Silver and silverware: valuation guide and what we buy

How silver is priced

Silver is a traded commodity with a live spot price that changes throughout the day on the London Bullion Market. Like gold, the value of silver items is calculated by multiplying the pure silver content (weight × fineness) by the current spot price.

Silver is far less expensive per gram than gold, but silverware is often heavy. A full canteen of solid silver cutlery can contain well over a kilogram of pure silver, making it considerably more valuable than its appearance might suggest.

Reading a silver hallmark

British silver has been hallmarked since the 14th century, making UK silverware among the best-documented in the world. A full British hallmark contains four or five marks: a maker's mark, a standard mark (showing purity), an assay office mark, a date letter, and sometimes a duty mark.

All silver items considered