The Ultimate Guide To Selling Antique Silver Salvers
Are you looking to find out what your silver salver is worth, and how best to sell it? At Mark Littler Ltd we can help you understand what affects the value of your silver salver, provide you with a valuation, and advise on how best to sell it.
Silver salvers have been made since the 16th century, although their style has gone through a number of developments. Silver salvers were originally designed for the upper classes of society and whilst they are not often used for their original purpose, silver salvers are collected for their historical and decorative appeal. Understanding the history and style of your silver salver can greatly impact its value.
One of the key factors that affects the value of a silver salver is its age. The older the piece, the more rare and valuable it becomes. Silver salvers from the 16th and 17th centuries are highly sought after by collectors, as they represent an early period in silver manufacturing. These pieces often feature intricate designs and engravings, making them even more desirable.
What Is Your Silver Worth?
How To Sell: Auction or Private Sale?
Mark Littler Ltd. are one of the only independent advisers in the antique industry. We offer trusted, independent advice to help you sell your silver for the highest possible price.
Selling at an auction might provide your silver with greater exposure. However, with a combined average of 45% in gross buyers’ and sellers’ fees, this approach might prove to be a false economy.
Conversely, finding a private buyer for your silver through our services could net you 33% more than if you sold it via auction, as our fees are only 12%.
What We Do For You
Simply fill in your contact details below and you will get an automatic referral to a leading silver auction expert who will give you an auction estimate and advise on how to sell with them. We will also see if we are able to get any offer from our private clients.
If we get any offers we will send these within 7 days. All offers are without obligation and there are no fees to pay us if you decide to sell at auction.
Silver Valuation Tips
To get the most accurate valuation of your silver simply ensure you provide the following information:
- What condition is your silver in? Let us know if there are and dents or heavy scratches in the silver.
- How heavy is your item? Please provide a measurement in grams if you can as this helps us determine the gauge of the silver. For instance a silver teapot can weigh as much as 1,000g or as little as 250g. Outwardly the design may look identical but the gauge of the silver is much heavier. This is important as items made from a better gauge of silver were often made by better makers for the upper classes, and as such will have a big impact on the value.
- PROVENANCE! Who owned your item before you did? Is there an interesting presentation inscription on your item that might shine light into it’s former life?
Important Note: this is a valuation service and not a hallmark identification service. Please see this page to learn how to read your hallmarks.
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What Affects The Value Of Your Silver Salver?
Coat of Arms
Given the large flat area in the centre of a silver salver they lead themselves to be the perfect item to display a large coat of arms or armorial, most often within a cartouche, or border.
If the engraving of the coat of arms is period with the item then this will often enhance the value. Coats of arms belonging to prominent families, or even royalty, will enhance the value of your silver salver greatly. Additionally, the style and intricacy of the coat of arms can also impact the value.
Coats of arms have a long history dating back to medieval times when they were used as signs of identification on shields and banners during battles. As society evolved, coats of arms became associated with nobility and high social status. They were often passed down through generations within prominent families as a way to display their lineage and heritage.
Assay Office & Maker
The assay office and maker will also have an impact on the value of your silver salver. Salvers assayed at York, Chester, Newcastle and other English and Scottish provincial assay offices are very rare and collectors will be buying the salver more for the marks than the design and aesthetics.
The same is the case for highly sought after silversmiths such as Paul Storr or John Swift etc.
Condition
Clearly the condition of your salver will have an impact on the value.
Dents, bruises and splits are all obvious forms of damage that will impact the value.
Quite often on salvers you may find that a coat of arms has been removed which can be hard to spot but will also have a big impact on the value.
Do not worry about cleaning your salver. In some cases you can reduce the value of a salver by cleaning it.
What Our Customers Say
Age
We have been applying hallmarks to silver since the 14th century and as such they are the oldest form of consumer protection in the world.
Silver salvers have been made from around the 16th Century and the earlier pieces often command a higher price.
However, the older the salver, the more likely that there will have been repairs over the years. As such it is a combination of both the age and the condition that will have a real impact on the value of your salver.
Silver or Plate
To put it bluntly, sterling silver items were made for the middle and upper classes. Silver plate was an invention aimed at making ‘silver’ style items available to the masses.
If you see the letters EPNS or A1 on your salver then it is silver plated. Your salver will need to be hallmarked and carry very specific marks in order to be legally called silver.
As silver plate was made for the mass market many items of silver plate do not have any value.
Weight
The weight of your salver will help us to understand the quality of your silver. But how?
Silversmiths like Paul Storr produced many items to the same design, but depending on the wealth of their client they would adjust the amount of silver that they would use for the commission.
As such a salver may be 500g or it might be 1,300g. Without being able to handle your items in person, providing the weight will give us a very good idea of the gauge of the silver used and thus we will be able to give you a very good idea of the value.
