Sterling Silver Auctions
Sterling silver can include flatware, cups, serving pieces, other dining ware, or jewelry. It may be part of your estate or a large collection, or you may have one piece of it. It may be decades old or hundreds of years old. It may have been made by a well-known silversmith or jeweler, or by a forgotten one.
It’s hard to know what you’ve got, and who is most likely to want to buy it. Central Mass Auctions can help. We’ve sold sterling silver at antique auctions, estate auctions, and in estate sales, and always get maximum return for our clients.
Gorham Sterling King George 106 Piece Set – sold for $3,000 at our December 2021 auction from a Providence estate
To get maximum return for your silver piece or collection, call Central Mass Auctions at 508-612-6111, or email us.
Below are some photos of the sterling silver pieces we’ve sold for our clients.
What determines the value of vintage silver?
Vintage silver will always be worth at least the melt value of the silver, so watch the spot price of silver.
Other factors might include:
- The hallmark or maker’s mark; silver pieces made by famous makers are likely to be more valuable.
- The age of the silver; collectors tend to focus on 1860-1935, a period of time that spans three separate artistic movements.
- Highly valuable silver pieces are dent-free and corrosion-free.
- Certain motifs such as people, animals, or plants can be worth more.
- Serving pieces can be worth more than flatware.
Sometimes people used to repair old pieces of silver by soldering them back together. Solder marks can detract from the value, as they represent two damaged pieces.
Do items need to be pure silver to be valuable?
Solid silver flatware wouldn’t hold up to the pressure of normal eating. Most silver flatware falls into two categories: either it’s Sterling silver (92.5% silver) or silver-plated. Sterling silver typically is valuable, whereas silver-plated items typically are not.
Notable sterling silver auction results
Results can vary wildly, but here are a few results from recent auctions.
- A 95-piece set of Trianon Sterling Silver Flatware sold for $1,700
- An Art Deco 5-piece original French Sterling Silver Tea Set in pristine condition sold for $9,500
- 16 pieces of antique French Sterling silver serving pieces went for $3,200
- An 166 piece French Louis XVI Sterling silver flatware set, 2 chests, went for $12,000
