Selling silver in Ireland
How to sell silver in Ireland
Silver sells by weight and fineness like gold, but the first job is different: most of the “silver” in Irish houses is plate, which has no metal value. Solid silver is marked 925 (sterling), 958 (Britannia), 999 (fine) or a continental number such as 800. Today we pay 0.83 euro per gram for sterling and 0.72 euro per gram for continental 800 to 900 silver, live as of 15 Nov, 10:42, by weight, hallmarked or not. Every piece is priced on its metal, so read the marks first and decide what you want priced that way. How to sell: weigh it, photograph the marks and message us on WhatsApp with the weight (silver is bulky, so it starts with a short chat rather than the standard gold pack); we confirm the figure, send the right packaging or label, test everything on camera when it arrives and pay by bank transfer the same day you accept. The live rates are on the prices page.
Step one: solid silver or plate?
Plate is a thin layer of silver bonded or electroplated onto copper, brass or nickel. It was made in enormous quantities from the 1840s on, it looks like silver, and it is worth nothing as metal. The marks tell you:
| Mark | Means | Melt value |
|---|---|---|
| 925, Sterling, lion passant, Hibernia with crowned harp | Sterling silver, 92.5% | Yes |
| 958, Britannia figure | Britannia silver, 95.8% | Yes, priced as sterling |
| 999, Fine | Fine silver | Yes |
| 800, 830, 835, 900, crescent moon and crown, Minerva head | Continental silver, 80 to 90% | Yes, at the 800 rate |
| EPNS, EP, A1, EPBM, “silver plated”, Newbridge without 925 | Electroplate | None |
| Nickel silver, German silver, alpaca | No silver at all | None |
Two quick home checks: a magnet that sticks means base metal, and a plated piece often shows pink copper where it is worn at the edges. Our guide to sterling versus plate has pictures. If you are unsure, photograph the marks and send them on WhatsApp before posting anything; we answer quickly and it saves a wasted parcel.
What we pay today, per gram
| Grade | Hallmark | We pay per gram | 100 g fetches |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sterling silver (925) | 925 | €0.83$0.92£0.69 | €83.00$91.73£69.35 |
| Fine silver (999) | 999 | €0.97$1.07£0.81 | €97.00$107.20£81.05 |
| Other silver (800 to 900) | 800 | €0.72$0.80£0.60 | €72.00$79.57£60.16 |
| Sterling-handled knives (925) | 925 | €0.20$0.22£0.17 | €20.00$22.10£16.71 |
| Other silver-handled knives (800 to 900) | 800 | €0.18$0.20£0.15 | €18.00$19.89£15.04 |
Shown in USD for reference at €1 = $1.1052 (ECB reference rate, 13 Nov 2026, 15:00). We pay in euro by bank transfer.
Shown in GBP for reference at €1 = £0.8356 (ECB reference rate, 13 Nov 2026, 15:00). We pay in euro by bank transfer.
Prices updated Dublin time. Refreshed through the day off the live London market.
Continental and unreadable marks are priced at 800 fineness, the lowest common grade, so the quote is always safe whatever the mark turns out to be. Knives are weighed whole, blade and all, at a quarter of the rate of their grade, because the blade is steel and the handle is filled; our guide to why silver knives pay less explains how to weigh a canteen so your estimate is right.
The price per gram shown is our published price for that grade, guaranteed. The grade, and so the final price, is confirmed after XRF testing.
What would yours fetch?
Indicative offer
€415.00$458.66£346.77
Live London price. Final price confirmed after XRF testing.
Your free insured Bosca Óir pack, no obligation. We keep this figure with your request.
Shown in USD for reference at €1 = $1.1052 (ECB reference rate, 13 Nov 2026, 15:00). We pay in euro by bank transfer.
Shown in GBP for reference at €1 = £0.8356 (ECB reference rate, 13 Nov 2026, 15:00). We pay in euro by bank transfer.
Typical weights
Silver adds up faster than people expect. A sterling tablespoon weighs roughly 60 to 80 grams, a teaspoon 20 to 30, a dinner fork 60 to 75. A six-place canteen of sterling forks and spoons is often 1.5 to 2.5 kilograms. A christening mug is 100 to 200 grams; a photo frame is mostly wood and glass with 30 to 80 grams of silver on it. Candlesticks are usually weighted with pitch or plaster and contain far less silver than they weigh, so they are priced on the silver, not the gross.
Antique and signed silver
We buy silver for its metal and nothing else: every piece is weighed, tested and paid at the published rate for its fineness, whatever its age, maker or condition. Ireland has a long silversmithing tradition, and Georgian and Victorian Dublin silver with a clear date letter, provincial Cork and Limerick work, Kilkenny Design Workshops pieces and signed studio silver have a collectors’ market of their own. We are not that market and do not assess for it, so if you think a piece belongs there, read the marks with our hallmarks guide and have it valued or put to auction before you decide what to send us. Modern sterling cutlery, damaged pieces, odd spoons and jewellery are what the metal price is for, and that metal is real money.
How to sell silver to us
Message us on WhatsApp first
Silver starts with a short WhatsApp chat: a photo of the marks and a rough weight tells us whether it is sterling or plate and how much packaging you need. If it is worth sending, we post you a free pack with a prepaid insured return label.
Post it from any An Post office
Seal the items in the security bag, hand the parcel in at any An Post office and keep the proof of postage. The label is prepaid and tracked, and once An Post scans it the parcel travels at our risk, whatever the value. It usually reaches us in Dublin the next working day.
We weigh and XRF test it on camera
Every piece is weighed on a calibrated scale and tested on an XRF analyser, which reads the metal's composition without damaging it. The opening and testing are recorded, and your itemised offer lists each piece, its weight, its grade and the published price per gram applied. The offer stays open for 48 hours.
Accept the price and get paid by bank transfer
Accept and we pay by bank transfer the same working day, less 12 euro return postage at cost, waived when the parcel's melt value is over 500 euro. Decline and everything comes back to you free by tracked post. One valid photo ID is checked before any payment.
Prefer to keep the metal? We also refine silver and return 999 grain or a bar, with the fee taken in metal.
Questions people ask
How much is sterling silver worth per gram in Ireland?
Sterling is 92.5 percent silver, so a gram of it contains 0.925 grams of silver at the live silver price. Our net price per gram for sterling, fine and continental silver is on this page and refreshed through the day.
Is silver plate worth anything?
Not as metal. EPNS, A1, 'silver plated' and most Newbridge and Sheffield-plate cutlery carry a microscopic layer of silver on a base metal and have no melt value. Some plated pieces have value as objects, but no scrap buyer can pay for them and we return them free.
How can I tell if my silver is real?
Look for 925, Sterling, a lion passant (UK), the Hibernia and crowned harp (Ireland), or continental numbers such as 800, 830 or 835. Plate is marked EPNS, EP, A1, or with a maker's name and no fineness. A magnet that sticks means it is not silver. When in doubt, send photos of the marks on WhatsApp before posting anything.
Why do silver knives pay less than forks and spoons?
Because a knife is mostly not silver: the blade is stainless steel and the handle is a thin silver shell filled with pitch or cement. We buy silver-handled knives weighed whole at a quarter of the rate of their grade. Forks and spoons are solid and pay the full rate.
Should antique Irish silver be melted?
That is your call to make before you send it. We buy silver on its metal only, at the published rate for its fineness, and do not assess for collector value. Georgian and Victorian Dublin silver, Cork and Limerick pieces marked STERLING and Kilkenny Design Workshops work have a collectors' market of their own, so have anything like that valued or put to auction first. Modern sterling cutlery and damaged items are what the metal price is for.
Ready to sell?
Check the net price per gram for your grade first, then request a free insured postal pack. Every item is tested on camera, the offer is itemised, and anything you decline comes back free.