To be straight with you: we do not have a shop in Birmingham. InstaSilver is a Sheffield business and we buy by post from anywhere in the UK. That is why we can pay 80% of live spot rather than the lower rates a high street counter has to offer to cover its premises. Postage is free and tracked both ways, and anything we cannot buy is returned to you free.
The Jewellery Quarter's output
Birmingham's silver trade grew up around small wares rather than large hollowware: jewellery, vesta cases, card cases, buckles, cruet sets, photograph frames, napkin rings and christening gifts. The Jewellery Quarter still produces a substantial share of British jewellery today, and the Birmingham Assay Office remains the largest in the UK by volume of articles tested.
That shapes what turns up in Birmingham houses. You are more likely to be holding a drawer of small marked items than a four-piece tea service, and small items are exactly where people undervalue what they have. Sterling napkin rings, vesta cases and frames are light individually but add up quickly, and there is no minimum quantity beyond our £50 threshold.
Two Birmingham-specific cautions. Silver-fronted photograph frames are usually a thin sterling sheet mounted on a wooden or card backing, so only the silver front is weighed. And Birmingham produced enormous quantities of plated small wares alongside the solid ones, often from the same workshops in near-identical designs.
Reading a Birmingham hallmark
The town mark is an anchor, adopted in 1773 and unchanged since. The story goes that Birmingham and Sheffield petitioned Parliament together, and the delegates settled their emblems over a coin toss at the Crown & Anchor tavern in the Strand: Sheffield took the crown, Birmingham the anchor.
Because the office has used one mark continuously for 250 years, dating a Birmingham piece depends on the date letter rather than the town mark. As always, the anchor tells you where; the lion passant struck beside it tells you the metal is sterling.
What silver pays today
The same flat rate applies wherever you are. These figures recalculate from the live spot price:
| Typical lot | Sterling weight | We pay |
|---|---|---|
| Mixed jewellery | 80g | £— |
| Odd flatware | 300g | £— |
| Six-place canteen | 1,400g | £— |
| Tea service with tray | 2,500g | £— |
Sterling holds £— of silver per gram at today's spot price, and we pay 80% of that: £— per gram. Put your own weight into the live calculator for an exact figure.
Selling from Birmingham
Weigh your silver in grams and enter it for a live quote. Accepting locks that rate for 48 hours, and a free Royal Mail QR label appears immediately: no printer needed, the Post Office counter scans it from your phone. Every item is XRF tested and weighed at our Sheffield workshop, and payment is made by Faster Payments within 48 hours of your parcel reaching us. Full detail is on how it works.
Frequently asked questions
What does an anchor mark on silver mean?
An anchor is the Birmingham Assay Office town mark, used since 1773. It tells you where the piece was assayed, not what it is made of. The lion passant struck alongside it is the mark that confirms sterling silver.
Do you buy silver jewellery from the Jewellery Quarter?
Yes. Sterling jewellery, broken chains, single earrings, bent bangles and unmarked pieces are all bought at the same flat 80% of spot. Stones are not paid for as part of the metal weight, and we will tell you if a piece looks worth more intact than melted.
Are small silver items worth sending?
Yes, provided the lot reaches our £50 minimum. Napkin rings, vesta cases, thimbles and frames are light individually but a drawer of them adds up. There are no per-item fees and no minimum lot charges, so combining everything into one parcel costs you nothing.
Is a silver photograph frame solid silver?
Usually only the front is. Most frames are a sterling sheet mounted on wood or card, sometimes with a base-metal easel. We weigh the recovered silver and itemise what was deducted, so a frame typically pays less than its overall weight suggests.