Most households in Northern Virginia have some silver tucked away — a flatware chest from a wedding decades ago, a tea service from a grandparent, a coffee can of old coins. The hard part isn't finding a buyer; it's knowing what you actually have. Solid sterling has real melt value. Silverplate mostly doesn't. This guide walks through the difference, how sterling sets are valued, and what to expect when you sell silver at Cash for Gold VA — free appraisal, tested and weighed in front of you, instant payout.
The silver we buy
| Category | Typical items | How it's valued |
|---|---|---|
| Sterling jewelry | Chains, rings, bracelets, Southwestern and Mexican silver | Tested to confirm .925, then weighed against the live spot price |
| Sterling sets & hollowware | Flatware services, tea and coffee services, trays, bowls, candlesticks | Per-piece testing, total silver weight — weighted/reinforced pieces adjusted |
| Silver coins | Pre-1965 US 90% dimes, quarters, halves; silver dollars | By silver content per face value |
| Bullion | .999 fine bars and rounds | 85% of the live spot price — our published rate |
If it's genuinely silver, we'll make an offer on it — from a single ring at our sterling silver jewelry counter to a full estate's worth of hollowware.
Sterling or silverplate? Check before you drive
This is the single most useful thing you can do at home, because it sets your expectations correctly. Sterling silver is a solid alloy that is 92.5% pure silver. Silverplate is a thin layer of silver electroplated over a base metal like nickel or copper — the silver layer is so thin it has essentially no melt value, so plated pieces aren't paid as silver.
Read the marks
Flip each piece over and look near the base, the back of the handle, or the rim.
| Mark | What it means |
|---|---|
| STERLING, STER, 925, .925 | Solid sterling silver (92.5% pure) |
| Lion passant (walking lion, British hallmark) | Sterling standard — at least 92.5% pure |
| 800, 835, 900 | Solid silver at lower purity (common on European pieces) |
| EPNS, EP, EPC | Electroplated — silverplate, not solid |
| A1, AA, Triple Plate, Quadruple Plate | Grades of plating thickness — still silverplate |
| Silver Plated, Silver on Copper | Plate, stated outright |
A helpful rule: plating marks describe the coating quality, not silver content. A piece stamped only A1 or EPNS — with no STERLING, 925, or lion passant — should be assumed plate.
The magnet test and the ice myth, done honestly
Silver is not magnetic. If a piece snaps firmly to a magnet, it isn't solid silver. But the reverse proves nothing: copper, brass, and nickel silver — the usual base metals under plating — aren't magnetic either, so plenty of silverplate passes the magnet test.
The ice trick works on the same logic. Silver has the highest thermal conductivity of any metal, so an ice cube melts noticeably fast on a solid sterling tray. It's a fun demonstration — but plated pieces conduct heat too, so it's not proof. Marks plus professional testing are what actually settle the question, and that testing is exactly what we do in front of you at the counter.
How sterling flatware and tea sets are valued
Sets are where the real money usually is, and they deserve a proper explanation. When you bring in sterling silver sets, flatware and tea services, here's how the appraisal works:
- Every piece is checked individually. Sets get mixed over generations — a sterling service often has a few plated serving spoons that migrated in, and the reverse happens too. We don't assume; we test.
- The sterling is weighed together on a calibrated scale, in front of you, and priced against the live silver spot price.
- Weighted and reinforced pieces are adjusted. This is the honest caveat most sellers don't hear up front.
The knife and candlestick caveat
Sterling knives almost always have hollow handles filled with cement or resin, with a stainless steel blade — only the thin sterling shell is actually silver. Likewise, candlesticks, compotes, and trophy-style pieces marked WEIGHTED or REINFORCED are mostly filler by weight, with a silver skin over it. They still have value, but far less than their heft on a bathroom scale suggests. A fair buyer prices the silver, not the cement — and tells you which is which.
The troy-ounce math
Precious metals trade in troy ounces (31.1 grams), not regular ounces. The melt value of sterling is:
weight in troy oz × 0.925 × silver spot price
As an illustration only — spot moves daily — if silver were around $30 per troy ounce, a 60-piece flatware service weighing 70 troy ounces (knives excluded) would contain about 64.75 troy ounces of pure silver, roughly $1,940 in metal value at that price. Offers are then a percentage of that melt value. You can check the live spot price yourself before you visit; we appraise against the same number.
Why silver is a quantity game
Gold is worth so much per gram that a single ring is a meaningful sale. Silver trades at a small fraction of gold's price, so individual pieces are modest — a lone sterling teaspoon weighs well under a troy ounce. The value comes from volume: a full flatware service, a tea set, a tray, and a drawer of odd serving pieces can together add up to hundreds of troy ounces.
So bring everything, including the pieces you're unsure about. This matters most when you're clearing out an inherited estate — sorting sterling from plate is exactly what the free appraisal is for, and there's no obligation to sell any of it.
Pre-1965 coins: the 'junk silver' in your change jar
US dimes, quarters, and half dollars minted in 1964 or earlier are 90% silver. Dealers call them 'junk silver' — junk only in the sense that they carry no collector premium; the silver is very real. Every $1 of face value in circulated 90% coins contains about 0.715 troy ounces of pure silver, so even a modest coffee can adds up. Two details worth knowing: Kennedy half dollars from 1965–1970 are 40% silver (still worth bringing), and 1965-or-later dimes and quarters are copper-nickel with no silver at all. We buy silver coins by their silver content, alongside silver dollars, bars, and rounds.
What to expect at the appraisal
The process at all four stores is the same, and it's built to be watched:
- Free, no-obligation, in-person appraisal against the live silver spot price.
- Every piece tested to confirm .925 (or .999 for bullion) and weighed on a calibrated scale in front of you.
- Silverplate separated out honestly — we'll show you the marks and explain why a piece doesn't qualify.
- You keep your items until you accept. Decline, and everything goes back in the box.
- Instant payout — accepted offers are paid cash the same visit.
- Virginia law requires a government-issued photo ID, and sellers must be 18 or older.
On .999 fine bullion bars and rounds, our rate is published: 85% of spot. No guessing before you come in.
Key takeaway: Sterling is solid 92.5% silver and is bought by weight against the live spot price; silverplate is a thin coating with no melt value. Check the marks at home, expect knives and weighted pieces to count for less than their heft, and remember that with silver, full sets — not single spoons — are where the money is.
Where to sell silver in Northern Virginia
Cash for Gold VA has been rated 4.9★ across 500+ Google reviews, and you can sell across Northern Virginia at whichever of our four stores — Annandale, Chantilly, Manassas, or Vienna/Tysons — is closest. Each store's address, hours, and phone are on the store cards just below, and full details are on our locations page. Bring the whole chest — flatware, hollowware, jewelry, coins, bars — and walk out the same visit with an instant payout for everything you choose to sell as silver. And if the same drawer holds gold, our guide to selling gold in Northern Virginia covers that side too.
