What this library is for
Charity shops handle thousands of donated items a week, and the riskiest ones to price are the small valuables: a worn hallmark, a heavy chain, a named-maker watch, a piece of sterling hiding among the plate. Each guide here covers one of those, in plain English, so a busy team can recognise it on the sorting table. For the operational side, sorting systems, policies, trustee governance, see the charity gold and silver guides hub. To start an enquiry, send a photo on WhatsApp before anything is posted.
The full reference library
Art Deco silver guideReference for UK charity shops on Art Deco silver: geometric forms, Bakelite handles, British makers, and sterling vs reproduction. Photo us before posting.Birmingham anchorA plain-English guide for charity shops on Birmingham's anchor hallmark: the 1773 founding, the anchor variants, the date letter and the maker's mark alongside.Cartier donationsA charity shop reference on Cartier donations: Tank, Santos, Pasha, Ballon Bleu, Trinity and Love jewellery, hallmarks, serial position, and photography first.Clarice Cliff guideA reference guide for UK charity shop teams on identifying Clarice Cliff Bizarre and Fantasque pottery, the painted marks, patterns and reproduction tells.Costume jewellery in bulkCharity shop guide to bulk costume jewellery: why most buyers reject it, our per-kilo approach, and designer names worth flagging. Photo us before posting.Designer costume jewelleryCharity-shop guide to designer costume jewellery: Trifari, Chanel, Miriam Haskell, Eisenberg and the marks that change a donation's value. Photo us first.Estate and probate jewelleryGuide for charity shop teams on estate and probate jewellery donations: executor authority, family agreement, and a written valuation fit for records.Foreign gold coins guideA reference guide for charity shop teams on identifying US Eagles, Maple Leaves, Krugerrands, French and German gold coins by design and purity.Georgian silver guideReference guide for UK charity shops on Georgian silver 1714-1837: monarchs, date letters, duty marks, common forms and why Georgian pieces rarely get melted.Gift Aid on specialty donationsHow Retail Gift Aid works on specialty donations sold through GoldPaid, with the per-parcel report charity shops feed into the existing Gift Aid process.Gold sovereigns guideA reference for UK charity shops on identifying full and half gold sovereigns by reign, mint mark and condition, with bullion versus numismatic value notes.London leopard's-headA plain-English guide for charity shops on London's leopard's-head hallmark: crowned and uncrowned variants, the date letter and the fineness stamp.Mappin & Webb flatwareReference for UK charity shops on Mappin & Webb flatware: maker stamp variations, sterling vs electroplate, canteen premium and how to read the hallmark.Moorcroft guideA reference guide for UK charity shop teams on identifying Moorcroft pottery, the impressed Burslem mark, signature dating and pattern values.Named-maker potteryA reference guide for UK charity shop teams on identifying Moorcroft, Clarice Cliff, Wedgwood, Royal Doulton, Beswick, Troika, Poole and Cornishware.Plated vs solidHow a UK charity shop tells gold-plated, gold-filled and rolled-gold pieces from solid gold: markings, wear points, weight, and the simple decision rule.Pocket watchesA charity shop reference on pocket watches: 9ct and 18ct gold cases, gilt and rolled-gold tells, hunter and open-face, fusee movements, repeaters.Pre-1947 silver coinsA reference guide for UK charity shop teams on identifying pre-1947 sterling and 50 per cent silver British coins by date, with sorting and posting notes.Protecting against buyer fraudPractical guide for charity shop teams on spotting buyer fraud and undervaluation: red flags, written-offer rules and the audit-trail defence. Ask us first.Reading a UK hallmarkA practical UK hallmark reference for charity shop teams: sponsor mark, fineness, assay-office symbols, date letters, and where to look on rings and chains.Royal Doulton guideA reference guide for UK charity shop teams on identifying Royal Doulton figurines, character jugs, the HN and D number systems, and Bunnykins.Royal Worcester guideA reference guide for UK charity shop teams on identifying Royal Worcester porcelain, the puzzle mark, the dot date code and named painters.Sheffield roseA plain-English guide for charity shops on Sheffield's rose hallmark: the 1773 founding, the crown-and-rose mark, and Sheffield sterling vs EPNS plate.Silver flatware guideCharity shop reference on donated silver flatware: canteens, patterns, hallmarks, EPNS vs sterling, weight, and when to post or split. Photo us first.Silver plate vs sterlingCharity shop guide to telling silver plate from sterling: EPNS, A1, Silver Plated marks, hallmarks, base metals and wear patterns. Photo us if unsure.Special Delivery guideA plain-English guide for charity shop teams on sending donated jewellery by Royal Mail Special Delivery, including cover, packing and timings.Spotting fake goldNon-destructive checklist for charity shops on spotting fake gold: visual tells, magnet test, density, and why XRF is the certain answer. Photo us first.Trustee duties: unusual donationsPlain-English guide for charity trustees on the duty of care, audit trail and conflict disclosure when a shop takes an unusual donation. Ask us anything.Victorian silver guideReference for charity shops on Victorian silver, 1837-1901: the Victoria duty mark, EPNS and electroplating, sterling vs plate. Photo us before posting.Vintage camerasA reference guide for UK charity shop teams on identifying Leica, Hasselblad, Rollei, Nikon, Canon and classic SLR cameras and lenses.Vintage LeicaCharity-shop guide to vintage Leica donations: LTM and M-series rangefinders, Russian copies to watch for, the lens premium and serial-number lookup.Vintage OmegaA charity shop reference on vintage Omega donations: Speedmaster Moonwatch, Seamaster automatic vs quartz, Constellation pie-pan, serial positions, dating.Vintage RolexA charity shop reference on vintage Rolex donations: common references, hallmark and serial positions, fake tells, and how to photograph before posting.Vintage SeikoA charity shop reference on vintage Seiko: 1970s dive watches, Grand Seiko, King Seiko, Seiko 5 generations, serial dating, and which to set aside.Vintage watches guideCharity shop reference on donated vintage watches: brands to flag, automatic vs quartz, non-runners, box and papers, what to photograph. Photo us first.Walker & Hall flatwarePractical reference for UK charity shops on Walker & Hall flatware: the flag trademark, sterling vs Sheffield plate vs EPNS, pattern names and canteen premium.Wedgwood guideA reference guide for UK charity shop teams on identifying Wedgwood Jasperware, Queensware and Black Basalt, with mark dating and reproduction spotting.What gold isA plain-English guide for UK charity shop teams: what gold is, what carat and fineness mean, and which donated items belong on the sorting table, not the floor.What silver isA plain-English guide for UK charity shops on silver: sterling 925, Britannia 958, continental marks, why EPNS is not silver, and when to call before posting.XRF explainedA plain-English explanation of X-ray fluorescence (XRF) testing for UK charity shops: how it works, what it cannot read, and how it builds a defensible offer.
Common questions
Are these guides free for charity shops to use?
Yes. Every guide is free to read, print, pin up in the back room and share with volunteers. GoldPaid publishes them so charity teams can recognise donated value before it is under-priced.
Do we have to sell to GoldPaid to use the guides?
No. The guides are a free reference. If a charity does want a donated item valued, the route is photo-first on WhatsApp, then a free prepaid Royal Mail label, a written no-obligation valuation, and payment to the charity only if it accepts.
How does a charity shop get an item checked?
Send clear photos on WhatsApp to 07375 071158. GoldPaid replies with an honest indicative read and says whether the item is worth posting for a full XRF-confirmed valuation. There is no obligation and no shop visit.