Sell silver and watches in Basel
Cutlery, coins, silverware and watches with precious-metal cases. The price per gram is only fixed after testing.
Selling silver cutlery: weighed, not counted
Four heavy pieces can fetch more than a whole set made of thin sheet metal.
The weight counts
What matters is what the pieces weigh together, not how many there are.
Knives are different
The handle is usually filled, and the blade is steel. Only the silver content is weighed.
Signs of wear don't matter
Monogrammed, tarnished, bent: it's the metal that gets weighed. You don't need to clean anything.
What silver we buy
Single pieces as well as whole canteens. Sorting is done together.
- Silver cutleryEven without a case, incomplete or from different makers.
- Silver coinsIf a coin is worth more as a collector's item, we'll tell you before weighing it.
- Silver jewellery 925 and 800Stones, enamel and wood are deducted from the calculation.
- Silverware and hollowwareJugs, bowls, trays, candlesticks. Candlestick bases are often weighted.
- Watches with precious-metal casesPocket and wrist watches in gold or silver. See below.
Only silver-plated? We calculate that differently: Silver-plated and pewter.
Silver hallmarks 925 and 800: what they mean
The number states the parts of silver per 1'000. It doesn't say what a piece is worth.
| Hallmark | Where to find it | CHF per gram |
|---|---|---|
| 925 sterling | Jewellery, newer cutlery | 1.44 |
| 800 | older cutlery (also 835) | 1.25 |
900 means coin silver. The prices above are estimates based on the current silver price, recalculated every 15 minutes. Without a hallmark, we test with a touchstone and acid, including whether a piece is solid or only silver-plated.
Selling watches: valued by the metal
We are a precious-metal buyer, not a watch dealer.
- The case is what countsWeight times fineness times the daily price. The movement, glass and leather strap don't count, but a gold or silver bracelet does.
- Worth more than the metal?Then we'll tell you, and sell the watch on through us instead of melting it down.
- No estimate over the phoneThat requires a look at the case and hallmark. You don't need to open or polish anything.
Too good to melt down?
Mechanical watches and attractive pieces often fetch more when sold than their metal alone.
Frequently asked questions about silver and watches
Please bring ID. This is required by the Anti-Money Laundering Act, not by us.
Do I need to clean the silver beforehand?
No. Tarnished silver is not a disadvantage, and every polish removes a little metal.
My cutlery has no hallmark. Do you still take it?
Yes. Without a hallmark, cutlery is often silver-plated. We test it with the touchstone. We take silver-plated items too, they're just calculated differently: Silver-plated and pewter.
What does a whole canteen of cutlery fetch?
That depends on weight and fineness, not on the number of pieces. Send a photo and we'll tell you whether it's worth the trip.
A photo of the open case is enough
Pieces laid out side by side, with the hallmark included in the photo. Monday to Saturday 10:00 to 20:00, no appointment needed.