Published 2 June 2026
Sterling versus silver plate, the EPNS trap
The single most common mistake sellers make with cutlery is confusing sterling silver with silver plate. Sterling pieces are solid silver, .925 fine, hallmarked with a lion passant and the assay office mark. Silver plate is a thin layer of silver electroplated onto a base metal core, usually nickel silver, hence EPNS. EPNS pieces look like silver, weigh almost as much and tarnish similarly. They contain almost no silver and have no bullion value.
The marks are the giveaway. EPNS, EP, A1, NS or a maker name with no assay marks usually means plate. Full British hallmarks (lion passant, town mark, date letter and maker mark) mean sterling. If your set is unmarked, send it, XRF reads cleanly through the surface layer and tells us the truth.
Where the hallmarks sit on cutlery
On forks and spoons, the hallmark is usually on the back of the handle, near the bowl or tines, sometimes faint. On knives, the hallmark is usually on the blade collar or the ferrule where the handle meets the blade. Where the handle is engraved with a family monogram, the hallmark is normally on the opposite face.
Why filled knife handles weigh less than the scale suggests
Antique silver knife handles are almost always filled. The outer skin is sterling silver, hollow-formed in two halves and soldered together. The inside is filled with pitch, plaster or composition to give the knife the right weight and feel in the hand. The blade itself is normally steel, not silver.
For a silver-content offer we calculate the silver weight of the outer skin only. A loaded handle is the technical term. The total weight on the scale is not the silver weight. This is not a trick. It is the way the cutlery was made. The XRF reading confirms the silver content of the skin and the offer is built from there.
Spoons, forks and serving pieces
Solid silver spoons and forks weigh as the scale says. A sterling tablespoon is solid silver from end to end. Serving pieces, ladles, sauce spoons, cake slices, are usually solid too, although larger pieces sometimes have a wooden handle. We will tell you in the written valuation which pieces were valued for full weight and which were treated as filled.
How an offer is calculated
Final offers depend on inspection, item weight, purity, hallmarks, stones, non-gold components, condition and the live precious-metal market. For flatware the calculation is silver weight (full for solid pieces, skin-only estimate for loaded knife handles) at the live silver price, with any small premium where the set is complete, by a notable maker or in a presentation canteen.
Posting cutlery
- WhatsApp photos of the set, the hallmarks and any canteen box to 07763 741067.
- Wait for the shape-of-offer reply and prepaid Royal Mail Special Delivery label.
- Wrap each piece individually in tissue or bubble wrap so blades do not scratch handles.
- Use a rigid box. A heavy canteen will burst a soft envelope.
- Check the total weight is inside Royal Mail Special Delivery limits before sealing.
- Drop off at a Post Office counter and forward the tracking on WhatsApp.
Insurance, decline and payment
Your parcel is insured up to £2,500 via Royal Mail Special Delivery. A large canteen with many pieces can exceed that cap. Tell us before you ship and we will arrange more than one label. Accept and Faster Payments leaves the same working day. Decline and the set is returned to you by tracked post at our cost.
Common questions
Will you buy a partial set?
Yes. Any number of pieces, full canteen or not.
Are EPNS pieces worth anything?
They have decorative value but no bullion value.
Do monograms affect the offer?
For a bullion offer, no. For a collector offer, sometimes. We will tell you.
How are knife handles valued?
By estimated silver skin weight, not total scale weight, because they are filled.
Is the parcel insured?
Your parcel is insured up to £2,500 via Royal Mail Special Delivery. Larger sets travel under more than one label.
Do I have to polish the cutlery first?
No. Please do not. Polishing removes silver.
When am I paid?
By Faster Payments on the working day you accept the valuation.
Do you take walk-ins?
No. The service is by post, UK-wide.