What is my English silver worth and how do I know if it's real silver?

English Sterling Silver Egg Cruet Set from the early 19th Century

What is my English silver worth and how do I know if it's real silver?

In general, English Sterling silver flatware and hollowware is good quality silver. The English assay offices have been around since the 1200's and have made 100% sure that anything that is hallmarked in England has an accurate purity level.

In the 1200's, England set the standard for sterling silver which is 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper. The rest of the world eventually followed suite and today most manufacturers all around the world use the 925 sterling as its standard quality level for all silver jewelry and flatware manufacturing.

Regarding values:

Common Grade - For common grade flatware English silver is on par with American and other foreign made flatware. Much of English Flatware is only valued for its intrinsic silver value, but there are better patterns like Kings and Queens patterns and some others that can fetch a premium in the estate resale markets. There are also some better manufacturers like C.J. Vander, Elkington, Mappin Webb and a few others that typically fetch a slight premium more than other manufacturers. Older English - England has been making silver for a very long time and the older flatware and holloware from the 18th century and older can absolutely be worth far more than just it's scrap silver value. The older the pieces the more valuable they will be. Condition is also important with older collectible pieces. If the items are beat up or shot, even being older, they might be just worth near scrap silver value. Ornate and Opulent Pieces - The typical design aesthetic for English made silver is a more mininmalist and plainer style. However, there are some really elaborate made pieces made by English makers that employ the use of heavy chasing, Repousse work and the incorporation of figurals and highly decorative aesthetic themes. These type of items are usually worth a premium more than silver and often sometimes mutiples more. It just depends on how elaborate the item is. Famous or Royal Makers - There are few famous English makers that are famous or that catered to the royal family and that antique silver collectors seek out and are willing to pay high premiums over silver price. Hester Bateman was one of the few female silversmiths in the late 18th century and becasue of her uniqueness in the industry, collectors now clamor for her pieces. Paul Storr was a very famous silversmith which made very elaborate English silver pieces for the royal family. Today his silver wares are highly sought after.

Regarding if your English Silver is real:

English Hallmarks  - Every real piece of English Silver has what are called Hallmarks. The primary mark for sterling is the Lion Passant which is the assay mark for 92.5%. This mark depicts a lion standing with one paw raised up in the air. This has has been the standard silver mark on English silver since very early on. The other hallmarks include a date mark (an alphabetical letter) and city mark (a symbol) and a regents mark (a king or queen of that era.). Plus most pieces also have a manufacturers's mark - which is usually a series of initials that represent the maker. The items can also be fully marked with a full manufacturer's name. Other hallmarks that indicate silver from England are the Britania Mark which is actually a higher silver content of 95.8% silver and instead of the lion passant there is a regent sitting on a throne that looks like Queen Victoria.

Our identification of English silver purity is pretty short and sweet, but should get you able to authenticate the purity of 99% of all English made pieces. There are many on-line resources and printed books out there that can absolutely tell you more about the silver marks, makers marks, city marks and more and we suggest you seek these resources out, especially when you are unable to figure out things based on what we have written above.

Conclusion:

Most English Silver is well made and of a good silver purity content. You can expect to receive good money when going to sell your English silver because of its high quality and craftsmanship.

 Sell your English Silver to: The Silver Museum LLC

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Greg Arbutine

Silver Museum Owner

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Article Authored by Greg Arbutine on 9-4-25 - Greg Arbutine is a world leading expert on all things to do with sterling silver. He has been buying, selling and collecting in this field since the year 1972. If you want to deal with a fair minded and honest expert, Greg Arbutine is your man.