We buy sterling silver flatware, serving pieces, tea sets, trays, and other sterling items.

Not a week goes by without someone bringing in a set of sterling that’s been sitting in a cabinet for years. A lot of it was given as wedding gifts and barely used. It used to be very common to host dinner parties with sterling — today, that’s mostly gone.

Most people are surprised by how much their sets are actually worth when we weigh them out. Even when it doesn’t look like much, full sets can add up quickly.

Sterling silver is typically marked “Sterling” or “925,” meaning it is 92.5% pure silver. Some older or European pieces may be marked .800 silver or have traditional hallmarks. If there are no clear markings, it’s often silverplate, which we also buy — just at a much lower price. We test everything in person to figure out exactly what you have.

In most cases, sterling silver flatware is valued based on its silver content. Even higher-end makers don’t always carry a premium anymore — at today’s prices, a lot of it ends up getting melted. What the future holds is hard to say.

We hear this all the time — people do some research online and come across listings with very high prices. Those are usually individual replacement pieces priced high for someone trying to complete a set. That’s a completely different game than selling a full set.

A lot of those listings sit online for years before anything sells. They show up in search results, but they don’t reflect real-world prices.

Selling pieces one at a time is possible, but it takes time, effort, and the right buyer. Most people choose to sell their set as a whole and be done with it.

Sterling silver may not be in fashion anymore, but the silver still has value. Once refined, it gets reused in modern applications like electronics and other industries.

We buy sterling silver flatware and related items from customers throughout Chicago and the surrounding suburbs, all in one visit with no appointment needed.

We buy sterling silver in person at our shop in Skokie.

We purchase sterling silver items, including:

• Full flatware sets
• Partial sets and mixed pieces
• Tea sets and serving items
• Scrap sterling

Many sets are no longer used as originally intended — we can help determine whether they have collectible or melt value.