Staff at The Birmingham Assay Office said a sad farewell to their long time colleague Ron Hodgetts who recently completed 50 years of service and then combined both his birthday celebrations and retirement party to mark the end of an era. Ron joined the Assay office on his 15th birthday and was immediately a key member of the team as his job was to pedal around the Jewellery Quarter, collecting and delivering parcels of work for hallmarking on his bicycle. How different was the world in 1961! In between these trips Ron began to learn to hallmark, being trained on the various presses used at the time. Just as Ron eventually hung up his bicycle clips and his transport to work progressed to a Robin Reliant, so his career developed as he went on to learn the skills and confidence required to hand mark, under the very experienced eye of Harry Butler, who finally left the Assay Office at the age of 86. Ron was a well respected hand marker and soon became a

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