Reselling Silver Sculptures: How Liquid Your Art Investment Is

The two stores of value in a silver sculpture

In contrast to a painting or a bronze sculpture, a work of art in fine silver (999) always has a measurable material value. The current silver price forms the lower limit of what your sculpture is worth.

A worked example: A sculpture made from 2 kg of fine silver contains around 64 troy ounces. In 2016 the silver price was about 15 euros per ounce, so the pure material value came to around 960 euros. Today, at 75 euros per ounce, the material value of the same sculpture is around 4,800 euros. The development of the silver price alone has multiplied the value fivefold.

Beyond that, the collector value of a sculpture develops through the artist’s recognition and the limited size of the edition. Where editions have sold out, this collector value can reach three to four times the pure material value.
Both stores of value make silver sculptures a special asset class.

Liquidity in comparison: silver sculptures, silver coins and classic art

Liquidity describes how quickly and how free of loss an asset can be converted into cash. Classic art is regarded as demanding in this respect: with paintings or bronze sculptures there is often no transparent market price, and selling through auction houses can take months. Silver coins, by contrast, can be sold at the spot price at any time, but offer hardly any potential for appreciation beyond the silver price.
Silver sculptures combine the advantages of both worlds: if need be, you can sell your sculpture at its material value to a precious metals dealer at any time. The silver price is determined daily on international exchanges, so you always know the minimum value of your investment. Unlike coins, however, the artistic value offers additional potential for appreciation.

The most important differences at a glance

Routes to sale for silver sculptures

Depending on your priorities, various routes to sale are open to you. The right channel depends on whether you need liquidity quickly or want to achieve the maximum price.

Art dealers and antique dealers

For high-quality silver sculptures with collector value, the specialist art trade is often the best choice. Experienced dealers recognise the art-historical value of your sculpture and pay accordingly more than the pure material value. With individual pieces by renowned artists or antique objects, the collector value can exceed the silver value many times over.

My advice: obtain at least two to three offers and pay attention to the dealer’s specialisation. An antique dealer with expertise in silverwork will value your sculpture differently from a pure precious metals buyer.

Auction houses

For particularly valuable sculptures, auction houses offer access to an international circle of collectors. An auction can achieve higher prices, but it requires patience: several months often pass between consignment and payment. In addition, commissions of 15 to 25% of the sale price apply.

Precious metals dealers

If you need liquidity quickly, a precious metals dealer is your port of call. Here silver is bought at the current daily price less a dealer’s margin. The advantage: settlement often takes place on the same day. The disadvantage: any collector value goes unconsidered here, because the valuation is based exclusively on the pure material value.

Forums

For selling directly to other collectors, specialised forums (goldseiten-forum.com, silber.de, dieschatzkisteimnetz.de) offer an interesting alternative. Here you meet a knowledgeable audience that knows how to appreciate the collector value of your sculpture, without the high gallery or auction fees.

My advice: Use established collector communities to get an honest assessment of the price. Bear in mind, however, that a private sale requires more initiative of your own – from professional photography through to the secure handling of payment and dispatch.

Tax advantages on resale

The tax treatment makes silver sculptures an attractive form of investment. In Germany the rule is: profits from the sale of physical silver and art objects are entirely tax-free after a holding period of at least twelve months. This so-called speculative period is regulated in the Income Tax Act (§ 23 EStG).

If you sell your sculpture at a profit within the first year, that profit remains tax-free up to an exemption limit of 1,000 euros. If this limit is exceeded, the profit must be taxed at your personal income tax rate.

An important note: keep your purchase receipts carefully. Only then can you prove the holding period when you come to sell. With inherited pieces or gifts without proof of purchase, proving the holding period can become difficult.

Why sculptures by BullionArt are particularly liquid

All our sculptures meet criteria that make a later resale easier:

We use exclusively fine silver (999) from well-known producers such as Degussa, Heraeus or Umicore. That guarantees a material value that can be determined at any time. When it comes to pricing, our rule of thumb applies: the selling price of a sculpture is at most twice the pure silver value. For you as a buyer that means fair costing and good prospects of a resale that holds its value.

Every sculpture is signed, numbered and stamped. A certificate of authenticity documents the artist, the edition and the foundry. This transparency creates trust among potential buyers.

We work with selected artists whose work is internationally recognised. The sculptor Susanne Kraißer, for instance, is represented in galleries in London, Milan, Stockholm, Monaco and Paris. Works by Maximilian Verhas are already held in museum collections such as the Schleswig-Holsteinisches Landesmuseum and the Stiftung Stadtmuseum Berlin.

Beyond that, we also support our customers with resale. On request we are happy to make a buy-back offer or to put you in touch with interested customers.