1879; assay functions were performed from 1876. Coinage resumed in 1879 and continued until 1909. The facility operated as an assay office from 1909 until 1942, when it was closed. The U.S. Assay Office, St. Louis, Missouri – 1881 to 1911 The U.S. Assay Office, Helena, Montana – 1874 to 1933 The U.S. Assay Office, Salt Lake City, Utah – 1909 to 1933 The U.S. Assay Office, Deadwood, South Dakota – 1898 to 1927 The U.S. Assay Office, Boise, Idaho – 1869 to 1933 The U.S. Assay Office, New York, New York – 1854 to 1982 The U.S. Assay Office, Seattle, Washington – 1898 to 1955 UK assay offices General overview and function of UK assay offices In the United Kingdom, the Hallmarking Act 1973 makes it an offence to describe as platinum, gold or silver an item which is not hallmarked as appropriate or exempt from hallmarking. In July 2009, following a proposal by the British Hallmarking Council, an amendment to the Act also brought palladium under the hallmarking regime. The first UK assay office was Goldsmiths' Hall, founded around 1300, and where the term "hallmarking" originates, meaning "marked in Goldsmiths' Hall". Since then, there have been ten assay offices in the UK. There are four remaining assay offices in the UK: Current assay offices London Assay Office Sheffield Assay Office Birmingham Assay Office Edinburgh Assay Office Historic assay offices Chester (closed 24 August 1962) Dublin (1801-1922 part of UK system – see Dublin Assay Office) Exeter (closed 1883) Glasgow (closed 31 March 1964) Newcastle (closed 1884) Norwich (closed 1702) York (closed 1857) Irish assay office There is one assay office, the Dublin Assay Office. Dutch (Netherlands) assay office General overview and function of the Dutch assay office The Dutch (the Netherlands), who are members of the International Hallmarking Convention, have been striking hallmarks since at least 1814, and boast a 600-year history of hallmarking in Dutch territories. Like many other nations, the Dutch require the registration and use of Responsibility Marks since 1797. The Dutch also use a date letter code. After the French defeat at Leipzig 1813 the Kingdom of the Netherlands was established. William VI, prince of Orange (known in Dutch as Willem Frederik), was proclaimed the sovereign. On March 15, 1815, with the support of the powers gathered at the Congress of Vienna, William proclaimed himself King William I of the Netherlands. He was also