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Silver seller guide

Don't clean your silver before selling it: why, and what to do instead

Cleaning silver before selling is one of the most common mistakes sellers make. It never helps, and it can cause significant damage.

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

Tarnish does not affect the value of silver, but cleaning can reduce it

Silver tarnishes naturally when exposed to air, sulphur compounds and moisture. The black or brown layer that builds up over time is silver sulphide. It is very thin and does nothing to reduce the silver content of the piece or the offer you will receive. Our XRF analyser reads through tarnish to the metal beneath, so tarnish makes no difference to your offer.

For silverware and jewellery, cleaning before you sell is unnecessary and can occasionally do harm. Heavy polishing can wear down hallmarks, thin decorative surfaces and remove the patina that is part of an antique piece's character. Coins are a more serious case: cleaning almost always destroys collector value and reduces a potentially numismatic piece to its melt value.

The simple rule is to send your silver exactly as it is. Heavily tarnished, slightly marked or pristine, the offer for the metal content will be the same. The exception is a piece with collectible value, where original, undisturbed surfaces are worth considerably more than polished ones.

What affects it

What cleaning does to different types of silver

Silver coinsCleaning destroys collector value. Even gentle cleaning with silver polish leaves fine hairline scratches that show under magnification, and wire-brushing a coin to fake its lustre ('whizzing') does even more harm. A cleaned Morgan dollar or rare pre-decimal coin is typically reduced to melt value, which can be a significant loss on a valuable piece.

Sterling cutleryCleaning makes no difference to cutlery sold for melt, because the silver content doesn't change. If you have antique cutlery by a known maker such as Hester Bateman or Paul Storr, though, keeping the original patina matters for any assessment of antique value.

Silver jewelleryXRF testing reads through tarnish to the metal beneath, so cleaning makes no difference to the offer. If a piece is set with stones, avoid cleaning it, as some treatments can damage certain gemstones.

Hallmarked itemsHeavy polishing can wear down or obscure hallmarks. A clear, visible hallmark confirms purity and speeds up assessment, so it is best not to risk it.

Proof coinsProof coins have mirror-like fields and frosted details that are very easily damaged. Any contact, even wiping with a cloth, can permanently mark the surface. Never touch the face of a proof coin.

Antique silverwareAntique pieces with original patina in good condition may be worth more than their silver melt value, as collectibles or antiques. Cleaning removes the patina and that premium with it. Send items as you found them and let us assess both values.

Bullion barsCleaning is neither necessary nor helpful. Send sealed or unsealed bars as you found them. Sealed bars attract a premium, so don't remove the original packaging.

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

Send your items exactly as they are, whether tarnished, dirty or marked, and hand your pack in at a Post Office. It is insured up to £2,500 until it reaches us; for items worth more, please contact us first. Condition doesn't affect silver value, but cleaning can damage it.

Receive your offer

A firm, itemised offer arrives within 24 hours of your items reaching us. Every piece is XRF-tested for purity, and tarnish has no effect on the reading or the offer.

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

Will heavy tarnish reduce my offer?

No. Tarnish is a thin surface layer that has no effect on XRF readings or silver weight. Whether your piece is bright or black, the offer is based on the metal content beneath. We see heavily tarnished items every day.

What if my coins have verdigris or corrosion?

Active corrosion on silver, such as green deposits, pitting or flaking, is different from tarnish. It can be a sign of environmental damage but usually makes little difference to the overall silver content. Send items as they are and we will assess them and explain what we find.

Should I wipe down my items before packaging?

There's no need. Pack your items in the foam provided and send them, and we will handle the assessment here. Wiping coin surfaces in particular risks damaging them, so leave everything as you found it.

I've already cleaned my coins. Have I damaged them?

It depends on the method and the coins. For common-date bullion types (Britannias, standard Morgans, common pre-decimal coins), cleaning is unlikely to have made much difference to the offer. If any are rare dates or proofs, please contact us before sending to discuss them.

What about cleaning silverware for a better appearance?

Silverware sold for melt is assessed purely on weight and purity, so its appearance doesn't affect the offer. If you would like to keep some pieces and sell others, send everything and accept or decline individual items once you have the offer.

Get started

Send your silver exactly as it is, tarnish and all

Request your free insured pack and send your silver without any preparation. Our XRF testing reads through tarnish to give you a precise, fair offer within 24 hours of your items reaching us.

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