A six-place sterling canteen usually holds somewhere between 900g and 1,800g of recoverable silver, which pays between £— and £— at our flat 80% rate today. The range is wide because pattern weight varies enormously, and because silver-handled knives contain far less metal than they weigh. Weigh yours rather than working from an average.
What counts as a canteen
A canteen is a matched set of flatware, usually in a fitted wooden box or cabinet lined with baize. The standard configurations are six-place (commonly 42 pieces) and twelve-place (commonly 84), each place setting comprising a table knife, table fork, dessert knife, dessert fork, dessert spoon, soup spoon and teaspoon. Compositions vary a great deal, and many sets include serving pieces, which are usually the heaviest items in the box.
The box itself has no metal value, nor do the baize liner and fittings. Do not weigh it.
How much a canteen actually weighs
Published weight ranges for canteens vary widely and many are too low, because they either count gross knife weight or assume lightweight modern patterns. Here is a more useful way to think about it, working from individual pieces:
| Piece | Typical silver weight | Six of them pay |
|---|---|---|
| Table fork | 55 to 75g | £— |
| Table spoon | 60 to 80g | £— |
| Soup spoon | 55 to 70g | £— |
| Dessert fork | 40 to 55g | £— |
| Dessert spoon | 45 to 60g | £— |
| Teaspoon | 18 to 28g | £— |
| Table knife | 25 to 35g of silver | £— |
Knife figures are recoverable silver, not gross weight. Heavy Georgian and Old English Thread patterns sit at the top of these ranges; lightweight mid-century sets sit at the bottom.
| Canteen | Recoverable silver | We pay |
|---|---|---|
| Six-place, lightweight pattern | 900g | £— |
| Six-place, typical | 1,400g | £— |
| Six-place, heavy pattern | 1,800g | £— |
| Twelve-place, typical | 2,800g | £— |
| Twelve-place, heavy with servers | 3,600g | £— |
Live figures at today's spot price. Weigh your own set and use the calculator for a real number.
Why the knives change the answer
Silver-handled knives are the reason canteen estimates go wrong. The handle is a thin sterling shell packed with pitch, resin or plaster around a steel tang, and the blade is stainless or carbon steel. A knife weighing 90 to 110g on the scales typically yields only 25 to 35g of silver.
In a twelve-place set that is twenty-four knives, which can weigh well over two kilos gross while holding perhaps 700g of recoverable metal. Any quote built on gross knife weight will be dramatically too high, and you will find out after your parcel has already arrived somewhere. Weigh knives separately, or tell us how many are in the box, and we will remove the blades and filler, weigh the silver and show you the deduction itemised.
Does the pattern matter?
Not to us. We pay purely on metal content, so King's, Queen's, Old English, Fiddle, Rat Tail and Albany all pay the same per gram. Heavier patterns pay more only because they contain more silver.
Pattern does matter in the antique market, and it is worth a check before you decide. A complete twelve-place service in its original fitted oak canteen, in a sought-after named pattern, by a recognised maker, in good condition, can beat metal value. Named makers such as Mappin & Webb or Goldsmiths & Silversmiths add to that case. So does a Georgian date.
Against that: auction commission typically runs 15 to 20% plus fees, the process takes weeks to months, and there is no guarantee of a sale. Incomplete, mismatched, monogrammed or worn sets in common patterns generally do better as metal. If you think yours might be in the first category, get a specialist opinion first. We would rather tell you to go elsewhere than buy something worth more than we pay.
Incomplete and odd sets
Completeness is irrelevant to metal value. Six odd spoons from a kitchen drawer are worth exactly what six matching spoons from a fitted canteen are worth, gram for gram. Bent tines, worn bowls, monograms, missing pieces and a century of tarnish change nothing. Do not polish, do not repair, and do not set aside the orphaned pieces: send everything solid in one parcel, since there are no per-item fees and no minimum lot charges.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a canteen of silver cutlery worth?
Between roughly £— and £— for a six-place sterling set at today's price, depending on pattern weight. Twelve-place sets typically pay around £—. Weigh yours for an accurate figure.
How much does a six-place canteen weigh?
Usually 900g to 1,800g of recoverable silver, excluding knife blades and handle filler. The spread is wide because pattern weights vary by a factor of nearly two. Weighing takes a minute and beats any published average.
Do I include the knives in the weight?
Weigh them separately. A silver-handled knife weighs 90 to 110g but yields only 25 to 35g of silver, because the handle is filled with pitch around a steel tang and the blade is steel. Including gross knife weight will inflate your quote significantly.
Does the cutlery pattern affect what you pay?
No. We pay on metal content, so every pattern pays the same per gram. Heavier patterns pay more only because they weigh more. Pattern can matter at auction, which is worth checking if your set is complete, cased and by a named maker.
Is an incomplete canteen worth less?
Not for metal value. We pay by weight, so missing pieces make no difference to the rate. Completeness only affects antique value.
Should I sell the canteen box too?
Keep it. The box has no metal value so we do not pay for it, and it adds postage weight and bulk. If you may sell the set as an antique later, the original box is part of what makes that worth doing.
Do you buy silver-handled knives on their own?
Yes. We recover the silver from the handles and pay on that, with the blade and filler weight itemised. A dozen table knives typically yields 300 to 420g of silver.