Silver seller guide
Sterling, fine, coin silver or plated: how to tell what you have
On a typical collection, the difference between sterling silver and silver plate can be hundreds of pounds. Here is how to tell them apart.
Why British Gold Exchange
40+
Years in the precious metals business
£0
Cost to request your free insured postal pack
24h
To receive your firm, itemised offer once your items arrive
100%
Of items returned free if you decline
Ready to get a valuation?
The short answer
UK hallmarks are the most reliable guide, and XRF testing settles everything else
In the United Kingdom, items over 7.78 grams sold as silver must by law carry an assay office hallmark. The hallmark is the most reliable way to identify purity: it is legally guaranteed and cannot be counterfeited on a legitimate item. Look for a lion passant (the UK sterling mark) or a purity number such as 925 (sterling) or 999 (fine silver).
Many items, particularly cutlery, older European silverware, coin silver pieces and other foreign items, may not carry a UK hallmark but are still genuine silver. We test every piece with XRF (X-ray fluorescence), a professional, non-destructive test that confirms purity in seconds without damaging the piece.
Silver-plated items have a base metal core with a thin silver coating, and silver typically makes up less than 0.5% of their total weight. They have essentially no scrap value, and we do not buy silver-plated items. The marks to look out for are EPNS (electroplated nickel silver), EP, A1 and SHEFFIELD PLATE. None of these indicates solid silver.
What affects it
Silver types and what each one means
How it works
From first contact to payment
Request your free pack
We dispatch your free pack the next working day, with a prepaid Royal Mail Special Delivery label. There is no cost and no commitment.
Send your items
Pack your items in the packaging we supply and hand them in at a Post Office. They are insured up to £2,500 from then until they reach us. For items worth more, please contact us first.
Receive your offer
Every piece is XRF-tested to confirm its exact silver content. Your offer is based on the tested reading, not on an estimate.
Get paid
If you accept before 3pm on a working day, you receive a same-day bank transfer. If you decline, we return every item free of charge, with no questions asked.
Common questions
Questions we hear most
How do I check for a UK silver hallmark?
Look inside rings, on necklace clasps, under the base of candlesticks and on the back of spoon handles. The lion passant (a walking lion) is the sterling mark for England and Wales. You will usually also see a date letter, a maker's mark and an assay office mark.
What does EPNS mean on my cutlery?
EPNS stands for electroplated nickel silver. The item has a nickel silver alloy base (copper, nickel and zinc) with a thin silver coating, so it has no significant silver value. We do not buy EPNS items, and we return them free of charge after testing.
My item says '800'. Is that silver?
Yes. 800 fineness means 80% pure silver, a standard common in continental European silverware. It is worth slightly less per gram than sterling (92.5%), but it is genuine silver with a real market value.
Can I test silver at home before sending?
You can try a magnet (silver is not magnetic, but neither are many other metals, so this only rules things out), look for hallmarks or use an acid test kit. XRF testing is far more accurate, though, and we do it free of charge, so there is no real advantage in testing at home first.
I have some pre-decimal coins. Are they silver?
UK silver coins minted before 1920 are 92.5% silver (sterling). Coins minted from 1920 to 1946 are 50% silver. Coins minted from 1947 onwards are cupronickel and contain no silver. The year on the coin tells you which group it belongs to.
Get started
Not sure what you have? Send it and we will tell you
Every item is XRF-tested when it arrives. If it is silver, we will make you a fair offer. We do not buy plated items, so if a piece is plated, we will return it free. There is no need to guess.