The marks that matter
Solid silver announces itself if you know where to look. "Sterling," "Ster," or "925" means 92.5% pure — the standard for American and English silverware and jewelry. "800" or "835" marks appear on continental European pieces at slightly lower purity. "Coin" or "Coin Silver" on antique American pieces means 90%.
The heartbreakers are the plated marks: "Silverplate," "EPNS" (electroplated nickel silver), "A1," "Triple Plate," or a maker's name with no purity mark at all. Plated hollowware and flatware carry a whisper of silver over base metal — fine things to use and enjoy, but worth very little as metal. Five minutes at our counter sorts a drawer of mixed flatware into the pieces that pay and the pieces that don't.
The 1964 rule: junk silver that isn't junk
Every regular US dime, quarter, and half dollar minted in 1964 or earlier is 90% silver — collectors call it "junk silver," which is a terrible name for coins reliably worth many times their face value in metal alone. Half dollars from 1965 through 1970 are 40% silver, a detail even many coin-jar owners don't know. War-era nickels from 1942–1945 contain 35% silver.
If you've inherited a coin jar or a folder of old change, don't spend it and don't sort it alone — dates matter, and the occasional better-date coin is worth more to a collector than as melt. Bring the lot in; we'll separate silver from clad and tell you if anything deserves a closer look.
Flatware, tea sets, bars, and what they're worth
For sterling flatware and hollowware, value starts with the same formula as gold: weight × purity × today's spot price. A full sterling flatware service is heavy — several pounds of 92.5% silver is real money regardless of pattern. One catch: weighted candlesticks and some hollowware have cement or steel cores for stability, so they're priced on their actual silver content, not gross weight.
Above the melt floor, the right names add value: sought-after makers and patterns — think Tiffany, Georg Jensen, and certain Gorham and International patterns — can be worth more intact than melted, and bullion bars and rounds trade close to spot. An honest appraisal checks both numbers and pays you on the better one. Bring it in; the scale and the answer are free.
Bring it in — estimates are free
Reading gets you close; the scale and the tester get you exact. Free, fast, no obligation — since 1955.