To be straight with you: we do not have a shop in Edinburgh. 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.
Scottish silver is marked differently
If you have looked for a walking lion on a Scottish piece and failed to find one, nothing is wrong with it. Scottish hallmarking developed separately from the English system, and the marks you are looking for are not the same.
Edinburgh's town mark is a three-towered castle. The standard mark that confirms sterling is the lion rampant, a lion rearing on its hind legs, rather than the lion passant used in England and Wales. On pieces from the mid-eighteenth century until the 1970s you will very often find a thistle serving as the standard mark instead. Any of those three combinations is a genuine Scottish sterling hallmark.
What turns up here reflects it. Scottish domestic silver, quaichs, Celtic-revival and thistle-motif jewellery, and Highland-pattern flatware are all common in Edinburgh households, alongside the same Victorian and Edwardian services found everywhere else. Scottish provincial silver from smaller burghs can carry a real collector premium and is worth identifying before selling.
Dating an Edinburgh piece
The castle has been in continuous use, so dating depends on the date letter and on which standard mark is present. A thistle points to roughly the mid-1700s through to the 1970s; a lion rampant on a modern piece points to the period since. Edinburgh's hallmarking year historically ran from October rather than January, which is why date letter tables for Scotland differ from English ones.
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 Edinburgh
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
My silver has a castle but no lion. Is it real?
Very likely yes. A three-towered castle is the Edinburgh Assay Office mark, and Scottish sterling is confirmed by a lion rampant or, on many pieces from the mid-1700s to the 1970s, a thistle. The English lion passant is not used on Scottish-assayed silver.
What is the difference between a lion rampant and a lion passant?
A lion passant walks on all fours in profile and marks English and Welsh sterling. A lion rampant rears on its hind legs with forepaws raised and marks Scottish sterling. Both certify 92.5% silver and both pay the same with us.
Do you buy from Scotland and the islands?
Yes, all of Scotland including the Highlands and islands, at the same flat 80% rate and the same free tracked postage. Delivery to us can take an extra day from some island postcodes, which is worth allowing for within your 48 hour rate lock.
Is Scottish provincial silver worth more?
It can be. Silver from smaller Scottish burghs is scarce and collected, and can exceed metal value. If your marks do not match Edinburgh or Glasgow, have it identified before selling it for scrap.