Five Key Things To Know Before You Sell Your Silver Coins, Bars, Jewelry Or Flatware
Five Key Things To Know Before You Sell Your Silver Coins, Bars, Jewelry Or Flatware
Charles Passy and Andrew Keshner Wed, December 31, 2025 MarketWatch
Is It Time To Sell Your Silver?
That’s the question some may be asking in light of the fact that the precious metal’s price SI00 has risen well over 100% in the past year, reaching a record level above $82 an ounce on Monday. After all, many people have some silver tucked away in their closets in the form of flatware, coins and jewelry. Others may have purchased silver bars for investment purposes. Sure enough, those who buy silver for a living say they’ve been plenty busy of late responding to such folks.
“[We’re] seeing a deluge of silver sellers like we never have before,” said Brandon Aversano, CEO and founder of the Alloy Market, a Pennsylvania-based company that specializes in precious metals. Aversano noted that his firm has purchased nearly twice the amount of silver in the second half of 2025 as it did in the first half.
Fueling that demand, of course, are buyers aplenty who want a stake in silver, given the price gains of late.
“I’ve sold more silver in the past two weeks than I’ve probably sold in the past six months,” said Phil Neizvestny, owner of Bullion Holdings, a company based in New York City’s Diamond District.
If you do want to sell your silver items — whether it’s a set of cutlery you inherited from grandma or coins you collected long ago — what do you need to know? We spoke with some experts to find out. Let’s break it down into five questions.
1. Where Can You Sell Your Silver?
There are options galore. You can always head to your local pawnbroker or a merchant who specializes in coins or precious metals. You can also go the internet route, which will involve shipping your silver to a company that conducts such transactions.
Auction houses are yet another option, particularly for collectible items that have value beyond their intrinsic “melt value” (more on that later). There are also platforms like eBay EBAY, as well as social-media groups where buyers and sellers can connect.
Which option is best? Keep in mind that you can’t generally expect to receive the current market (or “spot”) price for your silver, since sellers have to make money on the transaction. “There is a bid/ask spread just like there is for any other traded asset,” explained Trip Brannen, chief financial officer at Coinfully, a company that appraises and purchases coins.
Experts say you will tend to get higher prices at online outlets — which typically have less overhead — but you then have to deal with shipping and you will also wait to receive your money. Pawnbrokers and other local merchants may pay less, but you’ll get your money right away.
And while going the eBay or social-media route can result in good prices, you need to ask yourself if you’re willing to deal directly with buyers.
No matter how you opt to sell, the usual caveat of getting different price quotes applies — don’t presume the first offer is the best. You’ll also want to check the buyer’s credentials or applicable ratings. And if you’re dealing with an online buyer, see if they’ll pay for shipping and insure your package.
2. How Can You Tell If An Item Is Real Silver?
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