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Silver Cutlery – Valuations, Guide & Tips

The age of dinner parties and formal dining at home may not be as popular as it once was.  However, services of silver cutlery (also known as flatware) are much in demand.  Some services can sell for over £10,000 and most 12 place setting silver services are worth many £1000’s.

Even if you have an odd selection of silver cutlery it might be worth £100’s.

If you have a service of flatware or collection of silver cutlery that you would like to sell or have valued then we can help. This guide will act as a good starting point, helping you understand what to look for and why prices can vary so much.

Read below for more information about what your silver cutlery is worth.

Silver Cutlery

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:

  1. What condition is your silver in? Let us know if there are and dents or heavy scratches in the silver.
  2. 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.
  3. 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 pocket watch to be connected with a pocket watch expert.

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    The nine factors that affect the value of silver cutlery

    Silver-Hallmark-1

    Hallmarks

    The first and most important matter is to understand if you silver cutlery is indeed sterling silver or if it is silver plate.  

    Silver plated flatware or cutlery is very low in value no matter what the quality or quantity.

    If you don’t know whether or not your service is made of sterling silver you can learn how to read a hallmark here.  You can also email images of the marks on your silver cutlery and we will be happy to advise you.

    A full service or just a few odd pieces?

    A straight service means that every piece of your silver cutlery has the same marks. This implies that it has always been together and has not been added to over the years. It will, therefore, sell for a premium  

    However, even an odd collection of silver cutlery can have a high value as long as it is made from sterling silver. Broadly speaking the older the service the rarer it is to remain as a straight service.

    Silver-Cutlery-Value

    Pattern

    The pattern of your silver cutlery is also an important factor as some designs are rarer than others.  The most common patterns are:

    • Kings Pattern
    • Queens Pattern
    • Old English Pattern
    • Hanoverian Pattern
    • Fiddle Pattern
    • Fiddle Thread and
    • Shell Pattern
    • Fiddle and Thread Pattern

    What Our Customers Say

    Matt Tweats at Mark Littler has been super helpful and gone above and beyond to help me sell my whisky collection. Thank you very much
    Tom H.
    Tom H.
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    It was a pleasure to deal with Mark and his team in the sale of my whisky cask. Excellent customer service, communication, professional, helpful, knowledgeable, and friendly.Overall, I would have no hesitation in endorsing Mark Littler Ltd in achieving the best price if you are looking to sell your cask.
    Charles L.
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    I wanted to sell a couple of whisky casks and used Mark Littler Ltd as my whisky broker. Apparently it is a slow process but Mark Littler managed to push the sale through quickly and at a good price. I have no hesitation in leaving this 5* review for the company.
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    Mark and his team could not have been more helpful, both at the stage of valuing the contents of Dad's house for probate, and at the stage of selling some of it. A difficult task made easier with care and expertise. Thank you so much.
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    Very easy to use service and super friendly staff - thank you for making this sale a breeze. Look forward to doing business with you again.
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    I extend my sincere thanks to Mark Littler & colleague Hannah Thompson for the very speedy way they handled sale of my Lowry signed printed.I have owned the print for 50 years : it needed a small amount of restoration which was beautifully done & enabled Mark & Hannah to achieve a considerably higher sell priceA 5 star review warrants the way Mark & associates handled my sale.Thank you for taking a real interest in my print.
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    Excellent, prompt and trustworthy service. Highly recommended company.
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    I was very happy with the service Mark provided in selling my cask, he got the target price that was agreed at the outset.
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    gave great advice and helped me through every step which was greatly appreciated for a first time seller.
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    So professional,easy and relaxed attitude.Communication excellent.Wouldn't go anywhere else, and certainly do business with the company again.I'm not in the whisky business, just love drinking it ,but treated equally as any other company or trader. .Superb!!!!
    Mick J.
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    Great service from beginning to end when we wanted to sell our Ben Nevis cask.Buyer was found very quick and the transaction went smooth.We also got to keep six sample bottles which we finally got delivered, after some issues with swedish Customs (again great support from Hannah at ML).Thanks for everything!
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    I had several casks of Scotch for many years and wanted to sell them. I'm in the US and was completely unaware as to how to do so. I cannot recommend Mark Littler LTD highly enough. Mark walked me through the steps of the process of selling from start to finish and it was flawless. Communication was excellent. My casks were sold quickly and for a very fair price.
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    I must say the whole experience from start to finish was quite exceptional . Pricing , communication , simplicity , the whole process was faultless , well worth the 5 star review would not hesitate to recommend and or use again .
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    Just exceptional people to deal with throughout.
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    I’ve waited a while to write a review but after 9 months of buying a cask of whiskey through mark littler ltd must say very happy how everything was explained and discussed mainly with HannahOnce we decided to go with mark littlerEverything was done extremely professional and quite quick always informed what was going onNow, very excited to let our cask mature over many years and hopefully both parties can earn a little bit of profit in the future thanks
    Gary B.
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    Great group to work with, highest integrity. We had an issue with an item that was likely nicked by someone at the receiving department. This issue was covered immediately with no headache on the buyer's end. I have been collecting for over 15 years. Trust and integrity can be difficult to find online but this organization shows both. Both Mark and Katy are great to work with, I could not recommend them more.
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    Helped with selling of my Bruichladdich whisky cask.Excellent services from first contact to payment.Good information and updates along the way.
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    A brilliant company to do business with. Very detailed and informative valuation of my whiskey and made the whole process very smooth. Was kept informed throughout the process and payment was made quickly. Highly recommend and will use again!
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    Best in the business what can I say...! Been watching following guidance but during a difficult period sorted a much needed sale.Back them 8 symbol of infinity folks.
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    Mark secured the best price for our Lowry Print. Thank you
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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,
    Lawrence B.
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    I really enjoy all the content, however when I contacted the company in order to sell my bottles, no one responded despite my 3 attempts over several weeks (email, website, Whatsapp link wasn't working).After submitting 2 star review Mark reached out within an hour and provided the valuation for the bottles along with advice. He explained that my email ended in spam which was valid reason for the delay so I edited my review to 5 stars which they deserve.
    Adam D.
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    After 20 years I'm a bit maudlin at seeing my madeira butt go but the process was made easier by recruiting Mark Littler to assist.Communications with Mark and his team are quick and simple. What Mark says, he does, with openess and integrity which in these times of charlatanism is a relief to come across. His counsel and advice held water and helped me realise one of my ambitions.I contacted Mark after hearing him speak on the BBC's 'The Food Programme'. My thoughts were that if the BBC's production team had vetted him and found all wholesome then he would be good enough for me. As a result, I can reccomend Mark wholeheartedly. I will be going back to Mark in 5 years time when those casks I bought for our children will need to be sold to help them onto their respective property ladders.Many thanks Mark and team.
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    From start to finish the team have been professional and easy to deal with. Don't hesitate to use them. Already recommended to friends and will be using again when the opportunity arises.
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    Would highly recommend, very professional service from start to finish, fast and efficient, thank you Mark.
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    Recently used Mark Littler’s services and what a positive experience. Great communication and easy to deal with. Very professional and efficient process. Thank you!
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    Five star service from all the team. I would highly recommend Mark Littler. The team were highly efficient and extremely helpful.
    bruce L.
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    We used Mark and his team to sell a Lowry print. A big thank-you to Hannah for all your help. The service provided was excellent from first contact to sale. Mark's site is brilliant and provided us with lots of really useful information. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Mark and his team. It really was a first class service.
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    We heard about Mark on radio 4, his company provided a first class service getting us a price high above what other brokers could find, he did this through his extensive and exclusive global customer base. Excellent service, trusted and would recommend highly.
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    Very friendly, professional and efficient service.
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    Mark provided an excellent service when I wanted to sell a large portion of my whisky collection.He provided a professional service, gave me sound advice and communicated on a regular basis during the marketing and selling process.I would highly recommend him and would use Mark again as he is hugely knowledgeable and a pleasure to deal with.
    Robert H.
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    After my cask reached 10 years old I asked the distillery for a buy back price, which I thought was very low. Apparently they have no outlet for them. So deciding to sell privately I found Mark and contacted him based on previous reviews. I was not disappointed, he handled the sale from start to finish and sold my cask for 4x what the distillery had offered. When my next one comes of age Mark will be my first port of call.
    Philip M.
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    Mark Littler gave me sound advice regarding my rare bottle of Whiskey and we achieved the asking price within the time frame.Highly recommended
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    I highly recommend Mark Littler . They sold my pocket watch for me and the transaction was so easy and superb customer service. I will definitely be a returning customer.
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    Absolute pleasure to deal with. Highly knowledgeable of the whisky trade, great communicator and equally important worked hard to achieve a high sale price. Totally professional service.
    Ian W.
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    Mark Littler Ltd helped me to sell my bottles which achieved far higher prices than auctions! Well done and keep up the good work!! 🥳👌🏻
    Ryan
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    Great service from Mark and team from start to finish. Everything explained up front on process and no hard sell. Highly recommended. Thanks Mark et al
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    Excellent service, advice and communication. I would definitely recommend them and use this Mark Littler again myself.
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    I bought and sold bottles with Mark multiple times.He always delivers outstanding service, deliveries are very prompt and the bottles are protected above the rest of the industry (auction houses/shops).I would highly recommend Mark Littler Ltd as a way of selling and buying rare and collectible whisky bottles!Also great content on YouTube educating people regaling the subject of whisky investment!
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    I recently had the pleasure of working with Mark Littler, and I must say his services as a whisky broker have been nothing short of exceptional. As an overseas customer, I was initially unsure about how the process would go, but Mark quickly put my concerns to rest. The professionalism and dedication he displayed throughout our interactions made me feel confident and at ease.Mark was incredibly knowledgeable and transparent in his dealings, ensuring that I was well-informed along each step of the process. His communication was prompt, clear, and concise, always striving to keep me in the loop.As someone who resides outside of the UK, I highly recommend Mark Littler's services to anyone considering using a whisky broker. His outstanding professionalism, friendly attitude, and genuine commitment to his clients make him stand out in the industry.I wholeheartedly give Mark Littler a five out of five-star rating and encourage other overseas customers to trust him with their whisky investments. You won't be disappointed!
    Very professional service. Would highly recommend.
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    Very professional and friendly service, got a very good price for my item a lot more than I expected highly recommended
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    What-is-a-canteen-of-silver-cutlery-worth

    Number of place settings

    The number of place settings is the next factor to look for.  To be considered a service the general rule the minimum number of place settings is 6.

    The most valuable canteens of silver flatware have 12 or higher place settings.  It is very rare to find a place setting greater than 12 that is a straight service.  As such if you have a 24 place setting which is a straight service it will command a considerable premium.

    Canteen-of-Silver

    Types of pieces

    A basic service of silver cutlery may only contain a table fork, table knife and dessert spoon. However, some services contain up to 20 items per place setting and are much more sought after.

    Generally speaking the more varied the items the higher the value.  Fish knives and forks are not very sought after but if they have silver blades and tines they will add considerable value to the service.

    Cantten-of-Silver-Cutlery

    Weight

    The weight of the service is also important as silver has an intrinsic value in itself.  We ask for the weight so we can ascertain the quality or gauge of the items. Some table forks may weigh as little as 50g, some may weigh over 400g.

    If you can provide a weight of just one item then we would ask for the weight of the table fork as this is normally the heaviest item. 

    What-is-a-full-service-of-silver-worth

    The Canteen

    Technically a canteen is a container for a service of silver flatware or silver cutlery.  If your service of silver cutlery is contained within a canteen then it may add a premium depending on the quality of the canteen. Providing an image of the canteen will help us to assess the impact on the value.

    A canteen on legs is not as sought after as a canteen without legs (like in the above image) and as such command a premium.

    Antique-Link-Squares

    Ivory Handles

    You may think your service has bone handles or plastic handles, but it is most probable they are ivory. This becomes problematic as there is an imminent ban on the sale of ALL ivory within the UK.

    To check if your handle’s are ivory or bone you will need to take a close look at the handles. Bone handles will have lots of very small holes covering the surface (this is where the capillaries were).  Ivory will be a perfectly smooth surface.

    Condition

    Once all of the above factors have been taken into account the condition of the flatware must be examined. The most important items to look at are the forks.  The tines should be level and even – if they have been used excessively then the tines may appear on an angle and unfortunately as they cannot be restored.

    Engraved crests are usually seen in good light, but engraved initials normally have a detrimental affect on value.