Gold items don't HAVE to have full hallmarks to be sold as gold gold or other to precious metals, under hallmarking rule and UK law.
The hallmarking act of 1973, which determined all gold items over 0.8 grams (except coins), sold in the UK from 1975 (when the act came into force), meant all new pieces had to have hallmarks, that is sponsor's mark, metal and finesse mark, and Assay office mark.
Which didn't immediately address the fact that, despite UK hallmarking being in practive since the 1400s, and the vast majority of silverware was hallmarked, jewellery, often as not, wasn't.
Two problems were created, foreign made items don't always have equivalent marks - most obviously US made items, and it created the ridiculous notion that valuable vintage and antique pieces should be sent to the assay office to have a modern mark added.
Subsequently, there were additional rules brought in re foreign made pieces, and - relevant here, and I quote from main exemptions from the hallmarking guidance note:
'Any pre-1950 item may now be described and sold as precious metal without a hallmark, if
the seller can prove that it is of minimum fineness and was manufactured before 1950'.
The bold is as in the guidance notes.
And there is the rub - how does one prove this? Finesse is relatively easy, but how to prove a date when you can't actually prove the date? I was for some years a professional intinerant metal dealer, so with some expertise, and this item was definitely made before 1950, and I'd be fairly certain it is an antique piece, and could support that assertion with facts. But not sure how I would prove it - unless my experience is taken as proof, and that ain't gonna happen!
Written evidence - a receipt or confirmation that the item was included in a deceased estate assessment for CGT assessment before 1950, or photographic evidence, would help, but even then, you might be on a shuggly peg.
And I wouldn't have the confidence in eBay validation experts that a receipt would do any good at all, judging from the comment about the hallmark not being valid.
The sad thing is that this is a stunning piece, always lovely to have every link with the finesse mark, no scrappie worth his salt would refuse to buy this for good money! If, however, the item can't be sold due to UK law, then scrapping is the altenative. Whilst I've scapped a good few alberts in my time, imagine how many vintage an antique pieces must go into the pot?
On the bright side the scrap price is around £800!
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