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Friday, May 29, 2009

New Links to Current Commodity Silver Price

We receive lots of questions about the market price of pure silver. So, we've added a couple of new features.

Firstly, in the right column of the screen, you will see a small graph containing the current day's pricing of commodity silver. This chart is provided by http://www.kitco.com/.

Secondly, we've added new links to "Our Favorite Links" in the right column of the screen. Clicking on "NYMEX Commodity Silver Prices" will take you to a web page of the New York Mercantile Exchange that displays more information about silver prices. The "Quotes" in the lower right of that screen gives you a snapshot of recent quote activity.

FYI, today, May 29, 2009, the ending price was $15.60 per Troy ounce. That means that the scrap value of a Chantilly place fork in terms of silver content is just under $25.00 today. If you had to sell your fork to a scrap dealer, you could probably get between $13.00 and $15.00 for it.

We also have added a link to a "Precious Metal Calculator". There are several calculators out there but we like this one because of its simplicity. Here are the items to be input:
  • Enter the weight in grams
  • Select "grams" as the units
  • Select ".925 Silver" as the metal
  • Enter "-40" in as the markup/discount
  • Click "Calculate Value"

The displayed value is a rough idea of what a scrap dealer would be willing to pay you for your sterling.

By clicking on "Comments/Questions" below, you can see posted comments and add your own questions and comments. Or, you can send us an email by clicking on "View My Complete Profile" in the right column.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Wallace Hallmark Info Request

We received the following request from a blog reader. Can anyone help? I have already referred the reader to www.925-1000.com.
Hi -- I am interested in understanding (seeing) the various hallmarks Wallace used on its sterling pieces, and when they were used. I've seen several.

I am specifically interested in the two patterns called "Irving" and "Old Atlanta", and have suspected that some pieces, which were said to be Irving, are actually Old Atlanta. Now I'm considering some pieces the I think are Old Atlanta, but the seller is insisting that the hallmark shows it is actually Irving, since it is an older hallmark.

I appreciate your help with this. Can't seem to find anything that details the dates with a photo of the marking.

Click on any picture to see a larger version. By clicking on "Comments/Questions" below, you can see posted comments and add your own questions and comments. Or, you can send us an email by clicking on "Email Silver Jim" in the right column.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Identification Help Request

Here is a request we received from a blog reader.
I am sending you a picture of a Hallmark that we cannot find. We have looked all over and no one seems to know where it comes from or what it means. Can you look at the Hallmark on my old tableware and tell me where I can find where it came from. The Hallmark I am sending is on the old case as well as on the back of the tableware.


This is really an unusual one. Does anyone know its origin? Post a comment or send us an email.

Click on any picture to see a larger version. By clicking on "Comments/Questions" below, you can see posted comments and add your own questions and comments. Or, you can send us an email by clicking on "Email Silver Jim" in the right column.

Monday, May 18, 2009

What does "E P" Mean on Silverplate?

We received this question from a blog reader:
I have a Gorham silver plate coffee pot. On the bottom of the coffee pot it reads in script Gorham followed by an E then an anchor inside of shield followed by a P then the word Brass. What does the E and P mean? I thought it might stand for electroplate.
We really don't know the answer but we found this review on eBay, SILVER BY GORHAM MARKED E P. Does anyone out there have a better idea? Send us an email or add a comment if you do.

Click on any picture to see a larger version. By clicking on "Comments/Questions" below, you can see posted comments and add your own questions and comments. Or, you can send us an email by clicking on "Email Silver Jim" in the right column.

Saturday, May 16, 2009

What Does "HH" Mean?

HH is an abbreviation for Hollow Handle. Most sterling flatware pieces are made completely of sterling silver. However, pieces such as knives and pie/cake servers often have blades made of other material such as stainless steel. The sterling handles of these pieces generally are 100% sterling but they are also hollow. The hollow part will be filled with some sort of epoxy to hold the blade firmly in place.

Some pieces, such as master butter knives and butter spreaders, may come in multiple versions within a pattern. Some may have hollow handles and some may have "flat handles" (FH). The flat handle pieces most likely will be all sterling, including the blades, whereas the hollow handle pieces may have non-sterling components.

See the post on this blog titled, "Butter Handling Utensils" for more explanation. You can find it quickly by clicking on "Butter Utensils" under "Labels" in the right column of the screen.

Click on any picture to see a larger version. By clicking on "Comments/Questions" below, you can see posted comments and add your own questions and comments. Or, you can send us an email by clicking on "Email Silver Jim" in the right column.

Monday, May 11, 2009

Do Newer Flatware Pieces Contain Less Silver?

Let's assume we're talking about sterling pieces. All sterling pieces contain 92.5% pure silver so, ounce for ounce, newer pieces contain the same amount of silver as older pieces. The key phrase here is "ounce for ounce". Manufacturers have been known to manufacture similar pieces with different weights over the years. So, for example, if a fork manufactured in 1940 weighs 60 grams and the same fork in the same pattern manufactured in 1990 weighs 55 grams, the newer fork will have less silver content simply because it has less overall weight than the older piece.

When comparing pieces, you should:
  • Make sure the two pieces are the same (not luncheon fork versus dinner fork, for example)
  • Weigh them, preferably using grams as the unit of measure
  • Assume the heavier piece has more silver

There is one caveat - it's difficult to compare knives and other pieces with non-sterling components.

Click on any picture to see a larger version. By clicking on "Comments/Questions" below, you can see posted comments and add your own questions and comments. Or, you can send us an email by clicking on "Email Silver Jim" in the right column.

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Identification Help Request

A blog reader has asked for help in identifying a piece. The item in the picture below weighs about three ounces and holds about one ounce liquid. Can anyone out there tell us what it is?


Click on any picture to see a larger version. By clicking on "Comments/Questions" below, you can see posted comments and add your own questions and comments. Or, you can send us an email by clicking on "Email Silver Jim" in the right column.

I Want My Sterling to Tarnish!

What? Why in the world would you want your silver to tarnish? Well, there actually is at least one valid reason.

Many people who own patterns with intricate designs appreciate the effect of slight tarnish buildup deep within the crevices of the design. This enhances the lines of the design and adds some visual depth. This type of tarnish actually has a name - "French gray".

A problem arises when someone adds a brand new piece to an older set. The new piece may look somewhat bland compared to the old pieces because the French gray has not had time to develop on the new piece. One solution is to let the new piece sit out in the open air for a while. We performed a test on a like-new piece of Gorham Buttercup by letting it sit on an open shelf in the kitchen area for about three months. After that time, it began to match older pieces of Buttercup with French gray. We cleaned the smooth surfaces.

Now if you are in a real hurry to develop some tarnish, you can use the boiled egg trick. Hard boil an egg, cut it into pieces and place it in a plastic bag. If you place a piece of sterling in the bag, it will tarnish dramatically in a few hours. The problem is that this tarnish will not be embedded deeply in the crevices of the design as it would have been had it developed over a long time.

If you want French gray, we recommend letting it develop naturally over time.

One word of caution - chemical dip cleaners will remove your French gray.

Click on any picture to see a larger version. By clicking on "Comments/Questions" below, you can see posted comments and add your own questions and comments. Or, you can send us an email by clicking on "Email Silver Jim" in the right column.

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Where Did the Term, "Sterling", Originate?

We don't believe in duplicating good work already done. So, for a good discussion on this topic, look in the right sidebar for the listing of "Our Favorite Links". Click on the "Wikipedia Sterling Discussion" link. You'll find several theories regarding how the word, "sterling", came to mean what it does today as it applies to silver.

Click on any picture to see a larger version. By clicking on "Comments/Questions" below, you can see posted comments and add your own questions and comments. Or, you can send us an email by clicking on "Email Silver Jim" in the right column.

Friday, May 1, 2009

Identification Help Request

A blog reader sent a request to us for help in identifying the pattern of a master butter knife. It appears to be a very old Gorham piece. It is along the lines of Versailles and Mythologique. It’s 7 ½” long, weighs 49 grams – woman with wheat and a bull’s head on the front and a gargoyle face on the back.

Can anyone out there help? Attach a comment or send us an email if you can.

Thanks.



Click on any picture to see a larger version. By clicking on "Comments/Questions" below, you can see posted comments and add your own questions and comments. Or, you can send us an email by clicking on "Email Silver Jim" in the right column.