Guide · 12 minute read
Small gold and silver objects: cases, pens, thimbles and chains
The short answer
Most small objects that look like gold or silver are plated, rolled or gilt base metal, and the marks usually say which. A British hallmark with a fineness such as 375 or 925, or the word sterling, points to solid metal. Rolled gold, R.G., gold filled, a fraction such as 1/10 12K, EPNS, EP and A1 all mean a layer of gold or silver over something else. Even a solid object is rarely all precious metal: springs, screws, lenses, mirrors and pencil mechanisms are steel, brass or glass, and a gold nib often sits on a plastic pen. Some of these things are worth more to a collector than their metal, especially enamelled cases, Georgian snuff boxes and vinaigrettes, Victorian card and vesta cases, and pens and pencils by a named maker. Photograph the marks and ask before you post, and do not clean anything first.
No obligation. Decline and it all comes back free; ask for part of it back and a fresh offer is made for the rest.
The small things that are not jewellery
Clearing a house turns up a second drawer of metal that is not jewellery at all. Spectacle frames in the bathroom cabinet. Fountain pens and propelling pencils in the desk. Cigarette cases, vesta cases and card cases in old jacket pockets. Thimbles in the sewing box, compacts and pill boxes on the dressing table, napkin rings and a christening mug in the sideboard, a watch chain with a fob on it, a card of buttons.
Each of them raises the same three questions. Is it solid gold or silver, or a coat over something else? Which parts of it are not precious metal at all? And would somebody who collects it pay more for it than its metal is worth? The marks answer the first question more often than people expect, if you know where to look.
- Cases and boxes. Inside the lid, or on the rim where the lid meets the base. Open the hinge gently and never force a catch.
- Pens and pencils. On the cap band, the clip, the end of the barrel, or stamped into the nib itself.
- Spectacle frames. On the inside of the arms or on the bridge.
- Thimbles. In a band round the lower edge, often faint.
- Watch chains. On the bolt ring, the swivel or the bar, and on some chains on every link.
- Mugs and napkin rings. Underneath, or in a line near the rim.
Solid, plated, rolled or filled: what the marks say
British law does a good deal of the work here. Section 1 of the Hallmarking Act 1973 makes it an offence for anyone, in the course of a trade or business, to describe an unhallmarked article as gold, silver, platinum or palladium, unless an exemption applies. Schedule 1 to the same Act permits gold to be described as plated or rolled, and the other three metals as plated, provided that word is lettered at least as large as the rest. So when a cigarette case says rolled gold, or a mug says silver plated, the maker was telling you it was not solid.
Marks found on small objects, and what each one means
| Mark | What it means | Solid precious metal? |
|---|---|---|
| A British hallmark including 375, 585, 750 or 916, or an older carat figure such as 9, 15 or 18 | Gold of that standard, tested by an assay office | Yes |
| A British hallmark including 925, 958 or 800, or a lion passant | Silver: sterling, Britannia or the 800 standard | Yes |
| Sterling on its own | A claim that the silver is 925. Common on American and some continental work | Usually; testing confirms it |
| 800, 830, 835 or 900 on its own | Continental silver, stamped with a number rather than hallmarked here | Usually, at the standard stamped; testing confirms it |
| 9K, 14K, 18K or 585 on its own | A maker's claim of carat gold, common on imported work | Often; testing confirms it |
| Rolled gold, R.G., RGP | A thin sheet of carat gold bonded to a base-metal core | No |
| Gold filled, G.F., or a fraction such as 1/10 12K or 1/20 12K | A bonded gold layer. The fraction is the share of the metal's weight in the layer, and the carat is the layer's standard | No |
| Gold plated, G.P., gilt, gilt metal | A thin layer of gold, or just a gold colour, over base metal | No |
| EPNS, EP, EPBM, A1, silver plated | Electroplate: a thin coat of silver over a base alloy. A1 is a plating grade, not a standard of silver | No |
| Nickel silver, German silver, alpacca | A white base alloy of copper, nickel and zinc, with no silver in it | No |
The fractions come from American rules, because a great many rolled gold pens and spectacle frames were made for that market. The current US Federal Trade Commission guides treat the term gold filled as fair only for a bonded layer of at least 10 carat gold making up at least one twentieth of the weight of the metal in the whole article. Thinner layers are sold as rolled gold plate, with a fraction stating the share, as in 1/40 12 Kt. R.G.P. So 1/10 12K on a pair of spectacles means one tenth of the metal's weight is a 12 carat layer, and the rest is base metal. The plated, rolled, filled and vermeil guide explains how each of these is built.
A number on its own is not the warning sign. A British 12 or 15 carat mark on a Victorian watch chain or pencil is solid gold at an older standard. The Goldsmiths' Company Assay Office records that 9, 12 and 15 carat were introduced in 1854, and that the 15 and 12 carat standards were cancelled in 1932 and replaced by 14 carat. The warning is the letters or the fraction beside the number: 12K G.F., 1/20 12K, R.G.
A missing mark does not mean plate either. Schedule 1 exempts articles of the minimum standard below set weights, which are one gram for gold and 7.78 grams for silver, and many thimbles and small pieces fall under them. Some older objects are exempt by name. Gold pencil cases, lockets, watch chains and thimbles made before 1975, and silver lockets and watch chains made before 1975, need carry no hallmark provided they reach the minimum standard. So do gold and silver articles made before 1950 to the minimum standard and not altered since, if the date can be shown. An unmarked object is not settled either way until it has been tested, and the hallmarks guide explains the full marks.
Object by object: what is usually solid, and what usually is not
Small objects: where solid ones show it, what is often plate, and what is not precious metal
| Object | Solid ones usually show | Often plated or base metal | Parts that are not precious metal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spectacle frames | A hallmark, or 9ct, 18ct or 14K, on the arm or bridge | Rolled gold and gold-filled frames marked 1/10 12K, 12K GF or R.G. are the usual case | Lenses, nose pads, screws and often the hinges |
| Fountain pens | Hallmarked gold or silver caps and barrels, sometimes as an overlay on the barrel | Caps and clips marked rolled gold or gold filled; gilt trim | The plastic, celluloid or vulcanite body, the ink sac and the feed. A gold nib may sit on an otherwise ordinary pen |
| Propelling pencils | Hallmarks on the barrel; gold pencil cases made before 1975 may be unmarked | Rolled gold and plated barrels | The mechanism inside, usually brass or steel |
| Cigarette cases | Hallmarks inside the lid. A gold-coloured inside on a silver case is gilding over silver | Chrome, gilt metal, EPNS and nickel silver | Springs in the catch, the elastic band, any stone in the push-piece |
| Vesta cases | Hallmarks inside the lid or on the rim | Plated brass and nickel silver | Any spring in the lid |
| Card cases | Hallmarks inside the lid or on the rim | Plated and base-metal cases | Panels of shell, mother-of-pearl or ivory |
| Snuff boxes and vinaigrettes | Hallmarks inside the lid and on the base, often with a gilt interior over silver | Base-metal, horn and papier mâché boxes | Hinge pins, and any stone or panel set in the lid |
| Compacts and pill boxes | Hallmarks inside the lid; many solid ones are enamelled | Most compacts are gilt or chromed base metal, and many painted enamel boxes are enamel on copper | The mirror, the powder sifter and puff, and springs in the catch |
| Thimbles | A mark round the lower band, often faint and sometimes absent | Plated brass and nickel silver | Some thimbles stamped Dorcas have a steel core between layers of silver |
| Watch chains and fobs | Marks on the bolt ring, swivel or bar, sometimes on every link; chains made before 1975 may be unmarked | Rolled gold chains marked R.G. or rolled gold, and gilt chains | Steel springs in the bolt ring and swivel; the stone in a seal fob |
| Napkin rings | Hallmarks in a line on the outside or inside | EPNS and nickel silver | Usually none |
| Christening mugs | Hallmarks under the base or near the rim | EPNS and EPBM | Usually none |
| Buttons | Hallmarks on the back or on the shank | Gilt brass. Words such as gilt or treble gilt on the back describe the gilding, not the metal | The shank on some |
What Assaypost buys among these
If an object is solid gold, silver, platinum or palladium, it is within what Assaypost buys, whatever its shape and whether or not it is marked, unless it contains ivory or other restricted material, which is not bought (clause 11.1 of the terms). Plated, rolled gold and gold-filled objects, silver plate, nickel silver and base metal are not bought. If you cannot tell which you have, send a photograph and ask before you post.
Pens deserve a second look, because three quite different things on one pen can carry gold marks. A nib stamped 14K, 14ct, 585 or 18K is gold, but it is small, it is tipped with a harder alloy, and it usually sits on a body of plastic. A cap stamped rolled gold or 1/10 12K is a coat of gold over base metal. A cap with a British hallmark is solid. The same pen can have all three, and one that still fills and writes, by a maker collectors know, is usually worth more as a pen.
Spectacle frames are among the objects most often mistaken for gold. Rolled gold and gold-filled frames were made in enormous numbers and marked accordingly. Solid gold frames do exist, and carry a hallmark or a carat mark like any other gold, but even then the lenses, pads and screws are not gold.
The parts that are not precious metal
Almost every object on this list is a small machine. Something opens, closes, clicks or writes, and the parts that do the work are usually steel, brass, glass or plastic. Leave them where they are. Taking an object apart to post only the metal usually damages it and gains you nothing.
- Springs. In the catch of a cigarette case or compact, in the bolt ring and swivel of a watch chain, and in many pen clips. A magnet pulls at the spring and not at the case, which is a useful check in itself.
- Screws and hinges. Spectacle frames are held together with small screws that are often steel, even on a gold frame.
- Glass, mirrors and lenses. In compacts and spectacles, and in the lids of some pill boxes.
- Mechanisms and bodies. Pencil mechanisms, pen feeds and ink sacs, and the plastic or vulcanite body of a pen.
- Cores. Some thimbles stamped Dorcas were made with a steel core between two layers of silver, so they pull on a magnet even though there is silver in them.
- Panels and stones. Enamel, shell, mother-of-pearl, the hardstone in a seal fob, and ivory. Ivory has rules of its own, and the ivory guide explains them and what happens to such a piece.
- Gilding. The gold-coloured inside of a silver cigarette case, vesta case or snuff box is a thin layer of gold over the silver. It does not make the object gold, and silver under gilding is still silver.
At Assaypost, everything in a parcel is listed, including anything that is not bought. Objects that are not bought, such as plated or rolled gold pieces, are left out of the offer and returned with anything else you decline. The stones, clasps and not-metal guide explains how the parts of a piece that are not metal are recorded.
When the object matters more than the metal
Small objects were made to be carried, used and given, and many were made with more care than their metal would suggest. Collectors buy them as objects. The signs are the same ones that matter on silverware and jewellery, scaled down.
- A maker's name. On pens and pencils the name on the barrel, the clip or the nib is what collectors look for first. A known silversmith's mark on a case or box matters in the same way.
- Enamel. Enamelled vesta cases, cigarette cases, compacts and pill boxes are collected for the enamel. It is glass fused to the metal, it chips easily and it contains no precious metal, so on these pieces the metal is the least of it.
- Age. Georgian snuff boxes and vinaigrettes, Victorian card cases and vesta cases, early propelling pencils. The date letter in a British hallmark gives the year, and the hallmarks guide shows how to read it.
- Novelty and decoration. Cases made in the shape of something else, card cases with a building or a scene in relief, engine-turned work in good condition.
- A pen or pencil that works. A fountain pen that still fills and writes is a pen first. Taking out a gold nib for its metal ends its life as a pen.
- An inscription with a story. A cigarette case presented by a regiment, a ship's company or a club can matter to someone who collects that subject. The war medals guide covers regimental pieces.
- Completeness. Buttons in their fitted box, a christening mug with its spoon, a pen with its matching pencil. Keep sets together.
Assaypost's terms say that where a piece looks worth more whole than as metal, you are told before it is priced as metal. You do not have to rely on that. The checklist in silverware: antique or scrap works as well on a card case as on a canteen, and a photograph sent before you post lets a person give you an opinion on which objects to keep back for an auction house or a specialist dealer.
Risks with small gold and silver objects
- Plate that looks solid. A heavily gilt or plated case can look exactly like gold or silver. The marks and the colour at worn corners and edges are the first check. A magnet only catches plate over steel; plate over brass, copper or nickel silver does not pull, and testing gold at home shows what else to try.
- Silver that looks like junk. Tarnished silver turns black, and a cigarette case from the back of a garage can look like tin. Tarnish sits on the surface and says nothing about the metal underneath. Do not throw anything away because of its colour.
- Mixed construction. A gold nib on a plastic pen, a steel core inside a silver thimble, a silver lid on a base-metal box. A mark on one part does not speak for the rest.
- Reading half a mark. 12K and 1/10 12K are different claims, and so are 18K and 18K G.P. Read the whole mark, and photograph all of it.
- Cleaning. Polishing wears away the marks that identify an object and the surface a collector values, dips strip the darkening that shows age, and abrasives scratch enamel. The cleaning guide explains why the short answer is not to.
- Forcing things open. Catches, hinges and pen sections break when forced. If a case or compact will not open, photograph the outside and say so.
- Taking things apart. Prising out a nib, a mirror or a stone to send only the metal risks the whole piece. Under Assaypost's terms nothing is dismantled before you accept an offer, and anything that would alter a piece needs your written consent first.
- Losing small things in the post. Thimbles, buttons and nibs slip out of packing easily. Bag small items together and list them, as the posting guide describes.
When not to sell for metal
Keep these back and get an opinion first
An enamelled case or box. A pen or pencil by a named maker, or one that still works. A Georgian or Victorian snuff box, vinaigrette, card case or vesta case. Anything engraved to a regiment, a ship or a named person. A set still in its fitted box. Anything with ivory in it, which has its own rules. For all of these the metal is rarely the point, and an auction house or a specialist dealer is the right first call.
Plated, rolled gold and gold-filled objects are a different case. They are not bought for their metal at all, so posting them gains you nothing: they will be listed and sent back. A branded or antique one may still interest a dealer as an object. If you are not sure which pile something belongs in, send a photograph first, and the house clearance page covers what else to pull out of the drawers.
Questions sellers ask
Are rolled gold spectacle frames worth sending?
Not for their gold. Frames marked rolled gold, R.G., 12K GF or a fraction such as 1/10 12K have a thin gold layer over base metal, and rolled gold and gold-filled items are not bought. Solid gold frames do exist and carry a hallmark or a carat mark on the arm or bridge. If you cannot tell which you have, photograph the inside of the arms and ask.
Is the gold nib in an old fountain pen worth taking out?
Usually not. A gold nib is gold, but it is small and light, and a pen that still fills and writes, especially one by a maker collectors know, is often worth more as a pen. Taking the nib out ends that. Leave the pen whole, photograph the nib, the clip and any marks on the barrel, and ask.
The inside of my silver cigarette case is gold-coloured. Is it gold?
Almost certainly not solid gold. A gold-coloured inside on a hallmarked silver case is a thin gilding over the silver. The case is silver, and silver under gilding is still silver. The hallmark inside the lid tells you which metal the case is made of.
Why is there no hallmark on my silver thimble?
It may not need one. Silver articles that weigh less than 7.78 grams and reach the minimum standard need not be hallmarked, and many thimbles weigh less than that. Some unmarked thimbles are plated brass, which a magnet will not pick up, and some stamped Dorcas have a steel core between layers of silver, which a magnet will. A magnet cannot settle a thimble either way; testing does.
What do EPNS and A1 mean on a napkin ring or christening mug?
Electroplate. EPNS is electroplated nickel silver, a base alloy with a thin coat of silver, and A1 was a maker's grade of plating rather than a standard of silver. Silver plate is not bought. The silver plate guide explains the other letters.
Should I polish tarnished cases and mugs before I photograph them?
No. Polishing wears away the marks that identify a piece and the surface a collector values, and tarnish tells a buyer nothing bad. Photograph them as they are, in daylight, with the marks close up.
Is an old vesta case worth more than its silver?
Sometimes. Enamelled vesta cases, novelty shapes and cases by a known maker are collected, and so are early ones in good condition. Plain, worn silver vestas are more often worth their metal. A photograph of the case and its hallmark is usually enough for a first opinion on which kind you have, before you decide anything.
Ready to ask about yours?
Send photographs and a person will tell you what the marks suggest, what looks plated, and whether anything ought to be seen by a specialist first. Free, in writing, no obligation.
Nothing is sold until you say yes. Decline and it all comes back by tracked post, free; ask for part of it back and a fresh offer is made for the rest.
If a piece is worth more than its metal
A signed brooch, a date-run sovereign, a watch that still runs, a piece of early silver: anything that looks worth more whole is flagged to you before it is treated as metal, and you can take it back at that point.