Castle Top Silver: History, Valuations & How to Sell

Castle top silver is highly collectable. If you have a piece of Castle Top Silver and would like to find out more your item please read our guide to their history at the end of this page. You will also find a guide for the 6 things to look for in your Castle Top Silver and a guide to the common hallmarks used.

Castle top silver refers to a specific style of English silverware that was popular during the 19th century. It is characterized by its elaborate designs and intricate engravings, often depicting castles, landmarks, or scenes from literature. The term “castle top” comes from the practice of engraving these designs on the lid or cover of a silver box, such as a snuffbox or card case. These pieces were often used for decorative or sentimental purposes and were considered highly desirable among the upper class.

One of the key features to look for in castle top silver is the quality of its engravings. Skilled artisans would spend hours intricately hand-engraving each piece, resulting in detailed and stunning designs. Another important factor to consider is the condition of the silver itself. Look out for any signs of wear or damage, as this can greatly affect its value.

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.

Free Expert Silver Valuations

Use the form below or send images of your silver to be connected with a silver expert.

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What to look for in your Castle Top Silver

Condition

The condition of the decoration on castle top silver is very important. Look for signs of an over zealous cleaner as a previous owner; if it has been over-polished there will be no fine details left. A split around the seam of the case is normally repairable.

Hallmarks

The hallmarks on your card case are likely to be on the inner rim of the base. As the marks are placed in direct contact with the closing lid they can sometimes become obscured. As long as the date and maker are readable it is considered ok.

Card Cases

The record for a castle top card case stands at £9,800 which was for a very rare example of The Post Office, Dublin. More typically they sell for £300-500, with the value being mostly formed from how unfrequnetly the building or castle occurs on a case.

What Our Customers Say

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In 1991 I purchased a number edition bottle of Midleton Very Rare whiskey in a box with the certification endorsed by the Master Distiller Barry Crockett whilst visiting Whiskey Corner in Dublin.It was stored in a cupboard until March 2013 when my wife suggested that we had it valued.Having searched on line for a whisky broker two options were presented by the internet one in Dublin and one in Congleton Cheshire. Mark Littler Independent Whisky Broker. From the first contact by phone with their staff members relating to my initial enquiry and the subsequent process of selling the bottle of whiskey they all dealt with the matter with very professionally and kept us fully informed at every stage of the process to achieve finding a buyer in their Online Shop.We personally delivered the Midleton Whiskey to their premises in Congleton in late March 2023 where Beth welcomed us to the very secure and tempreature controlled suite of offices where we met all the members of staff who would be dealing with our sale.My wife and I were handed a very detailed and simple contract of sale which Beth gave us time to read through and explained all the process of how the sale would be conducted by Mark Littler Ltd, and an initial offer price was agreed to commence the sale.In July Beth contacted us to suggest that we include our bottle in a video that was being produced to promote their whisky shop and items available for sale. The video was very professionally made and explained in detail each of the bottles on offer to prospective buyers.The sale of our bottle of Midleton Whiskey was completed in September at the price we had hoped to achieve when it was independently valued.During the whole [process of our dealings with Beth and Katy we kept up to date on the sale process, and the agreed sum of money achieved arrived in our bank account as promised.As valued customers we would fully endorse and recommend Mark Littler Ltd as a trustworthy company to sell your valuable times through either in their shop or at auction.Mr Lawrence and Mrs Par Burrell.Shepperton. Middlesex,

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Vinaigrettes

Although castle top vinaigrettes have a higher average selling price than card cases, often around £500-1000 depending on the subject, the record is only £6,600. Look out for vinaigrettes in their original boxes as they are often in perfect condition.

Embossed decoration

Most castle top silver is made by die stamping (pushing the metal out from behind using a stamp). The greater the decoration stands clear from the front of the cover, the harder it was to make, and highly detailed cases are very sought after by collectors.

Engraved Decoration

Castle Top Silver can also have engraved decoration. A specialist engraver would often be employed just to add the decoration to the front of the card case or vinaigrette. As the decoration is shallow it can be prone to rubbing and loosing details.

The Main Castle Top Silver Hallmarks

Alfred Taylor

Birmingham – registered mark 1851, active circa 1853-1870. Currently it is an Alfred Taylor card case which holds the world record price for an item of castle top silver.

George Unite

Birmingham – registered first mark in 1832, active circa 1832-1901. The record for a George Unite castle top card case is £9,200.

Nathaniel Mills

Birmingham – active 1826-1857. The record for a Nathaniel Mills castle top card case is £9,200.

A History of Castle Top Silver Boxes

In the mid-19^th century, small silver boxes depicting images of castles, manor houses, or churches were used to carry cards, snuff, and vinaigrettes. These silver cases were fashioned by the Birmingham ‘toy’ makers. They were engraved or die-stamped with British landmarks. Castle top silver cases were likely marketed as souvenirs for honeymooners and day-trippers in Victorian England and are highly collectable.

The custom of leaving visiting cards lasted throughout the 19^th century, and the need for covering up offensive odours outdoors (which vinaigrettes were used for) certainly persisted through that period. Yet castle top silver was only at the height of fashion between the period of circa 1830 to 1860. This rather brief period of popularity limits the cases availability and in turn makes these Castle Top Silver cases highly collectable today.

Castle top card cases

Calling cards were left behind at a residence if the required person wasn’t available. They served as both an introductory letter and a symbol of manners and social standing. Cards for unmarried men were usually smaller than the cards married men carried. The most desirable card cases in the mid-19^th century featured scenes of British landmarks.

Castle top vinaigrettes

Vinaigrettes held sponges dipped in strong fragrance to help mask unpleasant street smells. Wealthy citizens could afford the fragrances needed to mask the strong scents. The beautiful castle top silver cases helped a disagreeable situation feel a bit more tolerable.

Castle top silver in the 21st century

Castle top silver is now valued for the variety of depictions of British landmarks. The rarer the building, the higher the demand in today’s market. You can find engravings of Windsor Castle, Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London, Melrose Abbey, and Oxford College, just to name a few.