How to sell silverware.

Step by step

1. Sort sterling from plate. Look for STERLING or 925 on the back of each handle. Set aside anything marked EP, EPNS, A1, or "silver plate"; it has almost no silver value. See is my silverware silver?
2. Keep the knives in. Hollow-handled sterling knives hold less silver than they weigh, but they still count. There's no need to separate them; we account for them.
3. Weigh the sterling. A kitchen scale in grams is close enough for an estimate. Write down the maker and pattern if they're marked.
4. Check for collectible patterns. Complete sets and some makers and patterns sell to collectors and replacement services for more than their silver. If yours might be one, get that price first.
5. Get a written offer. Ask what percentage of the silver value you'll be paid, of which price, and when that price is set.

What we pay

Silver is trading at $50.10 per troy ounce (the Kitco bid). We pay 80% of the silver content for sterling flatware, on the silver recovered after melting:

Scrap prices are per gram of metal after melting, not per gram of what you send. Stones are removed, and dirt, glue, springs, and anything else that isn't gold or silver burn off or separate out, so the weight paid is usually less than your scale shows.

Our minimum for scrap sterling is 1 kilo, and flatware, hollowware, and jewelry can be combined to reach it. In the Bay Area we can come to you for estates; otherwise, ship it insured after you have our written estimate. See selling by mail.

Silver guides: Sterling flatware · Sterling hollowware · Is silver plate worth anything? · Silver stamps · Scrap silver price · All guides

We pay top dollar for silver, at published rates set before you sell.