Are you tired of having that old, unused, silverware taking up valuable space in your home?
Your Silverware Guide
Silverware can be one of the most confusing precious metals to determine the value of. Our skilled staff will provide you with expert advice on what you have and how much it is worth.
A Short History of Silverware
Silver has been used to make utensils, decorations, jewellery, and other objects by people for thousands of years. In older civilizations silverware and other decorated utensils were usually just for the very rich. In the 18th and 19th centuries the use of silverware became widespread. Increasing wealth in society led to greater demand for silverware as a status symbol. Upper class households bought many pieces to have large collections Meanwhile the Industrial Revolution enabled silver makers to reduce the costs of producing pieces and increase the volume they could make. This made them more accessible to the middle class. The middle class was growing rapidly which meant a larger population of buyers of silverware. Owning and using silverware was one way to increase your status in society.
Types of Silver in Silverware
There are many types of silver which are distinguished by the purity of silver that they each contain. These are standards set by governments that define the minimum silver purity that an item must contain in order to be sold as silver. Depending on the country there will be specific hallmarks that must be stamped into the item to show what type of silver it is. Standards change over time and some regions have multiple standards, such as France which has 1st Standard at 95% and 2nd Standard at 80%. The price paid for silverware is based on the current market price and the purity of the silver. As a reference we have a price table for each of the silver standards.
By far the most popular and well known type of silverware is Sterling Silver. Sterling Silver is 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% other metals, typically copper, by weight. Dating back to the 12th century this silver alloy is very durable and versatile. It is a favourite for creating exquisite jewellery, tableware, and decorative items that stand the test of time.
Britannia Silver is an alloy with 95.8% silver by weight. It was the standard purity in England between 1692 and 1720 and was introduced to discourage people from clipping the edges of sterling silver coins to make silverware. It is softer than sterling silver and complaints from silver makers saw the return of the Sterling Silver standard. Britannia Silver remains as an optional standard in the UK.
800 Silver, also known as Continental Silver is popular in Europe. It contains 80% pure silver by weight. It is more durable than sterling silver and is often found used for spoons, forks, knives, and other flatware. 800 Silver was most common in Germany, Italy, and France.
Scandinavian Silver which is 83% pure silver has been the standard in countries like Norway and Denmark since the late 1800s. Denmark previously used 826 Silver.
In addition to using 800 Silver, Germany also has an 835 Silver standard which is 83.5% silver. An important distinction is that there is a metal type called German Silver that contains no silver at all. It is also known as nickel silver and is an alloy of copper, zinc, and nickel.
Russia, at different times, has had many different silver standards in use which are measure in zolotniks. The most common is called 84 which is 87.5% pure silver.
In France there are two silver standards: 1st Standard which is 95% pure silver and 2nd Standard which is the same as Continental Silver at 80% pure silver.
Coin Silver was common in the USA before the large silver deposits in the west were discovered and mined. It gets its name from the use of silver coins, which were melted down and used to make objects of silver. US silver coins were made of 90% silver and therefore Coin Silver was 90% pure silver. Sterling Silver is also common in the US.
Pure Silver is 99.9% or finer silver. While used in some pieces of jewellery it is too soft to be typically used in silverware and decorative pieces.
Think about all the extra space you will have in your kitchen and how good it’ll feel to declutter and simplify your life.
Why Sell Your Silverware
Everyone selling their silverware, whether it was bought by them, bought for them, or received from a relative has their own reasons for selling.
Money
It is relatively easy to sell silverware for money, and most people are aware that silver itself is valuable.
Don’t Use It
Particularly for those that inherited it, and even for those that bought it, taking care of silverware takes extra work and they stop using it.
Downsizing
Silverware can take up a lot of space. Selling it both declutters and brings in some money.
Replacement
For those that prize and use their silverware they may want to ‘upgrade’ their collection. Selling their old set can help pay for new pieces.
Shared Ownership
The silverware may be a shared inheritance between siblings or other relatives. Selling the silver and splitting the money may be easier than trying to split the pieces up equally.
Pro-Tip
Selling Your Silverware
We Make it Fast and Easy
Before You Come to our Office
At Our Office
Calculating Your Silverware Value Can be Complex
Unlike selling silver bars or fine silver coins selling your silverware can be confusing as there are many factors at play. Outside of determining whether an item is actually silver, and what purity it is, you also need to consider whether the item is weighted and if there are non-silver parts to the piece. As we purchase your silverware for their silver content only all non-silver parts will be deducted from the total weight of your items when calculating your payout.
While this can feel daunting our expert staff will quickly assess your silverware and calculate its net silver weight which will then be multiplied by our current silver melt price to make you an offer to purchase.
Weighted silverware means that materials are added to the inside of the silver item to give it weight and structure without making it solid silver. For makers and sellers of silverware this keeps the overall cost of the piece down making it more profitable, or more affordable for people to buy. Common examples of this are candlesticks, bowls, and many knives.
We buy weighted silver at 20% of the gross weight to factor in the impact of the filler weight. We do not cut open pieces at our office. If you have the capacity and desire to remove the filler yourself before coming to our office we will buy the pieces at full scale weight.
Non-silver parts of silverware are usually decorative attachments like handles, or functional elements like a brush. Another important example are silver knives, most of which have a stainless steel blade with a silver handle. We will reduce the weight of the silver item by the estimated weight of the non-silver parts. If you have the capacity and interest in removing the non-silver parts yourself before selling we will buy them at full scale weight.
Silverware Payout Calculator
How to Use our Silverware Calculator
Our calculator is designed to help you, at home, find out how much we will pay for your silverware pieces. It uses a combination of options and formulas to estimate the silver content of a piece and its value.
Steps
Pro-Tip
Prices Paid by Silver Standard Type
These prices are per gram of weight, after taking into consideration modifiers such as weighted bases and non-silver parts. To estimate the payout on your pieces use our silverware value calculator.
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