About Us
Find Silver
My Family Silver brings together the stock of silver dealers from around the world alongside forthcoming silver lots at auction. Visitors can search through all the items to find the perfect addition to an existing silver collection or as an ideal gift.
Visitors can search by maker, date, or keyword to find their desired item. The results will offer matches to the search terms from silver currently listed on the site. Using Crestfinder, visitors can also find silver engraved with their family crest. If an item, or crest, is not currently available, they can leave a search request which will constantly scan newly posted items until the request is fulfilled.
Buying Silver
My Family Silver introduces potential buyers to sellers. If a visitor is interested in an item of silver on the site, a request can be made for the seller to provide further details by email or phone. A purchase can then be made by direct communication between buyer and seller. The seller is responsible for fulfilling the order and shipping the item to the buyer. My Family Silver is not party to the transaction and takes no commission resulting from it. My Family Silver is dedicated to enhancing the existing market for fine antique and modern silver and encourages buyer and seller interaction.
Peace of mind
Honesty, security and authenticity are of the utmost importance to us. All our exhibitors display silver on My Family Silver at our invitation. Many are members of recognised and respected trade bodies. All of them display their identity. We cannot vouchsafe every item offered for sale on the site but we do constantly monitor listings for accuracy of description and work closely with the Art Loss Register to check the provenance of items. We welcome visitor comments about the descriptions offered by our exhibitors. Those who fail to fulfil our high standards of cataloguing and expectations of customer service will be asked to improve their level of performance.
Management Team
Dermot Chichester
Chairman, Unicorn Silver Ltd.
Dermot has over thirty years experience of the art industry. After five years as Chairman of Christie's UK, he founded Dermot Chichester Fine Art Ltd. an independent art advisory service to collectors and sellers in the art market.
Martyn Downer F.G.A.
Founder and Managing Director
Martyn read history at the University of Edinburgh before entering the silver trade with Hancocks & Co. the renowned silver dealers in London's West End. In 1993 he joined Sotheby's where he became director and head of the jewellery department in London. Martyn is a freeman of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths and director of Corfield Morris Fine Art and Antique Advisers. He is a columnist on the BBC genealogical magazine Who do You Think You Are? and has published two books: Nelson's Purse (Bantam Press, 2004) and The Queen's Knight (Bantam Press, 2006)