About this website
A reference guide to Finnish precious-metal marks
Leimat.fi is a historical database and identification guide to marks found on Finnish precious-metal objects. It contains responsibility, locality, control, fineness and year marks, together with other markings used in Finland up to and including 1970.
You can explore marks by type, appearance, letters, numbers or period of use. For the most reliable identification, examine all the marks on the object together.
How to begin
One object, several marks
A precious metal object usually bears several adjacent marks. Together they can reveal its maker, material, place and period of manufacture.
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1
Photograph the complete group
Examine all adjacent marks and take a sharp close-up. One isolated mark is not always enough for identification.
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2
Find letters or a symbol
Letters, initials, a symbol or a signature may be the maker’s responsibility mark.
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3
Check the number
Numbers such as 813, 830, 925, 585 and 750 indicate precious-metal fineness, not the maker.
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4
Combine the evidence
Compare the responsibility mark with locality, date and control marks. Together they help date and identify the object.
Explore the archive
Choose a mark type
Not yet sure what you are looking for? Start with the mark’s appearance and compare it with the object’s other markings.
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