To be straight with you: we do not have a shop in Exeter. InstaSilver is a Sheffield business and we buy by post from anywhere in the UK. That is why we can pay 80% of live spot rather than the lower rates a high street counter has to offer to cover its premises. Postage is free and tracked both ways, and anything we cannot buy is returned to you free.
West Country silver
Exeter was the assay centre for the whole of the West Country, serving silversmiths across Devon, Cornwall and Somerset who would otherwise have faced a long journey to London. Wrought silver was recorded in the city from the Middle Ages, the office was re-established formally in 1701, and it closed in 1883.
Exeter's output was weighted towards flatware and modest domestic pieces rather than grand hollowware, which reflects the regional economy it served. That makes Exeter-marked spoons and forks the most commonly encountered survivors, and they are collected as a regional group. West Country provincial makers working in smaller towns such as Barnstaple, Plymouth and Truro are scarcer still and can be worth considerably more than metal.
As with the other closed offices, an Exeter mark means the piece cannot be later than 1883, and there will never be any more of it.
Reading an Exeter hallmark
From 1701 the town mark is a three-towered castle. Earlier Exeter silver, from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, used a Roman capital X, sometimes crowned, which is the mark most associated with the city among collectors. Exeter pieces also carry a leopard's head alongside the lion passant, struck crowned until 1778.
Exeter's castle can be confused with Edinburgh's, since both are three-towered. The accompanying marks separate them: an Exeter piece carries an English lion passant, while an Edinburgh piece carries a lion rampant or a thistle.
What silver pays today
The same flat rate applies wherever you are. These figures recalculate from the live spot price:
| Typical lot | Sterling weight | We pay |
|---|---|---|
| Mixed jewellery | 80g | £— |
| Odd flatware | 300g | £— |
| Six-place canteen | 1,400g | £— |
| Tea service with tray | 2,500g | £— |
Sterling holds £— of silver per gram at today's spot price, and we pay 80% of that: £— per gram. Put your own weight into the live calculator for an exact figure.
Selling from Exeter
Weigh your silver in grams and enter it for a live quote. Accepting locks that rate for 48 hours, and a free Royal Mail QR label appears immediately: no printer needed, the Post Office counter scans it from your phone. Every item is XRF tested and weighed at our Sheffield workshop, and payment is made by Faster Payments within 48 hours of your parcel reaching us. Full detail is on how it works.
Frequently asked questions
What does a crowned X mark mean on silver?
A Roman capital X, sometimes crowned, was the Exeter town mark in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. It is scarce and collected. From 1701 Exeter used a three-towered castle instead.
How do I tell an Exeter castle from an Edinburgh one?
By the standard mark beside it. Exeter is an English office, so its pieces carry a lion passant, a lion walking in profile. Edinburgh pieces carry a lion rampant, rearing on its hind legs, or a thistle.
Is Exeter silver worth more than scrap?
Sometimes. The office closed in 1883 so the supply is finite, and West Country provincial silver from smaller towns such as Barnstaple, Plymouth or Truro can be worth well above metal value. Ordinary Exeter flatware in worn condition usually is not, but it costs nothing to have it identified first.
Do you buy from Devon and Cornwall?
Yes, the whole of the South West at the same flat 80% rate with free tracked postage both ways. Allow an extra day in transit from far South West postcodes within your 48 hour rate lock.