Sterling silver flatware has fallen out of favor with today’s young couples. It’s no longer the must-have wedding item that it once was and many young couples don’t even want their parents old silver as an inherited item. So if you’re a 50-something and you’re wondering where to sell your sterling silver flatware or if you’re newly married and it just doesn’t make sense to keep the Sterling silverware you received as a gift – here’s a suggestion.
Finding the word “Sterling” is critical.
First, because most people don’t work with sterling everyday, many people confuse things that are silver with sterling. They’re not the same. Sterling describes a mostly silver amalgam that contains about 7.75% copper to give the silver some rigidity and strength. And it’ll always say “Sterling” on the back of the forks and spoons…like the picture to the left. And sometimes you’ll be able to find it on the handles of the knives. But remember – if you see the word “silver” – that’s not enough. It’s got to say STERLING.
Okay – your kids don’t want it, you’re trying to pare down, you don’t entertain any more and you’ve seen the word “Sterling” – and now you want to sell your flatware. You want to know what it’s worth and how to sell it.
Both answers are easy – the first answer is that most sterling silver flatware is worth between $700-$1000 if it’s more than say, 48 pieces. Sometimes larger sets are worth more – because it’s all about the weight. More mass, more money.
The second answer is tied to the first – the way to sell sterling silver flatware is by weight. We weigh it on a scale and we pay you based on the amount of silver in the forks, spoons and knives. (but with knives, only the handles, the blades are stainless steel) Unless you’ve got a highly desirable set with unique pieces (like the little spoon with serrated edges that cuts open the grapefruit) – those can conceivably go for more money than just the weight. But usually, we’ll just weigh it and pay you for the silver. That is, we pay you for the metal content. Sterling silver spoons usually go for between $12-$17 for small ones, 15-20 for larger ones…forks are also great because they’re heavy. It’s a fairly fast transaction and after a bit of paperwork – you’ll walk away with a substantial amount of money. If that sounds like a good way to dispose of your silver, call Brian at Houston Gold Merchants and we can get started right away. And when you come to sell flatware at Houston Gold Merchants, we’ll help you compare prices – shop us around…we’re confident you won’t find better prices! And check out or reviews...https://www.yelp.com/biz/houston-gold-merchants-houston
