Antique silver valuation: solid silver or silver plate?

Silver is one of the things most often found in family sideboards. Before talking about value, there is a simple question to answer: is it solid silver, or silver plate?

Solid silver or silver plate: the first question

Solid silver is a silver alloy all the way through. So the object is worth at least its weight in silver, and often more when the workmanship is fine.

Silver plate is an ordinary metal, often brass or nickel silver, covered with a thin layer of silver. Makers such as Christofle or Ercuis made very fine services in it. It contains little silver, so its value lies mainly in the pattern, the maker and the condition.

The two look very alike on a table. The hallmarks settle it.

The pieces we value

We value cutlery sets and flatware, tea and coffee services, dishes and sauce boats, cups, napkin rings and christening gifts, dressing table and desk items, and vermeil.

Reading French silver hallmarks

Hallmarks are tiny, two or three millimetres. You need a magnifying glass and good light. They are found on the back of handles, under hollow pieces, on lids.

The Minerva hallmark

Since 1838, French solid silver has carried the head of Minerva wearing a helmet. On antique silver a number goes with it: 1 for the first standard, 950 thousandths of silver, and 2 for the second standard, 800 thousandths.

The silversmith's mark

Next to it is the maker's mark. On solid silver it is lozenge-shaped, with the silversmith's initials and a small symbol. On silver plate, the maker's mark is usually in a square or a rectangle.

Before 1838

Older pieces carry other hallmarks, such as the rooster of the Revolutionary and Empire period, the old man's head, or the marks of the Ancien Régime. They need a more careful reading, and often interest collectors.

Vermeil is gilded solid silver. It carries the same hallmarks. For all the details, read our article on recognising solid silver from its hallmarks.

What we look at to value your silver

• The weight of silver: we weigh the solid silver pieces.
• The silversmith: a piece by Puiforcat, Odiot, Christofle or another great name can be worth far more than its weight.
• The pattern and decoration: the fineness of the chasing, the style (Louis XV rocaille, Louis XVI ribbons, Empire palmettes, Art Deco lines).
• Condition: dents, repairs, worn fork tines. Engraved monograms, a family's initials, are very common and are not a problem in themselves.
• The set as a whole: a complete cutlery set, with its serving pieces and original case, is of more interest than odd pieces.

One point that is often not well known: knives with silver handles are usually "filled". The handle is hollow and filled with a resin, and the blade is steel. So their weight is not silver weight.

Mistakes to avoid before selling

• Do not polish the silver before showing it to us. Abrasive pastes and dips scratch and wear the decoration.
• No dishwasher, especially for silver plate and knives.
• Do not split up a cutlery set or a tea service (teapot, coffee pot, sugar bowl, milk jug).
• Do not try to remove an engraved monogram: you would weaken the metal.
• Keep the boxes, cases and receipts, even empty.
• Do not sell by weight without having the silversmith and the pattern looked at.

How the valuation works

We come to see your silver at your home, free of charge and with no obligation, as for any valuation. We travel at no cost to your home in Paris and Île-de-France. You can also send us photos on WhatsApp: an overall view, then close-ups of the hallmarks.

If you sell, we buy with immediate payment, by bank transfer. For silver, gold and other precious metals, bank transfer is compulsory. We also value antique jewellery and gold, and the other antiques in the home, at the same visit.

Take a close-up photo of a hallmark and one of the whole cutlery set, then send them on WhatsApp to 06 24 56 38 58 (+33 6 24 56 38 58 from abroad). You can also call us.