Sell Silver & Silverware

Why Sell Your Silver to South Coast Jewellers?

Silver remains one of the most widely held precious metals in British homes, and if you have unwanted silver sitting in drawers, display cabinets, or jewellery boxes, turning it into cash is simpler than you might think. At South Coast Jewellers, we buy all forms of silver -- from delicate sterling silver chains to heavy canteens of cutlery and everything in between. The value of your silver is based on its weight and purity, which means even tarnished, damaged, or broken items hold real worth.

Our expert valuers visit your home free of charge, bringing calibrated scales and professional testing equipment so that every item is assessed accurately on the spot. We work from the live London Bullion Market Association silver price, ensuring that our offer reflects the genuine market value of your metal at that moment. There is no guesswork, no lowballing, and no obligation to accept. You receive a full written breakdown of weight, purity, and the calculation behind your offer before you make any decision.

We have built our reputation on transparency and fairness. Every silver valuation we carry out is completely free, and our team never applies pressure. If you choose to sell, payment is made the same day. If you prefer to keep your silver, that is absolutely fine too. We want every person who invites us into their home to feel confident that they received an honest assessment and a fair price. That commitment to integrity is why so many of our clients come to us through personal recommendations and repeat business.

Types of Silver We Buy

When people think about selling silver, jewellery is usually the first thing that comes to mind, and rightly so. We buy all forms of silver jewellery including rings, necklaces, chains, bracelets, bangles, earrings, brooches, and cufflinks. Whether your pieces are hallmarked sterling silver, vintage, designer, or simply everyday items you no longer wear, we are interested. Single pieces and entire collections are equally welcome, and the cosmetic condition of the jewellery does not affect the silver content, so tarnished, scratched, or broken items are worth just as much per gram as pristine ones.

Beyond jewellery, silverware and cutlery represent a significant area of our buying. Complete canteens of silver cutlery, individual forks, spoons, serving pieces, fish slices, sugar tongs, teapots, coffee pots, candlesticks, salvers, and trays all carry value based on their silver weight. Many families inherit silverware without realising how much it is worth, and a single canteen of sterling silver flatware can contain a surprising amount of metal.

We are also active buyers of silver coins and bullion. This includes modern investment coins such as Silver Britannias, Canadian Maples, and Austrian Philharmonics, as well as pre-1947 British coins that contain silver. Investment bars and ingots from one ounce to one hundred ounces are purchased at competitive rates regardless of the refiner or condition.

Scrap silver is another category we handle daily. Broken chains, single earrings, bent rings, tarnished pieces, and any damaged silver items all have value. We also buy items that many people overlook entirely: cigarette cases, hip flasks, picture frames, napkin rings, toast racks, trophy cups, and christening sets. If it contains silver, it is worth having it valued, and our team can assess everything during a single home visit.

Understanding Silver Purity and Hallmarks

The United Kingdom has one of the oldest and most rigorous hallmarking systems in the world, and understanding silver hallmarks can help you gauge the potential value of your items before we visit. The most common hallmark you will encounter on British silver is the lion passant, a small stamped image of a walking lion that denotes sterling silver -- an alloy of 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% copper. Sterling silver may also carry the numerical mark 925, which you will often see on jewellery and on items made outside the United Kingdom.

A rarer and more valuable standard is Britannia silver, marked with a seated figure of Britannia and denoting 95.8% purity. Britannia silver was the mandatory standard in England between 1697 and 1720, and pieces from this period are highly sought after by collectors. Modern silversmiths occasionally choose to work in Britannia silver as well, and these pieces command a premium over standard sterling.

In addition to the purity mark, British hallmarks typically include a date letter that indicates the year the piece was assayed, and an assay office mark showing where it was tested. The four current assay offices are Birmingham (an anchor), London (a leopard's head), Sheffield (a rose), and Edinburgh (a castle). Older pieces may bear marks from defunct offices such as Chester, Exeter, or Newcastle, and these can add historical interest and sometimes collector value beyond the metal content.

Not all silver carries hallmarks, however. Items below the hallmarking weight threshold, pieces manufactured abroad, and very old items may have no marks at all. This does not mean they lack silver content. Our valuers use professional testing methods to determine the precise silver content of any piece regardless of whether it is hallmarked, without causing any damage to your items. If you are unsure whether your items are solid silver, we are happy to test them during our visit and explain exactly what we find.

How Silver Prices Work

The price of silver is set twice daily by the London Bullion Market Association through what is known as the LBMA silver fix. This benchmark price is quoted in US dollars per troy ounce and is influenced by global supply and demand, industrial consumption, investment flows, and currency movements. Because silver is traded continuously on global commodity markets, the price can fluctuate from day to day and even within a single trading session.

When we value your silver, we work directly from the current LBMA silver fix converted to British pounds. Sterling silver is 92.5% pure, so if you have one hundred grams of sterling silver, it contains 92.5 grams of fine silver. We multiply that fine weight by the live spot price to arrive at the metal value. Our offer is then based on a competitive percentage of this figure, and we show you the full calculation so there are no surprises.

One important distinction between silver and gold is the price per gram. Silver trades at a fraction of the gold price, which means that the per-gram value is lower. However, silver items -- particularly cutlery, candlesticks, trays, and flatware sets -- tend to be far heavier than gold jewellery. A canteen of silver cutlery for twelve can weigh several kilograms, and at current prices that adds up to a substantial sum. Similarly, silver bullion bars and coin collections can represent considerable value when sold by weight.

Our valuers test every piece individually, ensuring that each item is assessed at its true purity rather than assumed to be a particular standard. You receive a written breakdown of each item's weight, purity, the current spot price, and the offer calculation. This transparency means you always know exactly how your price was determined, and you can verify it against the published silver price yourself.

Selling Silver Across the South Coast

We provide free home visit valuations to clients across the South Coast, covering Bournemouth, Poole, Christchurch, Southampton, Portsmouth, Winchester, Eastleigh, Fareham, Gosport, and all the towns and villages in between. Our service extends throughout Dorset and Hampshire, and if you are unsure whether we cover your area, simply get in touch and we will confirm.

Home visits are particularly advantageous when selling silver because silver items can be heavy and cumbersome to transport. A canteen of cutlery, a collection of candlesticks, or a tray full of inherited silverware is far easier to have valued in your own home than to box up and carry to a high-street shop. There is no need to worry about packing fragile items, no risk of loss in transit, and no queue to join when you arrive. Our valuer comes to you at a time that suits your schedule, and the entire process typically takes less than an hour.

Every member of our team is enhanced DBS-checked and fully insured, giving you complete peace of mind when inviting us into your home. We understand that many of the items we value carry sentimental as well as financial significance, and we treat every client and every piece with the respect they deserve. If you decide to sell, payment is made the same day by bank transfer. If you prefer to hold on to some or all of your silver, there is absolutely no pressure and no charge for the visit.

Our home visit service is especially popular with clients dealing with inherited collections, estate clearances, and downsizing. If a loved one has left behind a quantity of silver and you are not sure what it is worth, a single appointment allows us to assess everything at once and provide you with a clear picture of the total value. Many of our clients tell us they had no idea how much their silver was worth until we tested and weighed it, and that knowledge alone makes the visit worthwhile even if they choose not to sell immediately.

Selling Sterling Silver vs Silver Plate

One of the most common questions we hear is whether an item is solid sterling silver or silver plate, and it is a perfectly reasonable thing to wonder. The difference matters because sterling silver is a precious metal alloy with significant value by weight, whereas silver plate is a thin layer of silver deposited over a base metal -- usually copper or nickel silver -- and contains only a fraction of the recoverable silver.

The easiest way to tell the difference at home is to look for hallmarks or stamps. British sterling silver will usually carry the lion passant or 925 mark, along with a date letter and assay office mark. Silver-plated items, on the other hand, are often stamped with the letters EPNS, which stands for Electroplated Nickel Silver. You may also see markings such as "silver plate," "A1," or "Sheffield plate" on plated pieces. If you find any of these, the item is plated rather than solid silver.

However, many items carry no marks at all, or the stamps are too worn to read. This is exactly why we bring professional testing equipment to every valuation. Our methods can distinguish genuine sterling silver from silver plate without scratching, drilling, or damaging the item. If your piece turns out to be solid silver, we value it at the full market rate based on weight and purity. If it is plated, we will explain what it is and offer a price that reflects the recoverable silver content.

We want to be clear that there is no judgement in this process. Many people genuinely do not know whether their items are solid silver or plated, and that uncertainty is one of the main reasons to book a valuation in the first place. Our job is to give you accurate information and a fair price, whatever the outcome. We buy both sterling silver and silver plate, and every valuation is free, friendly, and without obligation. If you have a collection of silver items and you are not sure what you have, the simplest thing to do is book a free home visit and let our experts take a look. You might be pleasantly surprised by what is hiding in the back of your cupboard.