A Beginner’s Guide To Selling Silver Baskets
Whether you have a silver tea service that you have inherited or a collection of silver that you have built up over the last 10 years, knowing how to sell your antique silver can be somewhat difficult. Over the years, collecting habits have changed and what might have been in fashion 5 years ago may no longer be sought after.
We are here to help put you in touch with a speicalist valuer who will be able to help you value and sell your antique silver.
Antique silver is a popular collectible because of its beauty and the intricate craftsmanship that often goes into creating each piece. However, with changing trends in interior design and collecting, it can be challenging to find buyers for your collection. That’s where our specialist valuers come in – they have the knowledge and expertise to accurately assess the value of your antique silver and find potential buyers who will appreciate its unique qualities.
What Is Your Silver Worth?
How To Sell: Auction or Private Sale?
Mark Littler Ltd. is 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%.
Important Note: this is a valuation service and not a hallmark identification service. Please see this page to learn how to read your hallmarks.
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?
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 Affects The Value Of Your Silver Basket?
Size
The size of silver baskets has been little altered and is a good indicator of an antique example. Silver baskets tend to be around 13 or 14 inches long, although exceptions do sometimes occur.
Although the dimensions largely remain the same, the weight of the silver basket changed over time. Generally, the earlier the silver basket, the heavier it is, with some of the George II era silver baskets weighing 60 oz. By 1900, silver baskets often only weigh 15 oz.
Coat of Arms
Given that silver was once one only afforded by the upper tiers of society, it was common to have your coat of arms or crest engraved on your silver basket.
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 basket greatly.
Condition
Clearly the condition of your basket 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 baskets 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 basket. In some cases you can reduce the value of a basket 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 baskets have been made from around the 16th Century and the earlier pieces often command a higher price.
However, the older the basket, 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 silver basket.
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 basket then it is silver plated. Your basket 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 basket 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 basket 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.
