The rate per gram is only one of three numbers

An advertised „up to 25 CZK per gram" tells you almost nothing, because three independent quantities feed into the final amount — and the buyer controls all three:

  1. The purity assigned. Whether a canteen is classed as 800 or 835 changes both the rate and the result.
  2. The weight counted. On knives with steel blades and hollow filled handles, a substantial share is deducted from the gross weight. Exactly how much is a matter of judgement.
  3. The rate applied. The advertised „up to" generally applies to the best category, not to whatever you happen to bring in.

Worked example: one canteen, two offers

Take a cutlery canteen in solid silver marked 800. The gross weight on the scale is 1,200 g, but six knives have steel blades and hollow filled handles. The net weight of silver alloy comes to 780 g.

  • Buyer A advertises „up to 22 CZK/g". They class the purity as 800, count 780 g and apply a rate of 18 CZK/g. Result: 14,040 CZK.
  • Buyer B advertises „up to 25 CZK/g". But they deduct more — counting only 700 g — and apply 15 CZK/g. Result: 10,500 CZK.

The higher advertised rate therefore produced an offer 3,540 CZK lower. The figures are illustrative, but the mechanism is real: only the final amount together with its calculation is comparable, never the rate on its own.

Four numbers that have to be stated

Have the offer itemised before you decide. A fair valuation shows you, unprompted:

  • the purity established and how it was determined (mark, measurement),
  • the gross weight on the scale display,
  • the net weight counted as silver alloy, and what was deducted,
  • the rate applied and the resulting amount.

If any of these is missing or withheld, you have nothing to compare against a competitor. That in itself is an answer.

Ask for the collector element separately

With coins, medals, marked canteens and signed jewellery, ask directly: does the offer cover metal only, or also age, maker, condition and completeness? If an item might carry numismatic or antique value, insist on that assessment before you agree to a sale by weight. Once a set is broken up or a coin goes to the melt, that value is gone for good.

How collector value differs by category is covered in Silver buying: jewellery, coins and cutlery.

Red flags

  • Pressure to sign immediately. „This price is today only" is a sales technique, not a market reality — silver does not move tens of percent within an hour.
  • Reluctance to hand the item back. A valuation is non-binding. The piece is still yours.
  • Filing or dismantling without explanation. On a well-preserved antique, any intervention into the surface requires your agreement in advance.
  • Weighing out of your sight. The display belongs turned towards you.
  • No fixed premises. Check the address, the operator's identity and a reachable contact.

Postal buying: read this first

Sending silver by post is possible, but read the terms before you hand the parcel over. What matters is the sum the parcel is insured for, who pays return postage if you decline the offer, by when the item comes back and in what condition. Photograph and list everything before dispatch. Without your own record there is nothing to argue from in a dispute.

Estates and larger collections

Before anything leaves the house, make your own list with photographs of the individual pieces. This is not distrust but ordinary prudence — with dozens of items, nobody recalls a week later exactly what was there. The list also helps if you approach several buyers and want to compare offers on the same assortment.

How it works with us

Remove loose dust only, polish nothing, and keep sets together. In the shop we identify the material, check the marks, assess any collector value, weigh, and itemise the offer. Indicative rates are in the gold and silver price list, and marks can be compared against the Czech Assay Office overview.

Come to Kotlářská 28, Brno-střed — we offer non-binding silver buying in Brno, and the valuation commits you to nothing.