300-page book, the definitive reference on French regional jewels and their hallmarks, is available in French and English in our store, on Amazon and at certain bookshops. A complete list of the assay office marks, small secret marks in the hallmarks that allow you to identify in which city an object was hallmarked, as well as a list of the closing dates of the guarantee offices, are included in this book. You can thus, for the first time, locate the origin of the jewels and also date them with more precision.

Book available on this site or visit the site www.bijouxregionaux.fr