We Buy & Sell Silver

What to look for in Silver

There are many different hallmarks that appear on Silver. Hallmarks let us know how much pure Silver is in our items. Different countries have different hallmarks. Here are a few things you can do to check your items.

  1. Check the items with a Magnet. Silver is not magnetic, you can use a rare earth magnet to test your pieces. If it sticks it is made of a different metal. If the magnet sticks to the clasp only that is okay. Clasps often have a non Silver metal spring in them.
  2. Check for Hallmarks. Stamps that identify how much pure Silver is in the item. See below for a table with common Hallmarks.

Silver Hallmarks

Silver will be stamped with a Hallmark.

This is a list of Stamps/Hallmarks you will find:

  • “925” Jewelry
  • “750” Jewelry
  • “900” Flatware
  • “800” Flatware
  • “720” Coins and Flatware
  • “Sterling”-Jewelry and Flatware
  • “STER”
  • “.999”
  • “.9999” Coins
  • “1 oz Fine Silver Ag”
  • “VM-925” Gold Plate Over Silver-VM=Vermeil

Silver tarnishes and can turn black with age. Look for stamps.

Buy and sell with us, including:

Silver Jewelry
Silver Watches
Silver Bullion or Bars
Silver Flatware
Silver Coins

Silver Facts

  1. Make sure your Silver Item is marked with a Hallmark. Items marked Silver are often plated and not made of Solid Silver.
  2. Silver is a precious metal and a less expensive alternative to Gold.
  3. Flatware like forks, knives, spoons, tea pots and platters can be made of Silver. Look for the Hallmarks above or the word “Sterling”, the numbers 925 or 750.
  4. Old US Coins and coins from other countries pre-dating the mid 60’s often have Silver in them and are worth more than their face value. Check out our “Coins and Bullion” page for more details.
  5. Silver Tarnishes and will often turn black. When selling your items there is no need to clean or polish them.

Other Things To Look For

There are other precious metals that Island Gold buys that look Sliver but are not. Gold can be Silver in color, known as white Gold. It will be marked see our Gold page for more information.

Platinum is another precious metal that Island Gold will buy. It is Silver in Color and will be marked. Here is a list of Hallmarks to look for:

  • Platinum Hallmarks
  • PLATINUM or PLAT
  • PT950
  • 950PT
  • 950PLAT
  • PT900
  • 900PT
  • 900PLAT
  • PT999
  • PT850

Make sure your Gold Buyer separates items by type (Gold, Silver or Platinum) and by precious metal content (10KT, 14KT for Gold or 900, 950 for Platinum). White Gold and Platinum items are worth a lot more than Silver.