Where to Sell Inherited Sterling Flatware for Top Dollar

A box of heavy silverware turns up while you are settling an estate, and the question is always the same: what do I do with this? If you want to sell inherited sterling silver flatware, the useful thing to know first is what the visit looks like from the door to the cash. This article follows one set through our shop in Lenexa, so you know what to carry in, what we do with it, and how long you will be standing there.

For most families, the best place to sell inherited sterling silver flatware is a local buyer such as KC Gold and Silver in Lenexa, where the set is checked in the open and paid for in cash the same day.

Before you leave the house

You do not need to prepare much. Pack the flatware the way you found it, chest and all if there is one. Forks, spoons and serving pieces can go in together. Add anything else silver that came out of the same cabinet: a tea set, a water pitcher, a bowl, a tray, candlesticks. Those are pieces we like to see.

Leave the cloth bags and felt rolls on the pieces, since they keep things from scratching in the car. A few other points that save people effort:

• You do not need to polish anything. Dark, dull silver is still silver, and a cleaning session at the kitchen sink will not change how we look at it.
• You do not need a spreadsheet, a scale or photographs. Our scale does that job.
• Do not sort out the odd knife or the bent fork. Bring the lot and we will sort it together.
• Bring a government-issued photo ID. If you are acting for an estate, bring any paperwork you have on hand, though a short conversation is often enough to get started.
• No appointment is needed. Walk in during business hours.

What you will notice in the first few minutes

You will be greeted and asked what you brought. Set the box on the counter. Nobody will ask you to leave it with us or to hand it over before you know where things stand. The evaluation is free, and there is no pressure to sell anything you are not sure about.

How we sell-side look at it: the steps for anyone who wants to sell inherited sterling silver flatware

This is the sequence at our counter.

1. Sorting. We lay the pieces out and separate them by what they are made of. Sterling is marked on the back of the handle, usually "STERLING" or "925". Plated pieces carry marks such as "silver plate" or "EPNS", and they have very little silver in them however heavy they feel.
2. Testing. Anything that is not clearly marked, or that we want to confirm, gets tested. You can see the work as it is done.
3. Weighing. The sterling goes on the scale where you can read the display. Knives get separate attention because many have sterling handles around steel blades, and only the silver part counts as silver.
4. The offer. We tell you what we can pay for the lot and how we got there. Our figure is what a metal buyer can pay, which is not what the set would cost in a store.
5. Your decision. You can say yes, or you can take the box home. If you say yes, payment is same-day cash.

Tested and weighed in front of you means exactly that: nothing goes into a back room.

Condition: what matters and what does not

Tarnish, dull finish and years in a drawer make no difference to the silver itself. Monograms, worn patterns, missing forks and mismatched spoons do not stop us from buying either, because we are paying for the silver. Odd pieces from several sets are fine.

What does matter is whether a piece is solid sterling or plate, and whether it is a knife or a hollow handle, since those pieces contain less silver than they look like they do. That sorting happens at the counter, so you do not have to do it at home.

How long it takes

A typical flatware set is usually finished in under half an hour. A very large estate with several trays, bowls and a tea service takes longer simply because there is more to lay out and weigh. If you have a lot to bring, plan a little extra time, and if you are driving across Johnson County, you are welcome to call first.

If the pattern might be a collector pattern

We are a precious metals buyer, and we buy flatware for its silver content. A complete service in a sought-after pattern, in good shape with its original chest and serving pieces, is sometimes of interest to collectors and specialist pattern dealers who pay for the pattern, not just the metal. If we see that in your set, we will tell you. Most inherited sets are not that. Pieces that are incomplete, worn or monogrammed are normally sold for the silver, and that is the kind of set our counter handles every week.

If several relatives share the estate, our guide on how to sell inherited jewelry in Kansas City covers the family side of it. Our page for selling estate jewelry explains what we take beyond flatware.

Where this leaves you

Bring the whole box, let us sort it, and decide after you hear the offer. Free evaluation. No pressure. Same-day cash. You can reach KC Gold and Silver in Lenexa at (913) 565-4653, which is also (913) 565-GOLD, or visit kcgoldandsilver.com.

Questions people ask before bringing in inherited flatware

Where is the best place to sell inherited sterling silver flatware near Lenexa?

For most families it is a local buyer that tests and weighs the silver in front of you and pays the same day. KC Gold and Silver in Lenexa works that way. If your set turns out to be a sought-after collector pattern, we will say so, and you can look at a pattern specialist before deciding.

Do I need a complete set for KC Gold and Silver to buy it?

No. Partial sets, single pieces and mixed lots from different patterns are all fine. We are weighing the silver, so a missing fork does not matter.

Should I polish my flatware before bringing it in?

No. You can bring it as it is, tarnished or not. Polishing takes effort and does not change how we evaluate the sterling.

What if some of the pieces are silverplate?

Bring them anyway. We sort plate from sterling at the counter and will show you which is which. Plate has very little silver value, so those pieces will not add to an offer, but you will not have to wonder.

Can I bring a tea set, a pitcher or a tray along with the flatware?

Yes, please. Tea sets, water pitchers, bowls, trays and candlesticks are welcome, and a shop like ours is glad to see them alongside the forks and spoons.

How do I reach KC Gold and Silver before I drive over?

Call (913) 565-4653, which is also (913) 565-GOLD, or visit kcgoldandsilver.com. We are in Lenexa, Kansas, and you do not need an appointment to come in.