Any questions for The Edinburgh Assay Office?

[MickD]

I can imagine, what percent would that be?

[jonrms]

Tell them I am coming. LOL

[Stu]

I think it was a skull splitting 4.5/5 %

[sixgun]

Here are a few questions -

When did the Edinburgh office open?

Have the marks changed over the years?

What is the ratio of gold to silver and of 999 silver to Sterling?

Have the items coming in changed over the years?

Do you get much hand poured silver?

You send in a lot of bars, is it unusual seeing bars hallmarked?

What is the strangest item sent in for hallmarking?

Do you reject many items?

What tests does the average piece of gold/silver get to ensure it is what it is claimed to be?

Could BYB get a piece of unhallmarked silver hallmarked if BYB didn't make it?

In the above cases can you get hallmarkings done without the maker's mark?

Can anyone send in pieces to be hallmarked if you don't want a maker's mark on the piece?

 

[Roy]

Has the office ever come across a piece with their hallmark that is counterfeit or not to specification.

What is the appeal process? 

[Bullionaire]

What happens if they make a mistake (e.g slip with the hallmark stamp) on a very valuable piece? 

What is the most valuable piece they've ever hallmarked

 What is the nicest piece they've ever hallmarked?

 

[BackyardBullion]

@sixgun  @Roy @Bullionaire

Brilliant questions guys, lots I already had but lots that I have not thought of as well!

[StackerNoob]

3 hours ago, BackyardBullion said:

@kimchi @StackerNoob @MickD @PansPurse

Thanks for all the tips! 

Basically - contribution from the forum for the interview, "Where is the best placed to get thoroughly sloshed in Edinburgh" ?

Sadly I am there just for the day and cannot partake on this visit - but I will take notes for a future bender!

Nothing stopping you enjoying a cheeky train/plane beer mate!

[sixgun]

Some more

Who is in charge of the Assay Office? Is it the government? Has that changed since devolution?

Do you get pieces coming in from outside the UK?

Would you hallmark a piece with marks on it from another country?

Who checks the checker? - who checks the assay office?

We have seen the number of offices declining over the years, are you aware of any further rationalisation or would that be top secret?

 

[StackerNoob]

30 minutes ago, BackyardBullion said:

@sixgun  @Roy @Bullionaire

Brilliant questions guys, lots I already had but lots that I have not thought of as well!

I have a question for you actually BYB....

 

What effect would a dramatic change in the price of silver and gold have on your business?

[BackyardBullion]

15 minutes ago, StackerNoob said:

I have a question for you actually BYB....

 

What effect would a dramatic change in the price of silver and gold have on your business?

Well, if silver shot the moon tomorrow I would be a happy man put it like that ?

In all seriousness - if it shot the moon tomorrow it would likely hurt the business long term.

On the other side, if the price dropped dramatically then I would buy more silver ?

[BackyardBullion]

@sixgun I can answer some of your questions already.

Any member of the public can send any precious metal object for an assay report and marking. It costs around £50+VAT and postage and is fairly easily done.

This can be done for items from anywhere in the world, existing marks or not.

The Edinburgh Assay Office is a private company. It is regulated by the government but ultimately it is a private company that is there to make a profit. In the last 25 years they have gone from about 10 employees to 40-50.

[StackerNoob]

Just now, BackyardBullion said:

Well, if silver shot the moon tomorrow I would be a happy man put it like that ?

In all seriousness - if it shot the moon tomorrow it would likely hurt the business long term.

On the other side, if the price dropped dramatically then I would buy more silver ?

I meant this question could be put to the assay office

 

...some people can be so egotistical! :-p

In all seriousness, its interesting to hear your take on it too though. But you have a bunch of shot stored away so I imagine you'd rake it in for a while.

Do you think people would still be buying from you at the pace they are now? - that ones for you BYB ?

 

 

[BackyardBullion]

Just now, StackerNoob said:

I meant this question could be put to the assay office

 

...some people can be so egotistical! ?

In all seriousness, its interesting to hear your take on it too though. But you have a bunch of shot stored away so I imagine you'd rake it in for a while.

Do you think people would still be buying from you at the pace they are now? - that ones for you BYB ?

 

 

Your original quote said..."I actually have a question for you BYB" so I assumed you were asking me directly ?

I have no idea if people would still buy at the same rate. If a new normal price was established and enough time passed, I expect people would still buy silver and continue like now.

[sixgun]

13 minutes ago, BackyardBullion said:

@sixgun I can answer some of your questions already.

Any member of the public can send any precious metal object for an assay report and marking. It costs around £50+VAT and postage and is fairly easily done.

This can be done for items from anywhere in the world, existing marks or not.

The Edinburgh Assay Office is a private company. It is regulated by the government but ultimately it is a private company that is there to make a profit. In the last 25 years they have gone from about 10 employees to 40-50.

i posted these questions for your interview - i expected you would know most of the answers before hand - you should send all the questions to the CEO and then no shocks for anyone.

[BackyardBullion]

Just now, sixgun said:

i posted these questions for your interview - i expected you would know most of the answers before hand - you should send all the questions to the CEO and then no shocks for anyone.

I know ?

I appreciate it - we are trying to plan about a 30 minute Q&A discussion using a lot of these types of questions.

I think it would be fun to have a "quickfire" segment of questions too.

Really looking forward to it - should be very interesting!

[augur]

How much would it cost for a member of the public to XRF analyse an item and provide an accurate quantitative analysis of the alloy components. 

[CarlosSilver]

Ask them if they would prefer to have 3ft thumbs or 3ft ears. 

[DrKarlMoneys]

Quote

Do you get pieces coming in from outside the UK?
Would you hallmark a piece with marks on it from another country?

Related to this I'd like to know what they think of the issues raised here:
https://www.silverwareshop.co.uk/Hallmarking/The-Hallmarking-Con/
Essentially they're saying that something can be made abroad and receive a UK hallmark if it's been so much as wiped with a cloth in this country. They're apparently going to start using a separate mark for items they've hallmarked abroad but there still seems to be a bit of a loophole around products being imported unhallmarked and receiving a mark here.

[Groundup]

Are all assay offices part of the same company. If yes, can the Edinburgh assay stamp an item with a Sheffield hallmark if requested.

[BackyardBullion]

I would just like to say a huge thank you to everyone who contributed with questions to put to the Assay Master at the Edinburgh Assay Office. 

It was a really amazing interview - I had originally planned for about 20 minutes but we ran to 45 minutes worth of footage!

Really fascinating stuff and information that I hope you will all enjoy. 

I have a lot of editing to do so it is looking like these interviews will come out on the 18th and 19th August. 

[jonrms]

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions and concerns.  I look forward to moving ahead with the Edinburgh Assay Office.  

[kimchi]

22 minutes ago, BackyardBullion said:

I would just like to say a huge thank you to everyone who contributed with questions to put to the Assay Master at the Edinburgh Assay Office. 

It was a really amazing interview - I had originally planned for about 20 minutes but we ran to 45 minutes worth of footage!

Really fascinating stuff and information that I hope you will all enjoy. 

I have a lot of editing to do so it is looking like these interviews will come out on the 18th and 19th August. 

Sounds cracking, looking forward to this!

[BackyardBullion]

Just now, kimchi said:

Sounds cracking, looking forward to this!

Everything from the etymology of the word Hallmark, history of the assay office, 500 year old spoons, police raids and more!