Silver plate vs sterling: what actually differs
Sterling is an alloy that is silver all the way through, at a standard of ninety two and a half percent silver with the rest usually copper for hardness. Melt it and you recover silver in proportion to its weight, which is why sterling is bought by weight against the live market.
Silver plate is a base metal object, usually nickel silver or copper, with a coating of silver deposited on the surface electrically. The layer is measured in microns. Recovering it costs more than the silver is worth, so plate has no melt value in any practical sense. Its value, when it has any, is decorative or by maker, not metallic.
How to identify silver hallmarks in ten seconds
Turn the piece over and read the back of the handle or the underside of the base. This is the whole test.
- Says STERLING, or 925, or STER. Solid silver. American pieces usually spell the word out.
- Says EPNS, EP, A1, TRIPLE, QUADRUPLE PLATE, or SILVER ON COPPER. Plated. EPNS means electroplated nickel silver, and the A1 and triple and quadruple marks describe how thick the plating was, not how much silver is present. They are advertising, not a standard.
- A row of small pictorial stamps. British sterling is marked with symbols rather than words: a walking lion for the standard, a town mark, and a letter for the year. If you see a small lion in profile, it is sterling.
- No mark at all. Usually plate, but not always, because marks wear off handles. This is the case worth bringing in, because a test settles it in seconds and guessing does not.
What sterling silver cutlery is actually worth
By weight, against the live silver market, with one large caveat that catches people out every time: knives are usually not solid. A sterling handled knife is a hollow silver handle filled with pitch or cement and fitted with a stainless steel blade. Only the handle is silver, and the filler is dead weight. Weighing a canteen including its knives and multiplying by the silver price will always give a number far above what the set can bring.
Spoons and forks are typically solid and are the real weight in a set. Serving pieces vary. Beyond metal, a complete matched service by a recognised maker in a sought after pattern can be worth more intact than melted, which is a judgement about the pattern rather than the weight, and it is worth asking about before anything is sold for scrap.
So is silver plate ever worth keeping?
Occasionally, and not for its silver. A plated piece can carry value as an object: a good maker, an unusual form, a complete tea service in excellent condition, or genuine antique craftsmanship. That value lives in the decorative market and depends on condition, and heavy wear showing the base metal through at the edges usually ends it.
What plate is never worth is a trip made in the belief that it is bullion. If you are holding a heavy canteen and you are not sure which you have, read the back of a fork handle before you load the car. If it says EPNS or A1, you now know.
Bring the whole set
We weigh, test and sort in front of you, separate the sterling from the plate, and explain which pieces are hollow handled and why that changes the figure. If a set is worth more as a set than as metal we will tell you that, even though it means we buy less of it. Do not polish anything first: polish removes a trace of metal every time and, on antique pieces, removes the patina that a collector is paying for.
Our silver flatware page covers the counter process, and sell silver covers coins, bars and scrap.
A canteen, a tea service or a drawer of odd forks: sorted, tested and weighed in front of you, sterling separated from plate, paid the same day. Call (732) 483-4145 or walk in.
Get your silver weighed at any of our 8 storesSilver plate and sterling FAQs
Is silver plate cutlery worth anything?
Not for its silver. The plating is a layer measured in microns over base metal, and recovering it costs more than the silver is worth, so plate has no practical melt value. It can carry decorative value by maker, form and condition, but never bullion value.
How do I tell silver plate from sterling?
Read the back of the handle or the underside. STERLING, 925 or STER means solid silver. EPNS, EP, A1, triple plate, quadruple plate or silver on copper means plated. A row of small pictorial stamps including a walking lion is British sterling.
What does EPNS mean?
Electroplated nickel silver: a nickel alloy base with a thin electroplated silver coating. A1, triple and quadruple plate describe how thick the plating was and are advertising rather than a standard. None of them indicate solid silver.
Why are silver knives worth less than spoons?
Because most sterling knives are not solid. The handle is hollow silver filled with pitch or cement, fitted to a stainless steel blade, so only the handle counts and the filler is dead weight. Weighing a canteen with its knives and multiplying by the silver price always overstates what it can bring.
Should I polish silver before selling it?
No. Polishing removes a trace of metal every time, and on antique pieces it removes the patina a collector is paying for. Bring it tarnished; tarnish does not reduce what we pay for weight.