Pawning silver cutlery sets and tableware in Brussels

Silverware, an official category

Silverware and goldsmiths' work form one of the 17 categories of items accepted by the Mont-de-Piété of the City of Brussels. The institution, governed by the Act of 30 April 1848, devotes a specific page of its official website to these pieces.

Cutlery sets and serving ware

Cutlery sets and serving ware in solid silver are accepted, subject to a single published proviso: their total value must be enough for a loan to be offered. No minimum number of pieces is imposed by the silverware page.

Christofle, the only exception for silver plate

Silver plate is mentioned as accepted only for Christofle, whether cutlery sets or serving ware. Other plated pieces are not mentioned, although the page does not publish a list of refusals either.

The 300 g threshold for unsigned silver

On its jewellery page, the institution specifies that unsigned silver must weigh at least 300 g to obtain the minimum loan of €30. A handful of odd spoons is therefore likely to fall below this floor.

Signed silver from the major houses

Solid silver pieces signed Hermès, Delvaux, Tiffany & Co or Georg Jensen are accepted with no published weight threshold. These signatures also appear on the page on pawning jewellery in Belgium, which sets out the gold scale.

No price per gram for silver

Unlike gold, whose indicative scale is displayed, the silverware page gives neither a price per gram nor a minimum weight. The amount therefore results from the assessment made at the counter, based on the value expected at public auction.

Amount lent on a silver service

As with any pledge, the loan generally represents 50 to 70% of the estimated auction value. The file-opening fee amounts to 3.5% of that value, capped at €60, following the principles of valuing a pawned item.

Carrying a service to the Marolles

Pledges are deposited at Rue Saint-Ghislain 19, reached by buses 48 and 52, trams 92 and 93 or Brussels-Chapelle station. When a bulky lot requires a longer appraisal, it can be left on deposit.

Cost of a loan backed by silverware

The annual rate is 6.5% for 180 days, calculated per fortnight, then 10.5% from the first extension. Keeping a service pledged for a long time therefore makes the credit more expensive, especially as each extension costs a €4 administration fee.

If the silverware goes to auction

If the loan is not repaid, the service is sold at the public auctions held on Tuesday or Saturday. The depositor is notified by letter at least 30 days beforehand; the surplus, after deduction of capital, interest and fees, goes to them in full.

Inheritances and powers of attorney

A cutlery set received as an inheritance can be pawned by its new owner; if a relative comes in their place, a legalised power of attorney is required. Staff remain bound by professional secrecy under Articles 458 and 459 of the Criminal Code.

The French six-piece rule

At the Crédit Municipal de Paris, silverware is only accepted with a minimum of six pieces of each item of cutlery, a requirement absent from the Brussels page. Our page on pawning silverware in France details these practices.

Where to pawn your silverware

• Mont-de-Piété de la Ville de Bruxelles: Brussels public institution that accepts solid silver cutlery sets and tableware as well as Christofle silver plate.

Pawning a silver service step by step

1. Look for hallmarks and signatures to tell solid silver from Christofle silver plate and unbranded plate.
2. Weigh the unsigned silver: below 300 g, the €30 minimum loan is not reached.
3. Pack the cutlery and dishes in their case to make transport to Rue Saint-Ghislain easier.
4. Present the lot to the appraisers with identification proving a European address.
5. Compare the offer, generally between 50 and 70% of the public auction value, then sign or leave.
6. Repay within 180 days or extend, bearing in mind that the rate then rises to 10.5% a year.

Useful figures for silverware

What to bring with your silverware

• Valid identity card or passport
• Proof of address if the European address does not appear on the document
• Legalised power of attorney to pawn someone else's silverware
• Invoice or certificate for a piece signed Hermès, Tiffany & Co or Georg Jensen, if you have one

Silverware pawning pitfalls

• Confusing silver plate with solid silver: apart from Christofle, plate is not mentioned among accepted items.
• Coming in with two or three unsigned pieces of cutlery weighing under 300 g, not enough to reach the minimum loan.
• Relying on a price per gram found elsewhere, when the Mont-de-Piété publishes none for silver.
• Extending a small loan several times without realising that €4 administration fees weigh heavily on small amounts.
• Ignoring the letter announcing the sale of the service, sent at least 30 days before it is entered for sale.

General information, up to date as of October 2026 and non-contractual: always check the terms with the Crédit Municipal or the institution concerned.