To sell silver, first sort it into sterling, 90 percent coins, bullion and silver plate, because each sells differently. As of October 2026, with silver near $58 an ounce, sterling holds about $1.73 of silver per gram and $1 face value of pre-1965 US coins about $41.50. Dealers typically pay 70 to 100 percent of melt. Silver plate has essentially no melt value.
The sorting is where most of the money is made or lost. A drawer of flatware that turns out to be silver plate is worth what someone wants to pay to use it, often a few dollars a piece. The same drawer in sterling can be worth thousands. The marks tell you which you have, and you can read them at the kitchen table.
Quick answer
- Sterling (925, STERLING, a lion on British pieces) sells by weight at roughly 70-90 percent of melt, about $1.21-1.55 per gram at $58 silver.
- Junk silver coins (US dimes, quarters and halves dated 1964 and earlier) sell at about 90-100 percent of melt, near $41.50 per $1 face.
- Bullion coins and bars sell close to spot to any bullion dealer.
- Silver plate (EPNS, EP, A1, Quadruple Plate, Rogers, Community) has no meaningful melt value.
- Weighted candlesticks and hollow-handled knives hold only a little silver; do not count their full weight.
How to sell silver, step by step
- Read every mark. Sterling in the US is stamped STERLING or 925. British sterling has a lion passant hallmark. Continental silver may be 800 or 835, which is lower purity. Early American "coin silver" may be stamped COIN or PURE COIN and is about 90 percent.
- Pull out the plate. EPNS, EP, EPC, A1, Quadruple Plate, Triple Plate, Silverplate, and names like 1847 Rogers Bros., Oneida Community and Wm. Rogers usually mean silver plate. The FTC's jewelry guidance describes silver plate as a layer of silver applied to a base metal. The sterling vs silver plate guide shows the marks side by side.
- Sort the coins. US dimes, quarters and halves dated 1964 and earlier are 90 percent silver. Kennedy halves dated 1965 to 1970 are 40 percent. Silver dollars dated 1935 and earlier are 90 percent. Clad coins with a copper stripe on the edge are not silver.
- Set aside anything collectible. Key-date coins, mint state coins, signed Georgian or American silver, Tiffany, Gorham and Georg Jensen pieces with design value can be worth more than melt.
- Weigh the sterling in grams. Leave out knives with hollow handles and anything marked weighted or reinforced, and weigh those separately.
- Do the melt math. Grams x 0.925 x the price of a gram of pure silver. At $58 an ounce, a gram of pure silver is about $1.865, so a gram of sterling is about $1.725.
- Count coin face value. Add up the face value of the 90 percent coins and multiply by 0.715 ounces per dollar, then by spot.
- Get offers per category, in writing, from at least two buyers.
What is silver worth to sell as of October 2026?
Silver was about $57.55 an ounce on Kitco on the morning of October 19, 2026. These figures use a round $58.
| What you have | Silver content | Melt at $58 | What buyers typically pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sterling, per gram | 92.5 percent | About $1.73 | About $1.21-1.55 (70-90 percent) |
| Sterling, per troy ounce | 92.5 percent | About $53.65 | About $37.50-48.30 |
| 90 percent dime, 1964 and earlier | 0.0723 oz | About $4.20 | About $3.80-4.20 |
| 90 percent quarter, 1964 and earlier | 0.1808 oz | About $10.50 | About $9.40-10.50 |
| 90 percent half, 1964 and earlier | 0.3617 oz | About $21 | About $19-21 |
| $1 face in 90 percent coins | 0.715 oz | About $41.50 | About $37-41.50 |
| Kennedy half, 1965-1970 | 0.1479 oz | About $8.60 | About $7.70-8.60 |
| Morgan or Peace dollar, worn common date | 0.7734 oz | About $45 | About $45-55 |
| American Silver Eagle or 1 oz round | 1 oz | About $58 | Near spot |
| Silver plate | Trace | Nil | Resale value only, often $1-10 a piece |
Junk silver coins pay a higher share of melt than sterling because they are a standard product: every dealer knows exactly what a bag of quarters contains, and they sell it on without refining. Sterling has to be melted and assayed, which costs the buyer money. For the full coin list see silver coin value, and bars sell like bullion coins.
Where is the best place to sell silver?
A coin shop or bullion dealer is usually best for coins and bullion, and a refiner or established precious metals buyer for large lots of sterling. The options compare like this.
| Where to sell | Typical payout | Fees | Speed | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coin shop or bullion dealer | 90-100 percent of melt on coins; near spot on bullion; 70-90 percent on sterling | None posted | Same day | Junk silver, Eagles, rounds, bars |
| Refiner (direct or mail-in) | Often 85-95 percent of melt on large sterling lots | Minimum lot, assay and shipping | 1-3 weeks | Several kilos of sterling |
| Local gold and silver buyer | About 70-85 percent of melt on sterling | None posted | Same day | Mixed small lots |
| Flatware replacement services and dealers | Pays by pattern, sometimes above melt for popular patterns | Shipping | 1-4 weeks | Complete sets in sought patterns |
| Auction house | Market price for important pieces | Negotiated seller fee; buyers pay a premium | Months | Signed, early or designer silver |
| eBay | Retail-level prices | 13.6 percent on bullion up to $7,500 | 1-3 weeks | Collectible coins, designer pieces |
| Pawn shop | Often 50-75 percent of melt | None | Same day | Speed |
These payout ranges are typical figures rather than published rates. They vary by city, lot size and how much silver the buyer already holds, so treat them as a guide and ask each buyer for its percentage of melt.
Weighted silver and knives: the common trap
A weighted candlestick or compote has a thin sterling shell filled with pitch, plaster or cement. The base is often stamped "weighted" or "reinforced." The silver in it is often only a small fraction of what the scale shows, and buyers pay for the silver, not the filler. Hollow-handled knives are similar: the blade is usually stainless steel and the handle a thin sterling shell around a filler, so a knife holds only a small amount of silver. Buyers often credit a knife with roughly half a troy ounce of silver or less. Weigh these items separately, and expect them to be valued by estimate, not by the scale.
Worked example: a sterling flatware set
Say you inherit a flatware set marked STERLING with 12 place settings: 48 forks and spoons and 12 hollow-handled knives.
Weigh the forks and spoons together. Suppose they come to 1,900 grams. At $58 silver, melt is 1,900 x 0.925 x $1.865 = about $3,278. A buyer paying 80 percent offers about $2,620; a refiner paying 90 percent on a lot this size would come to about $2,950, less fees and shipping.
The 12 knives, if credited at about half a troy ounce of silver each, add about 6 ounces, about $350 in melt, and less in an offer.
Before you sell to a melt buyer, look up the pattern name, which is often stamped on the back of the handle with the maker. A popular pattern from Gorham, Reed & Barton, Wallace, International or Towle in good condition can sometimes sell for more as usable flatware, piece by piece, than as scrap. With silver at current levels, melt often wins, but it is worth one phone call. Our guide to antique silverware value covers the patterns and makers.
Common mistakes
- Polishing before selling. Buyers pay by weight, and polishing does not change that. On antique or collectible pieces, harsh polishing can remove detail and patina that collectors pay for.
- Counting silver plate as silver. "Quadruple plate" sounds like a lot of silver. It is a very thin layer.
- Weighing weighted pieces at full weight. Expect a fraction.
- Accepting a price per "ounce" without asking which ounce. Spot is per troy ounce of pure silver. A troy ounce is 31.1 grams; a kitchen ounce is 28.35.
- Selling coins as sterling, or sterling at the coin rate. Ask for separate prices.
- Melting something that is worth more whole. Early American silver, signed designer pieces and British Georgian silver belong with a specialist.
How WorthPic reads silver photos
WorthPic runs on the newest and most capable AI model available, tuned for exactly this kind of identification. From photos it reads sterling and fineness stamps, British hallmarks and date letters, maker's marks and pattern names, plated marks such as EPNS and Quadruple Plate, and coin dates and mint marks. It then gives an honest US dollar range with a most likely figure, says whether the value lies in the metal or in the maker and design, and asks for the close-up that would settle a doubt, usually a sharp photo of the mark. What it cannot know from a photo is the true silver content, whether a piece is weighted inside, or the exact weight. It identifies and estimates. It does not test metal, authenticate, grade or appraise, and it is not a marketplace. The scale and the buyer's test settle the metal.
What to photograph
- The marks, close and sharp: the back of a spoon handle, the base of a bowl, the underside of a candlestick.
- Any word like weighted, reinforced or cement on a base.
- The whole piece so the style and pattern are visible.
- Coins laid out by denomination, dates up, and the edges of a few.
- Bullion coins and bars front and back, with the fineness and weight visible.
When to get it looked at in person
Silver always ends with a test and a scale at the buyer's counter. Get a second opinion before melting anything signed by a recognized maker, anything that looks hand-made and early, and any piece with British hallmarks from before about 1840. An auction house or a dealer in antique silver can tell you whether it is worth more than its metal. For a quick home check before you go, our guide on how to tell if silver is real covers the magnet test and the marks. If coins make up most of your silver, see how to sell coins.
Sources
- Kitco silver chart: spot near $57.55 on October 19, 2026
- FTC: Buying platinum, gold and silver jewelry: sterling as 92.5 percent silver, the 925 mark and silver plate as a layer over base metal
- eBay selling fees: bullion at 13.6 percent up to $7,500
- Professional Numismatists Guild: dealer search for coin and bullion buyers who follow a code of ethics