Chinese Export Silver Valuations & Sales Advice
Chinese export silver refers to silverware made in China, primarily for Western markets, between the late 18th and early 20th centuries. They combine traditional Western forms (such as tankards, candlesticks or tea sets) with Chinese motifs and craftsmanship. The market for Chinese silver has grown steadily in recent years, driven by collectors interested in both Chinese decorative arts and colonial history.
With over 15 years of experience, our team specialises in Chinese silver, jade, bronze, scrolls and other Asian works of art. We provide professional written valuations and clear, impartial guidance on your next steps.
Every piece is different, and so is the best route to market. We’ll help you understand the true value of your item and advise you on whether it’s best suited to an international auction, a private buyer, or another route. There’s never any pressure to sell through us.
Whether you’ve inherited a Chinese vase, are handling a probate estate, or simply want to know what your piece is worth, our aim is to make the process simple, transparent and stress-free.
Free Expert Silver Valuations
If you would like your antique silver valued, we recommend contacting Jeffrey Lassaline at Tennants Auctioneers. Jeffrey is one of the UK’s leading silver specialists with decades of experience handling some of the most important collections and pieces to come to market.
Jeffrey Lassaline
Silver and Objects of Vertu Specialist
Tennants Auctioneers
Tel: +44 (0)1969 623780
Email: [email protected]
About Jeffrey
Jeffrey joined Tennants in 2019, bringing with him over 25 years’ experience in the Fine and Decorative Arts. He began his career in Canada before moving to London in 2000 to head Christie’s South Kensington Silver Department, later becoming Senior Silver Specialist and Director at Christie’s King Street. During nearly 20 years at Christie’s, Jeffrey was involved in landmark sales including the Peggy and David Rockefeller Collection and the record-breaking Fabergé Rothschild Egg. Passionate about silver, he has supported contemporary silversmiths through his work with the Silver Trust and is a Freeman of the Goldsmiths’ Company, a member of the Silver Society, and a founding member of the Silver Society of Canada.
What is Chinese export silver?
Chinese export silver was produced from the late 18th century to the early 20th century and traded from Canton. Early Chinese Export Silver was made in the European style, but through the 19th century a unique elaborate style developed, featuring dragons and landscapes made to appeal to tourists. Chinese Export Silver was made from melted Spanish trade dollars (the only currency allowed by Chinese merchants from foreign traders) so often tests as 90% silver.
What Is Chinese Export Silver Worth? Typical Values
The value of Chinese export silver can vary significantly depending on the maker, age, condition, and decorative detail. Common late Qing period pieces sell in the low hundreds, for example a small, late Qing export silver napkin ring may fetch £50 to £150. Rarer works by top makers or those with historical provenance can fetch £10,000 to £20,000, with exceptional examples worth six-figures or more to the right buyer.
Top-tier silversmiths like Wang Hing, Cum Wo, Hung Chong and Linchong are particularly sought after, but condition is critical. Dents, repairs or missing elements can reduce value significantly, while original patina and sharp detail enhance appeal with collectors. Provenance and inscriptions also add value, especially if linked to notable Western merchants or naval officers stationed in China during the 19th century.
Late 19th-Century Chinese Export Silver Epergne by Henglai
A superb and very rare large Chinese export silver epergne, dating to the late 19th century and bearing the maker’s mark of Henglai. The piece achieved a remarkable sale price of HK$1,875,000 (approximately £190,000) at Bonhams London in 2024.
Key Factors: Epergnes of this size and quality are exceedingly rare in Chinese export silver and the design and workmanship are of an exceptionally high standard. The piece also benefits from a well-documented ownership history and association with a renowned maker.
Mid-20th Century Chinese Export Silver Coffee and Tea Service
This mid-20th century Chinese export silver coffee and tea service, features an elegant design that perfectly balances western forms with chinese decoration to make it appealing to collectors. It sold at Bonhams Massachusetts in 2025 for $5,632 (approximately £4,200).
Key Factors: The set epitomises the combination of western form and Chinese aesthetic that is most sought after in these pieces, with bamboo also a popular motif. The set was well-preserved and presented with all items in fine condition.
Understanding Chinese Export Silver: The Key To Value
Decoration style
The main era for Chinese export silver was circa 1800-1900. The earliest pieces produced were made by Chinese silversmiths in the European style. These pieces will be plain, maybe with engraved decoration, with the Chinese maker’s mark often being the only clue to its original origin.
Later in the century the style of Chinese export silver became much decorative, with every surface except the base embellished! These later, highly decorated items are the most sought after in the current market.
The most common decorative themes include dragons, landscapes with or without people, and filigree work.
Chinese Export Marks
Your piece of silver is likely to be marked on the base with either: a Chinese character mark, English letters or pseudo hallmarks. Not all pieces are marked because the silver used was from previously alloyed Spanish dollars, there were no assay offices or other convention marks as there is with British silver.
Many of the maker’s names such as Wing Nam, Wang Hing, Powying etc, are made up Western sounding names rather than the actual name of the silversmith. The best reference work for Chinese Export Marks is by H A Corsby Forbes and is available for around £200 on AbeBooks
We can identify the maker of your item if you are able to send over clear images of the marks.
Age
Chinese Export silver is made from Spanish 8 Reales coin, also known as a trade dollar (or pieces of eight). Unlike antique English silver, with Chinese Export Silver older is not necessarily better
The zenith of decoration on Chinese export silver was during the mid to late 19th century. Items from this period are often the most sought after as the silversmiths were reaching technical achievements seldom seen in English silver of the time. By contrast Chinese export silver from earlier in the century was a relatively plain copy of European styles and is much less commercial.
Forms
Chinese export silver comes in almost every form imaginable. But the most common forms are mugs, tea services and card cases.
Mugs are often decorated with a continuous landscape and are often around 10-20cm high. Tea services may number from three to six items, those which are decorated with dragons being the most commercial. Card cases were made in very large numbers and are often covered with continuous landscapes.
The most commercial items however are the larger more decorative items such as vases (very desirable), epergnes, bowls and cup and saucers (very rare).
Dragons
Dragons are extremely important animals in Chinese culture and represented the emperor.
As the main buyers for Chinese export silver are now based in mainland China, it is their tastes that dictate value. The dragon is by far the most commercial decorative element and if your piece of silver is decorated with a dragon, or dragons, it is worth more than had it been decorated with a landscape.
Tea services decorated with dragons in high relief (rather than being engraved) are very sought-after and command a premium.
Provenance
Owing to the British rule of Hong Kong from 1841-1997 large quantities of Chinese Export Silver was exported back to the UK from diplomats and dignitaries.
Chinese Export Silver was often used as testimonial plate: silver given in recognition of services, time spent with a company or as an award.
Some items are engraved with inscriptions relating to who the item was presented to, what their position was and quite often the date of the presentation. Unlike with English silver, presentation inscriptions do not affect value.
Silver Valuation Tips
To get the most accurate valuation of your silver, when you contact us using the form above please 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?
What Our Customers Say
A History of Chinese Export Silver
Chinese export silver, originally bought by merchants trading with China via the port of Canton, is a rapidly expanding market with some items selling in excess of £50,000. Although the Chinese had been making and exporting items made from silver from the early 18th century, it was not until 1965 that the first academic article was published on the subject (“China Trade in Silver,” John Devereux, Connoisseur, Nov 1965 p198).
Twenty years ago it was not common for Chinese buyers to purchase export wares, these were after all items for European consumption and were often classed as secondary wares. Fuelled by the increased number of fakes and the limited supply of Imperial wares, collectors are now seriously contesting export wares, of which Chinese export silver is one of the most sought after.
According to our research, the highest price paid for an item of export silver was a silver gilt teapot sold by Sotheby’s in 2008. This hexagonal teapot was made during the reign of the emperor Kangxi in the early 18th century. It sold for an astronomical £75,500 including commission.
This is the exception to the rule, but many items of Chinese export silver often sells between £1,000 and £5,000. It is often forgotten that Chinese export silver was much cheaper than silver made in Europe, so it was brought back in huge numbers to the UK, American and Europe.
As with any market it is best to ‘buy low, sell high’. The market for Chinese export silver has never been stronger. Nor has the Chinese economy ever looked more fragile. As such we would advise anyone with Chinese export silver to consign it for sale now.
We can advise the value of your Chinese export silver and help you find the best place to sell it, taking care of all the administration and logistics too. So if you have an item of Chinese export silver and you would like a valuation please contact us for more information.
How to Sell a Chinese Export Silver: Auction vs Private Sale
Once you know what your Chinese export silver is worth, the next step is deciding how best to sell it. The right route depends on the item’s value, condition, and market appeal. In most cases, sellers choose between auction and private sale, each with its own pros and cons. This section explains the differences, so you can make an informed decision about what’s right for your vase.
Choosing How to Sell: Why Asian Art Is Different
When it comes to selling items like watches or signed prints, pricing is relatively straightforward. These markets are well documented, with clear benchmarks based on previous sales. If a similar print recently sold for £3,000 at auction, and you receive a private offer of £4,000, it’s easy to recognise that as a strong deal.
Chinese and Asian art doesn’t work like that.
The value of a vase or bronze isn’t defined by a consistent market price, but by the judgment of specialists and collectors. One expert might see a piece as decorative, while another might identify it as an underappreciated gem, and that difference can translate into thousands, or even tens of thousands, in sale value. In these cases, success depends as much on who sees your item as on what it is.
Which brings us to the next crucial decision: if auction is the route you’re considering, which auction house is the right one?
The Right Auction Can Make All the Difference
One of the clearest examples of why the right venue matters is the story of an imperial Daoguang-era hat stand, an ornate yellow-ground famille rose piece decorated with nine dragons and bearing a six-character reign mark in gilt.
Originally used as a reading lamp for decades in a North Wales bungalow, the hat stand came to light when the owner, then in his 80s, called in a valuer ahead of downsizing. It was consigned to a provincial saleroom with a modest estimate of £800. What followed was extraordinary: it sold for just under £100,000 — over 100 times the guide price.
But that wasn’t the end of the story.
A few years later, the same piece reappeared at Christie’s in London. Now correctly catalogued and marketed on the international stage, it realised £581,000.
At Mark Littler Ltd, we help ensure your item is seen by the right eyes. Whether that means placing it in a focused regional auction where it will stand out, or stepping up to a premier international sale with the right specialist and audience, we guide you through every decision. With Chinese and Asian art, it’s not just about finding a buyer — it’s about finding the buyer. Choosing the right sale, at the right time, can make all the difference.
