How to Find Out the Value of a Silver Goblet

Some silver goblets have decorative features that make them valuable.

Silver goblets are in the class of hollowware in antiques and collectibles circles. A silver goblet is beauty in form and style, but also in health. Silver is used like chlorine for cleansing water in space, according to the Doulton Drinking Water website. You can determine the value of a silver goblet with research and comparison with sold items.

Instructions

1. Identify the metal and maker. Silver goblets may be silverplate or sterling silver. They may also be pewter or chrome. Look on the bottom to see if there is an identification of the metal as well as the maker. The metal and maker affect the value and will control your research for similar items.

2. Check the condition. Any damage to a silver goblet decreases the value. Dents and dings are the most common damage, although scratches from cleaners lower the value also.

3. Look for similar items sold. Check marketplace websites as well as auctions online to find items recently sold. Do not compare with the price of similar items, as price and value are not the same. Price is what the seller wants for the item; value is the sold price.

4. Compare your item’s condition and characteristics to similar sold items to arrive at an approximate value. If your item has condition issues, the value decreases by as much as 50 percent. If the sold item has condition issues and yours does not, your goblet may be more valuable than the sold goblet.

5. Contact an antiques and collectibles appraiser for more accurate valuation of a silver goblet, particularly if your research reveals that it may be valuable, or if you have a set or several to be valued. A credentialed appraiser has access to information that you may not,and knows how to make reasoned assumptions in establishing a value based on the function or purpose of the appraisal. She may also know the market trends and help you find the best market for your silver goblet.

Tips & Warnings

• Search for words other than silver goblet, as references are often by the shape name. Wine, champagne, flute, stemware and cordial are common hollowware terms.

References

• Doulton Drinking Water: Silver-Nature's Water Purifier

Resources

• Collectors Weekly: Sterling Silver Cups and Goblets
• PBS: Antiques Roadshow: The Roadshow Archive: Mint Julep
• PBS: Antiques Roadshow: The Roadshow Archive: Presentation Cup