What to Do if You Inherit a Large Amount of Jewelry
How to sort an estate, from the sterling flatware chest to fine jewelry, before you sell a single piece.
Read the guideSterling forks, spoons, serving pieces, and tea sets, sorted from plate and weighed right in front of you in the Heights. One clear offer, paid the same visit.
To sell silver flatware in Houston, bring it to Houston Cash For Gold at 1801 Durham Drive Suite 9 in the Heights, a short drive from downtown, Montrose, and the Galleria. We buy sterling silverware, full services, partial sets, serving pieces, tea sets, and hollowware in any condition. Every piece gets a free appraisal: we read the mark, separate sterling from silver plate, deduct knife blades and weighted fill, and weigh the real silver on a certified scale in front of you. You get one offer based on silver content, pattern, and the day's silver price, and you are paid the same day if you accept. Call (832) 295-9155.
Tarnished, bent, monogrammed, or missing pieces. If it is sterling, it has value.
Complete sets for 6, 8, or 12, with or without the original chest.
Mismatched forks, a handful of teaspoons, or one lonely soup spoon.
Ladles, cake and pie servers, berry spoons, cold meat forks, and sugar tongs.
Sterling teapots, coffee pots, creamers, sugar bowls, and waste bowls.
Sterling waiters, bread trays, revere bowls, water pitchers, and goblets.
Weighted candlesticks, compotes, and vases, priced on the real silver only.
Early American coin silver, plus 800 and 830 silver from Germany, Italy, and Scandinavia.
Tiffany & Co., Georg Jensen, and Gorham pieces, engraved initials included.
A drawer of silverware can be worth a few dollars or a few thousand, and the difference is almost always the mark on the back of the handle. We price the sterling, set aside the plate, and show you how the number was built.
Flip a fork or spoon over and look just below the pattern. Under the FTC Guides for the Jewelry Industry, only silver that is at least 92.5% pure can be marked or sold as sterling in the US, which is why the word Sterling on a handle matters so much.
| Mark on the handle | Silver content | What it usually means |
|---|---|---|
| Sterling / 925 / Ster | 92.5% | Solid sterling flatware, priced by weight |
| Coin / Pure Coin / 900 | About 90% | Early American coin silver, often before 1870 |
| 830 / 835 | 83% to 83.5% | Scandinavian and some European flatware |
| 800 | 80% | Older German and Italian flatware |
| Lion passant (British hallmark) | 92.5% | English sterling, often with a date letter |
| EP / EPNS / A1 / Silver Plate / Triple / Quadruple | Trace only | Silver plated base metal, little melt value |
| 1847 Rogers Bros. / Community / Wm. Rogers | Trace only | Popular silver plated brands, not sterling |
The maker's name usually sits next to the Sterling mark. These American silversmiths made most of the sterling flatware found in Houston homes, and a few of their patterns still have steady buyers as complete sets.
| Maker | Patterns you may recognize |
|---|---|
| Gorham | Chantilly, Buttercup, Strasbourg |
| Reed & Barton | Francis I, Burgundy |
| Towle | Old Master, King Richard |
| Wallace | Grande Baroque, Rose Point |
| International Silver | Joan of Arc, Prelude |
| Tiffany & Co. | Hampton, Audubon |
Selling silver jewelry, coins, or bullion as well? See our silver buyer in Houston page.
One visit, start to finish. Every step happens where you can see it.
Bring the chest, the bag, or the whole drawer, plus a photo ID.
We read every mark and split sterling from plate.
Net sterling goes on a certified scale in front of you.
A single number, with the math behind it. No pressure.
Accept and you are paid the same day. Or take it home.
Sterling dinner knives feel heavy, but most have a stainless steel blade set into a hollow sterling handle packed with cement or resin. Only the thin handle shell is silver, so a knife often holds a fraction of what a fork of the same weight does.
Hollowware has the same trap. Candlesticks and compotes stamped Weighted or Reinforced are filled with pitch or plaster, and many heavy tea services are silver plate over copper or brass. We tell you straight which pieces carry real silver and which do not, and we never price fill as silver.
Posted on Google![]()
Alec BTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
I appreciate all the help I came in for my gold chain too sell gave me the best price in HoustonPosted on Google![]()
Bria SpringerTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
This is a great place very respectful and nice nick and John was greatPosted on Google![]()
Alec LittleTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
Love these guys, great offers!Posted on Google![]()
Dorothy LakeTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
Quick and fast process. Alexia was amazing and gave me the best price. Thank you again!Posted on Google![]()
Roy ReyesTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
Great customer service and honesty. Would definitely refer.Posted on Google![]()
Mark DavisTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
I highly recommend coming here for great business and top dollar for your productPosted on Google![]()
Jennifer LaraTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
Great , fast customer service!Posted on Google![]()
Elizabeth RomanTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
Great experience selling to them. John and Nick were great ! Highly recommendPosted on Google![]()
Mary ETrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
Very informative and easy to work with. Id recommend to anyone.Load moreVerified by TrustindexTrustindex verified badge is the Universal Symbol of Trust. Only the greatest companies can get the verified badge who has a review score above 4.5, based on customer reviews over the past 12 months. Read more
Bring the whole drawer to the Heights. We sort every piece at no charge and tell you straight what is worth selling, with no pressure to sell anything.
Still have a question? Call the counter and talk to the person who will check your piece.
Call (832) 295-9155You can sell silver flatware at Houston Cash For Gold, 1801 Durham Drive Suite 9 in the Heights, a short drive from downtown, Montrose, and the Galleria. Walk in with your sterling silverware, serving pieces, or tea set, no appointment needed. We sort sterling from plate, weigh the silver on a certified scale in front of you, make one clear offer, and pay the same day if you accept. Call (832) 295-9155.
Most sterling flatware is priced on its silver content: weight in grams, times 0.925, divided by 31.1 to get troy ounces, times the day's silver spot price. A typical sterling teaspoon weighs around 20 to 30 grams and a dinner fork around 40 to 60 grams, so a full service for twelve can hold several pounds of silver. Knives count for much less because only the handle is silver.
Turn a spoon or fork over and read the back of the handle. Sterling reads Sterling, 925, or Ster. Silver plate usually reads EP, EPNS, A1, Silver Plate, Triple Plate, or Quadruple Plate, or carries a plated brand name like 1847 Rogers Bros., Community, or Wm. Rogers. If there is no mark at all, bring it in and we will test it for free.
Silver plate is a thin layer of silver over copper, brass, or nickel silver, so it carries almost no melt value and we usually cannot make a metal offer on it. Bring it anyway if the drawer is mixed. Sterling and plate often end up together, and we will sort every piece for you at no charge.
Most sterling dinner knives have a stainless steel blade set into a hollow sterling handle filled with cement or resin. Only the thin handle shell is silver, so a knife usually holds far less sterling than its weight suggests. We account for that before we quote, so you see the net silver, not the gross weight.
Yes. Odd forks, a few spoons, and pieces with engraved initials are all bought on their silver content. A monogram does not lower melt value at all. Complete services in popular patterns can sometimes bring more than melt, so keep a set together if you have it.
Yes. Sterling teapots, coffee services, trays, bowls, pitchers, and goblets are bought by weight after we confirm they are sterling. Many heavy looking tea sets are actually plated, and candlesticks and compotes marked Weighted or Reinforced are filled with pitch or plaster, so we separate the real silver before we price it.
Bring a valid government issued photo ID, which Texas law requires for every sale, plus your flatware in any condition. The chest, pattern name, or any past appraisal is helpful but not required. Do not polish it first: polishing wears down hallmarks and changes nothing about the weight. If the silver came from a family estate, read What to Do if You Inherit a Large Amount of Jewelry before you sell.
Send a few photos and we will reply with a starting range. The final number is set at the counter once the sterling is sorted and weighed.
Prefer to talk? Call (832) 295-9155 or visit 1801 Durham Drive Suite 9, Houston, TX 77007.
Form not loading? Use our online appraisal page.
How to sort an estate, from the sterling flatware chest to fine jewelry, before you sell a single piece.
Read the guideThe questions that separate a fair precious metal buyer from a lowball one, silver included.
Read the guideWhy selling across the counter in Houston usually beats mailing a flatware set to a stranger.
Read the guideBring your sterling flatware, serving pieces, or tea set to the Heights. We sort it, weigh it, and give you one honest offer, with no pressure to sell.