Sell your silver online and keep 80-85% of it's worth.

Start with the marks. Solid sterling is normally stamped 925, "sterling" or "ster." Fine silver reads .999. Plated pieces commonly carry EP, EPNS, A1 or "silver on copper," or a manufacturer's name with no purity figure. British and European pieces use hallmark symbols in place of numbers.

Marks also have their limits. When they are worn, absent or unfamiliar they prove nothing, and a good plate can look identical to sterling. A magnet only rules things out, since silver is not magnetic but neither is copper or brass, and home acid kits damage the surface of whatever you test.

Look on the underside of flatware handles, the base of hollowware, and inside rings and bangles. If you find nothing, or something you cannot read, photograph it and have it tested rather than guessing.

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You can calculate the silver price with the following formula: purity, multiplied by net silver weight, multiplied by the current spot price.

Spot is the live market price per troy ounce and it changes daily. Purity comes from testing, not from the stamp alone. Net weight excludes everything in the piece that is not silver.

An offer may also reflect refining and processing costs and, for the right pieces, value beyond melt from pattern, maker or collectibility. Before accepting any offer, ask for the three numbers behind it: tested purity, net silver weight, and the spot price applied.

For metal content, it can be worth very little. Plating is measured in microns and the cost of recovering it usually exceeds what is there, which is why many refiners decline plate outright.

That does not make it worthless. Plated pieces from recognized makers, complete tea services, and decorative or pattern-collected items can hold resale value as objects rather than as metal.

Do not throw plates away, and do not expect sterling prices for it. Include it in your photographs and let it be identified alongside everything else.

Because a large part of what you are weighing is not silver. Knife handles are typically hollow and packed with resin or cement, with a stainless steel blade. Candlesticks and trophy bases are weighted with plaster or pitch so they do not tip. Trays can have wooden or composite bottoms, and serving pieces often have steel tines or blades.

Payment is based on recoverable silver, so a heavy boxed canteen may contain only a fraction of its gross weight in actual metal.

Always ask for gross weight and net silver weight as two separate figures, itemized by piece.

No. Clear photographs matter but a bright shine does not. Polishing removes a microscopic layer of metal every time, and on antique or collectible pieces it strips patina out of engraving and detail, reducing value rather than adding to it.

Wipe off dust with a dry soft cloth, shoot in daylight against a plain background, get the marks in focus, and leave the tarnish alone. Tarnish does not reduce silver content.

Speed and cash, usually at a lower price. Pawn shops price for quick resale, and a counter offer is often a single rate across a mixed lot, without separating sterling from plate or identifying anything collectible.

Four questions before you hand anything over:

• How was purity tested, and can I see the result?
• What net weight are you using, and what has been deducted?
• Which spot price is this based on?
• Was any piece assessed for value beyond melt?

If you cannot get a clear answer to all four, get a second opinion before you sell.

Not usually. Bullion coins and bars trade against recognized product premiums, and collectible coins are graded on date, mint mark, strike and condition. Dropped into a scrap lot, all of that is averaged away into a per-gram rate. If that is what you have, start on the dedicated pages for sell silver coins and sell silver bars.

Separate coins and bars from flatware and jewelry before you request a valuation, and photograph each one individually with the date and mint mark visible.

It can be, as long as the buyer will show you exactly how. Check the policy before you send anything. With Unvault, for example, you get a free prepaid, fully insured FedEx label. Each piece is examined on camera and you receive a video of the process. Your final offer is itemized, and if you decline, your items are returned to you free, with insured return shipping.

Before shipping to anyone, confirm four things:

1. Who insures the parcel, and up to what value?
2. Is the inspection documented?
3. How long does the offer stand?
4. Who pays return shipping if you say no?

Payment at Unvault is processed one business day after you accept. The full process is laid out in how Unvault works.