Like silver, it meant money (3)
I believe the answer is:
tin
'money' is the definition.
(old-fashioned slang term for money)
'like silver it meant' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'it' could be 't' (abbreviation. e.g. in 'tis) and 't' is found in the answer.
The remaining letters 'in' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for tin that I've seen before include "1 down, symbol Sn" , "Silver-white element often used in food containers" , "Money" , "Ready" , "roofing material" .)