To be straight with you: we do not have a shop in York. 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.
The scarcest English marks
York is the rarest of the closed English assay offices, and the most likely to be genuinely worth more than its metal. Its history runs in distinct phases rather than one continuous line: the office closed in 1716, reopened in 1776, and closed for good in the 1850s. Published sources differ on the exact final year, generally putting it between 1856 and 1858, so treat any single date you see quoted with a little caution.
Whichever year is right, the consequence is the same. York silver stopped being made more than a century and a half ago, and there was never very much of it. If you have a York-marked piece, the sensible order of operations is to have it identified and valued before considering scrap. We will do the identification free and tell you honestly if we think it is worth more than we would pay.
Yorkshire more broadly is a different matter. The county is full of Sheffield-marked silver, since the Sheffield office served the whole region and produced enormous volumes. Most of what turns up in York houses is Sheffield, London or Birmingham silver rather than York silver.
Reading a York hallmark
In its later period York used a cross charged with five lions passant, taken from the city arms. Earlier York work used a half leopard's head combined with a half fleur-de-lys, a distinctive split punch you are unlikely to mistake for anything else. Between 1716 and 1776, while the office was shut, York silversmiths sent work to Newcastle instead, so genuinely local pieces from that gap carry Newcastle marks.
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 York
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
How do I identify a York silver hallmark?
Later York silver carries a cross charged with five lions passant, from the city arms. Earlier pieces use a distinctive split punch of half a leopard's head and half a fleur-de-lys. Both are scarce and worth having identified properly.
Is York silver valuable?
Often, yes, well beyond metal value. York is the scarcest English provincial office, it closed in the 1850s, and comparatively little was ever produced. Get a specialist valuation before selling York-marked silver for scrap.
When did the York assay office close?
In the 1850s. Published sources differ on the exact year, generally citing somewhere between 1856 and 1858. The office had also closed once before, between 1716 and 1776, during which time York silversmiths used the Newcastle office.
Do you buy silver across Yorkshire?
Yes, and we are based in the county, in Sheffield. Free tracked postage from anywhere in Yorkshire, a flat 80% of live spot, and payment within 48 hours of receipt.