To be straight with you: we do not have a shop in London. 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.
Where the good stuff is
London silver spans the widest range of any British city, from mass-produced Victorian flatware to some of the finest hollowware ever made in this country. That range is the reason we say something on this page we don't say everywhere: check before you melt.
The greatest English silversmiths worked in London: Paul de Lamerie, Paul Storr, Hester Bateman, Rundell Bridge & Rundell. A piece by any of them is worth a multiple of its metal, sometimes a very large one. So is Georgian hollowware in good condition, anything with armorials or documented provenance, and complete cased services. If your marks suggest a London piece from before roughly 1830, get a specialist valuation before you sell it to anyone for scrap, including us.
For the far more common case, Victorian and Edwardian London flatware in mixed condition, metal value usually meets or beats what it realises at auction after commission. That is the honest split, and it is worth ten minutes of your time to work out which side you are on.
Reading a London hallmark
The London town mark is a leopard's head. It was struck crowned until 1821 and uncrowned afterwards, which gives you an immediate rough date split. Assay marking began in London in the early fourteenth century, making it the oldest hallmarking authority in the world.
London is also the only office that historically struck the leopard's head as a standard mark without a separate town mark, so a leopard's head and lion passant with no other town symbol indicates London. Where a leopard's head appears alongside another town mark, such as three wheatsheaves or three castles, the piece was assayed at that provincial office instead.
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 London
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 a leopard's head mark mean on silver?
It is the London Assay Office mark. Crowned before 1821 and uncrowned after, which gives a quick approximate date. It identifies where the piece was assayed; the lion passant confirms the metal is sterling.
Should I sell Georgian London silver for scrap?
Usually not without a valuation first. Georgian hollowware, major makers such as Paul Storr or Hester Bateman, armorials and documented provenance can be worth several times metal value. We would rather point you to an auction house than buy something worth more than we pay.
How do I know if my silver is by a well-known maker?
The maker's mark is a set of initials in a shaped punch, struck alongside the assay marks. Photograph it under good light with a loupe and compare against a hallmark reference, or send us clear photos with your submission and we will flag anything that looks like it warrants a specialist opinion before testing.
Is postal selling safe from London?
Yes, and it is what most of our London customers use. The label is tracked and signed for from the moment it is scanned, each consignment is covered up to £5,000, and anything we cannot buy comes back to you free and insured.