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Tuesday, November 29, 2011

New Life for Silver Plate Pieces

During Thanksgiving week, I visited with relatives in New York City. On Wednesday night, we went to the Upper West Side where they inflate the balloon figures for the Macy's parade.


While there, we visited the New York Historical Society Museum & Library which is right next to the balloon site. In the gift shop, there were several chandeliers hanging that are great examples of repurposing.





Been wondering what to do with those old silver plate trays and spoons? Now you know!

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Thursday, November 17, 2011

Country Living Magazine: Top 10 sterling flatware patterns

Just a quick note of interest - we're mentioned in Country Living magazine's October 2011, issue. See the article:

Monday, October 3, 2011

About the Ads on Our Blog Site

We receive questions occasionally regarding the Google ads displayed on this site. There are two primary reasons we display ads:
  • We receive a small amount of revenue from Google whenever someone clicks on an ad. This helps fund our various information projects such as this blog.
  • The ads provide a service for some readers, mostly those looking to buy or sell sterling pieces.
Here are a few points to help understand the ad process:
  • We have very little control over the selection of ads presented by Google. However, Google does try to present ads relevant to the content of the blog.
  • We don't endorse any advertiser.
  • A click on an ad won't result in harm to your computer or "spam" to be generated based on the click itself. However, once you get to the advertiser's site, you are on your own in that regard.

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.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Buying and selling silver flatware: An antique show example

I visited the Scott Antique Market this past weekend. This is a huge show held monthly in Atlanta and I sometimes go because I know I'll see eight or ten dealers in various types of silver. As a result of this visit, I wrote two articles that might be if interest to some.

I interviewed two dealers in silver plate flatware regarding their business:
I also looked at the way some dealers are pricing and selling sterling flatware:
If you are thinking about buying or selling silver flatware, one or both of these articles might be of interest.

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, August 7, 2011

Selling Your Silver: A Guide to Finding a Buyer and Getting a Good Price

I receive tons of questions from people wanting to know how to sell their silver, especially since the world commodity silver price has skyrocketed. So, I've written a 28-page booklet that provides information about the process. For anyone interested, it can be downloaded here for a small fee: Selling Your Silver: A Guide to Finding a Buyer and Getting a Good Price. I think you have to sign up for a free membership at the publisher's site.

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, August 5, 2011

Help Requested in Locating Engraved Gorham Buttercup Pieces

A blog reader has asked for assistance in locating some specific pieces. Her great-grandmother gave away some pieces of Gorham Buttercup engraved on the back with "O S Merry". The picture gives an idea of what we're talking about.


If you know of the location of pieces like this, send us an email. We know this is a shot in the dark but we can't locate these pieces if we don't try!

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, July 23, 2011

Why can't I sell my sterling silver for higher than scrap value?

The wild commodity silver market has triggered many questions to me from blog readers who are thinking about selling their sterling flatware and hollowware pieces. Many have questioned why they could not get a better price. We've been watching sales on eBay lately and it seems that many sellers don't even get the scrap value for their sterling. Here's an article we wrote recently:
As a reminder, we don't think folks should ever sell their sterling unless they really need the money. In general, the price received will always be disappointing, especially if the seller expected to get somewhere close to retail or close to the prices charged by companies like Replacements, Ltd. We think the value of sterling as a personal family heirloom is much greater that its value on the used market and it should be handed down through generations.

If you must sell, be patient. Get offers from several buyers and try to find the buyer who wants sterling for personal use. Such a buyer often is willing to pay more.

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.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Who Will Buy Sterling Silver for Scrap Value - Update Regarding Refineries

I've posted a few articles regarding selling sterling for scrap but most were written when the commodity price of silver was much lower than it is now. Since the price of silver has increased dramatically during the past year or two (2010-2011), I've gained new insight and experience regarding selling silver for scrap.

It appears that the best price for your scrap silver will be obtained from a business that actually does the refining. It is not unusual to find a refinery who will pay 90% of the world spot price for silver. There is a catch - many of these refineries only do business with other businesses and do not offer their services to retail customers. So, you may have to search around to find a refinery to work with you.

You should also be aware that you will have to trust the refinery to do the right thing. Once they refine your sterling, they will produce some sort of report regarding the weight and purity of the items you handed over to them. They should tell you:
  • The weight before refining
  • The weight after refining
  • The purity of the silver
If you disagree with their assessment, it may be too late to do anything about it - it's already been melted!

Here are some things to remember:
  • Sterling is 92.5% silver content by weight.
  • Knives and similar "hollow handle" pieces are about 15% sterling by weight (this is just an educated guess).
  • Some pieces, such as candlesticks, may contain cement "weighting" material inside - sterling content may be relatively small.
  • Silver plate pieces have very little silver content.
If you want to pursue a relationship with a refinery, submit one or two small batches for refining first. Look at the results and see if they agree with your estimate. Understand any deviations. Once you feel comfortable with a business, you can submit larger batches of sterling for melt down.

You'll see some ads at the top of the screen. Scroll right and you'll probably see several ads from refineries. Google attempts to display ads from businesses in your general location.

You might also try searching. In the Google search box on the right of this screen, enter "silver gold refinery refining". You might add the name of your city to the search. After you click the "Search" button, a new window will pop up. Check out the ads at the top and the right of the new window.


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, June 20, 2011

Hollowware Match for Towle Old Master Flatware

A reader who owns Towle Old Master sterling flatware would like some help. He wants to acquire hollowware that blends well with his flatware. He's not crazy about Towle's Old Master hollowware design.

If you have a suggestion for an available pattern of hollowware that he might like, please add a comment or send me an email.

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.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

I Need Help with Gorham Marks

I've stated in several posts that Gorham changed its marking method for flatware in 1950 from the classic "lion/anchor/G Sterling" marks to simply "Gorham Sterling". Lately, I've been wondering if this is entirely accurate. For example, I have not been able to find old marks on patterns like King Edward and Fairfax. Both these patterns existed a few years before 1950.

Can anyone out there shed some light on this? Post a comment 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.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

This has nothing to do with silver!

This post has nothing to do with silver but maybe the topics might interest a few readers. I'm returning a favor to sources who have linked to me from their web sites.

Smocked Children's Clothes

This is an old friend who makes smocked clothing by hand:

          bobbosbobbin


Personal Financial Management for Women

A very good friend (my wife) writes this column about pesonal finances:

            Atlanta Women and Money Examiner

Monday, May 23, 2011

Case Study & Warning: Selling scrap silver to a refiner

I wrote this article on May 22, 2011. So far, it is Number One on the Hit Parade of articles! It received 600% more "hits" on the first day than the next most popular article I ever wrote.

     Case Study & Warning: Selling scrap silver to a refiner

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Friday, April 8, 2011

Silver price above $40

The world spot price for commodity silver has now exceeded $40 per Troy ounce, the highest it has been since 1980. The price rose to $50 in 1980 because the Hunt Brothers of Texas were trying to corner the world silver market. Other than that fluke, the price has been below $40 historically.

However, if you take inflation into account, the price of silver now is about the same as it was in 1864. The average price of silver in 1864 was about $2.94, or $40.50 in today's dollars. Maybe we should draw some conclusions by comparing our nation in turmoil in 2011 and 1864.

The inflation adjusted price high in 1980 was $130 in today's dollars.

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Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Another Blog for Information on Silver

A regular reader of this blog has started her own blog that includes hints regarding silver, items to review and items for sale: Cherie's Vintique Collection. I'm sure she will welcome your comments and questions.

If anyone else out there has something like this to share, let me know.


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.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Silver Content in Silver Plate Flatware

I recently had some silver plate flatware melted down just to see what the silver content was. Here's a link to the article that summarizes the results: Case Study: How much silver is in silver plate flatware?

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, February 21, 2011

Silver Price Continues to Soar

I've been wrong many times in my life and this is one of those times. I just did not think the spot price of commodity silver would continue to climb as it has. Aside from one unusual circumstance around 1980, silver has never been this high before. As I'm writing this, it's at $34.25 per Troy ounce, an increase of 108% over the price a year ago of $16.46.

This is all well and good for investors in commodity silver. However, it's having a tragic side effect on sterling flatware and hollowware. It's now often more profitable to sell used pieces to be melted down than to sell them for what they were intended. The result is that there will be a dearth of pieces out there in the market for some discontinued patterns.

What a shame.

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Tuesday, January 18, 2011

British Silver Assay Offices

If you have an interest in British silver pieces or the marks thereon, you may find the websites of four active British assay offices useful. You'll find links to the websites in this article:

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