To be straight with you: we do not have a shop in Newcastle. 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.
Scarce, and older than most
Newcastle upon Tyne had goldsmiths working from the thirteenth century and a formal assay office from 1702, which closed in 1884. That closing date matters: it is a full century earlier than Chester or Glasgow, so Newcastle-marked silver is Victorian at the very latest, and much of it is Georgian.
The office's most productive period was the early eighteenth century, and its output leaned towards substantial domestic hollowware: coffee pots, tankards, two-handled cups and the like. Those are exactly the forms that carry antique value above metal value, and a Georgian Newcastle coffee pot or tankard in decent condition should be valued properly before anyone melts it.
It closed for the same reason the other provincial offices did, competition from Sheffield and Birmingham drawing away the volume that kept it viable. The practical consequence for you is scarcity: there is simply much less Newcastle silver in existence than Sheffield or London silver.
Reading a Newcastle hallmark
The town mark is three separate castles arranged in a shield, from the city arms. Newcastle pieces also carry a leopard's head alongside the lion passant, struck crowned right up until the office closed, which is unusual: the other provincial offices had dropped it decades earlier.
Any three-castles mark places your piece at 1884 or earlier. Do not confuse it with Edinburgh's single three-towered castle, which is one castle with three towers rather than three distinct castles.
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 Newcastle
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 three castles mark mean on silver?
Three separate castles in a shield is the Newcastle upon Tyne Assay Office mark, from the city arms. It dates the piece to 1884 or earlier, because the office closed that year. Edinburgh's mark is a single castle with three towers, which is a different thing.
Is Newcastle silver rare?
Comparatively, yes. The office closed in 1884, a century before Chester and Glasgow, so everything with a Newcastle mark is Victorian or older and the total quantity is small. Georgian hollowware in particular is collected.
Should I sell Georgian Newcastle silver for scrap?
Not without a valuation. Newcastle specialised in coffee pots, tankards and two-handled cups, which are the forms most likely to be worth well above metal value. Have it looked at first, and we will return it free if you would rather sell it elsewhere.
Do you buy across the North East?
Yes, Newcastle, Gateshead, Sunderland, Durham, Northumberland and Teesside, all at the same flat 80% with free tracked postage both ways.