If you want to collect on a modest budget, the vast array of small novel objects made from silver can provide an ideal collecting area. Look carefully in the display cabinets of a general antiques shop, or at a silver auction, and among the pieces you are likely to find are pincushions, card cases, nutmeg graters, vinaigrettes, snuff boxes, sewing cases, glove stretchers, letter openers, vestas and sovereign cases – to name but a few! When you examine the marks you’ll find Birmingham’s anchor mark appears again and again because from the late 18th century silversmiths in this area produced small silver items in their thousands. Usually, the least expensive pieces tend to be those produced during the 19th century, earlier objects are scarcer and can be highly priced.

What to look for:

Antique Collection

  • Check the hinge isn’t damaged.
  • Make sure the marks on the base are the same as those on the lid – if they don’t match, the box may have been altered.

Beware

Sometimes snuff boxes are turned into vinaigrettes by adding grilles – and vinaigrettes are turned into pill boxes by removing the grilles! £200

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Snuff Boxes

The decoration of small boxes has a huge bearing on their price; hunting scenes are particularly sought after – this silver gilt snuff box, made in 1828, would be worth over £1,500+.

Vinaigrettes

Vinaigrettes such as these were used to contain aromatic salts, vinegar, or perfume and are smaller than snuff boxes, although equally in demand. £1,000-1,500

Decoration

A piece of silver decorated with a recognizable scene is especially desirable. This Victorian pin tray shows Windsor Castle – one of the most popular views; St Paul’s Cathedral or scenes of Edinburgh are also keenly collected. £700-1,000

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Mirrors

Like most silver- framed mirrors, this one is part of a set of dressing table silver. Its unusually fine quality is reflected in the price – over £100,000 for the set! During the late 19th/ early 20th century less expensive mirrors were made from wooden frames covered with velvet and decorated with die stamped silver. These are often badly worn and difficult to IC clean but still highly sought after.

Art NouveauSilver

Silver items reflecting the Art Nouveau style, marked by well known makers or retailers, are becoming increasingly collectable. This box, with its typical Art Nouveau motif on the lid, was made for Liberty & Co. and would be worth £700-1, 000.

Silver and Glass

Glass and silver are often combined to produce some highly decorative objects, but before buying any silver and glass object remember to check that the glass is not broken as it can be costly to replace, especially if shaped. This 1911 Ramsden & Carr silver and enamel case contains its original glass bottle. £2,000+

Die Stamping

Die stamped silver is patterned by pressing solid metal moulds together on either side of sheet silver – the technique made it relatively inexpensive to mass-produce elaborate decoration and was much used in the 19th century.

Silver Decoration

Small silver is decorated in a wide variety of ways. Some of the most common terms used to describe the techniques are:

BRIGHT CUTTING: a type of faceted engraving.

CHASING OR EMBOSSING: patterns made by hammering or punching.

CUT-CARD DECORATION: flat shapes added to rims etc.

FILIGREE: open wire panels decorated with little silver beads.

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Miscellaneous Silver