Gold gets all the attention, but silver is quietly one of the easiest things to turn into cash — and most households have more of it than they realize. A drawer of inherited flatware, a jar of old coins, a tangle of sterling chains: it all has real value based on weight and purity. This guide explains the main kinds of silver you might sell, how each is priced, and how to make sure you get top dollar rather than a plated-metal lowball.
The three kinds of silver you'll sell
Almost everything people bring in falls into one of three buckets, and each is priced a little differently:
- Sterling silver — jewelry, flatware, tea sets, and serving pieces marked 925 or "Sterling." Sterling is 92.5% pure silver.
- Silver coins — pre-1965 U.S. dimes, quarters, and half dollars (90% silver), silver dollars, and bullion rounds or bars.
- Silver-plated items — a thin silver coating over base metal. These look like sterling but carry little to no melt value. Testing tells them apart instantly.
Knowing which bucket a piece belongs to is the whole game, because plated items are where uninformed sellers get disappointed and where dishonest buyers try to pass sterling off as plate.
How sterling silver is priced
Sterling is priced with the same transparent formula as gold, just against the silver spot price:
Weight (grams) × 0.925 × current silver price per gram = melt value
Because sterling is 92.5% pure, you're paid for that share of the total weight. Flatware and hollowware sometimes have weighted or filled handles (knife handles especially), which a good buyer accounts for so you're only paid for actual silver. Silver moves daily just like gold, so always confirm the current spot price before you sell — our guide on how spot price works applies to silver too.
| Item | Purity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sterling (925) | 92.5% | Jewelry, flatware, serving pieces |
| Pre-1965 U.S. coins | 90% | Dimes, quarters, halves — may have collector value |
| Silver bullion | 99.9% | Rounds and bars, priced closest to spot |
| Silver plate | Trace | Little to no melt value |
Want to know what your silver is worth today?
Call (909) 737-2467Silver coins: melt value vs. collector value
Coins add a wrinkle. Pre-1965 U.S. dimes, quarters, and half dollars are 90% silver and always carry melt value. But certain dates, mint marks, and conditions are worth more to collectors than their silver content. A careless buyer melts everything; a good one checks whether a coin is worth more intact first. If your collection is mostly coins, our dedicated guide on how to sell gold coins covers the same collector-vs-melt logic that applies to silver coins.
How to get top dollar for silver
Silver is lower-value per gram than gold, which means the buyer's percentage and honesty matter even more. Protect yourself:
- Sort by type. Keep sterling, coins, and suspected plate in separate piles so nothing gets miscounted.
- Look for the marks. "925" or "Sterling" is real; "EPNS," "silver plate," or "quadruple plate" is not solid silver.
- Weigh at home. A kitchen scale gives you a rough idea of total sterling weight before you go.
- Insist on visible testing and live pricing. The buyer should test, weigh, and quote off that day's spot in front of you.
Many shops pay only a fraction of melt on silver, betting you won't do the math. Understanding the difference is exactly why we compared cash for gold vs. pawn shops — the same trap applies to silver.
Selling silver at SoCal Cash for Gold
At SoCal Cash for Gold, we buy all of it — sterling jewelry, full flatware sets, tea services, coins, and bullion. We test and weigh everything at the counter while you watch, price it against the live silver spot, and check coins for collector value before melting anything. We pay up to top spot-based rates, same-day, in cash, Zelle, or Venmo, and we've been licensed and bonded in the Inland Empire for over 20 years. Not local? Our insured mail-in service lets you send silver in for a no-obligation quote from anywhere in the country.
Sterling flatware and junk silver from Inland Empire homes
Nearly every longtime household in the Inland Empire has silver hiding somewhere: a boxed sterling flatware set from a wedding decades ago, a coffee jar of pre-1965 "junk silver" dimes and quarters, or a tangle of 925 chains in a drawer. Rather than guess what any of it is worth, bring it to our counter at 4994 Holt Blvd in Montclair, an easy drive from Upland, Claremont, Pomona, Chino, and Riverside, and we'll sort sterling from plate on the spot.
We weigh flatware honestly, accounting for weighted knife handles so you're only paid for real silver, and we check coins for collector value before anything is melted. Payment is same-day by cash, Zelle, or Venmo from a licensed and bonded buyer priced against the live silver spot. Coming from the east end of the valley? Our Riverside gold and silver buyer page has hours and directions.