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:

• Current British Silver Assay Office Websites 

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A Process to Sell Silver for Scrap at a Decent Price

We are not big fans of melting beautiful sterling pieces just to recover the silver. But we do realize that there are valid reasons to proceed with this process for some pieces. For example, your garbage desposal may have grabbed a spoon! A problem for the average consumer is finding a buyer who will pay a decent price for the sterling to be melted.

Because of the currently high price of silver, we have decided to offer a service to blog readers who are having a hard time finding such a buyer. We have established a relationship with a local metals refiner who pays us a decent percentage of the value of the recovered silver.

If you would like to have us take your scrap silver to this refiner on your behalf, click on 'Email Silver Jim' in the right column to send us an email. Tell us your name, address, contact number and a brief description of what you have. We'll email you a simple contract, terms and conditions and a description of what to expect from this process.

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I Need a Favor from Blog Readers

This post has nothing whatever to do with silver. However, I would like to ask a favor from blog readers.

I am helping a friend launch a new blog, Common Sense Financial Management for Women. I have actually ghost written a couple of articles for her.

We are now in the testing phase and need traffic to the site from places around the country (and world) in order to test activity reporting and to show Google search engines that there is some interest.

If you have received benefit from posts on Silver Chatter, I'd appreciate a return favor. Just click on the link above. I promise there is no maliciousness involved here!

Once you get there, if you see a Google ad that interests you, click on it.

If the blog interests you, feel free to leave comments to be attached to any post.

Thanks in advance.

Silver Jim

Silver Price Rises Above 2008 High

The price of commodity silver has now risen above the 2008 high. This is the highest it has been since the Hunt Brothers of Texas tried to corner the silver market around 1980.

We thought this trend was worth commenting on in this article: Rising price of commodity silver.

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Gorham "Pattern M" - Fairfax??

I received a question on my AllExperts site today that stumped me. The question regarded a set of Gorham sterling flatware identified on the back of the pieces as "Pattern M". The questioner included a picture of a few pieces and they looked like Gorham/Durgin Fairfax. I've attached my own picture of a Fairfax piece below.

I would like to hear from anyone who might be familiar with the terminology, "Pattern M". Email me or add a comment below.

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.

Why has posting to Silver Chatter slowed down?

I've received a few emails from readers wanting to know what's happened to me? I appreciate the interest and should explain why posts have been so few lately.

I now have three Internet web locations that I support:

• This blog
• Examiner.com
• AllExperts

The latter two have been taking so much of my spare time that I've been remiss in posting to this blog. All three sites are getting a decent amount of traffic each day. During the week, the combined daily "hits" on all three sites is somewhere around 350. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the number sometimes jumps close to 500 per day. A lot of people are interested in silver, it seems!

Thanks to all regular readers and keep clicking those Google ads - I need money for Starbucks!

Identification Help

A blog reader has asked for help in identifying and estimating a value for the unusual set in the pictures. The only mark on the pieces is the number, '800'.

If you know anything about these pieces, post a comment or send us 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.

Question about Reed and Barton Love Disarmed

A blog reader has asked a question regarding Reed and Barton's Love Disarmed sterling flatware, "How can one distinguish between the original release of this pattern and the newer release?"

I don't know the answer. If you have some information on this subject, please add a comment or send us 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.

Interview with Colonial Williamsburg Metals Curator

I was contacted by Collectors Weekly regarding an interview with Janine Skerry, the metals curator at Colonial Williamsburg. Skerry takes care of one of the top collections of English 18th-century silver in America. In the interview, she discusses Paul Revere and other American Colonial-era silversmiths. She also explains the various processes and technologies used to make silver pliable enough to form objects.

Here's a link to the interview:

http://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/an-interview-with-silver-curator-and-collector-janine-skerry


Thanks to the folks at Collectors Weekly for notifying us.

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.

Identification Help

A blog reader sent us the pictures below with a request for help in identifying the marks. Please add a comment or send us an email if you have an idea.




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Oneida Trivia

If you are in interested in Oneida history (as well as some of the Rogers companies), here are links to a couple of recent articles about Oneida:

• Origin of the name of "Community" flatware from Oneida
• Rogers companies purchased by Oneida

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Why Do We Allow Google Ads on This Blog?

Two reasons-

1. Most of the ads relate to the content of this blog. Google does a pretty good job of analyzing the content of the posts and displaying ads that might be of interest to people interested in the content. A few oddball ads show up now and then but most relate to silver (or gold) somehow. So, the ads provide a service to readers interested in selling or buying silver or locating such things as silver polish.
2. We receive money when you click on an ad. Generally, the amount is very small per click but it adds up to pay for a cappuccino now and then!

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.

Silver Patterns of Famous People

A while back, we asked readers to submit topics of interest for this blog. A reader has responded with a request to discuss silver patterns of famous people, both alive now and from the past.

So, here's what we'll do. This post will lead off the list with one such pattern and we ask that you attach comments to this post, telling us what you know on this topic. The first comment is from the reader who suggested this topic.

To see the list, just click on "Comments/Questions" below this post.

Here's the first match - an easy one because it's mentioned in so many places. The pattern chosen by the Bush family for Air Force One is Gorham Chantilly.

Let us hear from you.

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Information Request About This Pot

A reader of this blog has asked us if we have any information about the Tiffany coffee pot seen in these pictures. He basically has the information supplied on the bottom of the pot:

TIFFANY & Co.
7054 MAKERS 2684
Sterling Silver
925-1000

The reader would like to learn any additional information about this pot such as:

• Approximate date of manufacture
• Pattern name
• Designer's name
• Market value
• Manufacturer's name (if subcontracted by Tiffany)

If you have any information about this pot, please add a comment or send us 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.

Reminder: Don't Wrap Silver with Rubber Bands!

We've discussed in the past the fact that rubber can damage silver. Unfortunately, the word has not gotten out to everyone.

Yesterday, we received some Wallace Rose Point dinner knives that we had purchased by mail. The knives were in "like new" condition EXCEPT for the fact that someone had wrapped them in rubber bands that damaged the handles!

Something like this that violates proper care methods for sterling really sets me off and I just had to post this article as a reminder. Rubber can damage silver!

We recommend that rubber gloves not be used when cleaning silver. And definitely, rubber should not be stored anywhere near silver.

So, spread the word.

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Souvenir Spoons

Now this is a subject about which we know very little. But that's not stopped us in the past!

Because we receive so many questions on this subject, we've gathered a few web sites that might provide some information. Here's a link to our article with these references: www.examiner.com/x-26031-Sterling-Silver-Examiner~y2010m5d9-Souvenir-Spoons .

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Appraising the Value of Your Sterling Silver

Many of the questions we receive relate to the value of a set of silver someone has, either sterling or silver plate. We've recently written a series of three articles on the appraising process. Two of the them focus on professional appraisers while the third discusses a cheaper approach. Here's a link to the third article if you're interested:

- Cheap approach to appraising your sterling flatware

In the article you will find links to the earlier two articles. The focus is on sterling but the discussion could apply to silver plate as well.

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.

WARNING: Copies of sterling flatware patterns being offered for sale

Copies of popular sterling flatware patterns such as Chantilly and Old Maryland Engraved are being offered on eBay.

I ran across some listings on eBay today for sterling flatware pieces in various patterns. The pieces are advertised as "new". The titles of the listings imply that they are pieces manufactured by the original manufacturers.

When you read the detailed descriptions, you see that the listed pieces might actually be only similar to the original patterns mentioned in the title. In other words, they are copies.

I think the listings are VERY misleading. If you have any doubts, send a question to the seller making sure that you understand what is being offered.

Feel free to send me questions via email as well.

Caveat emptor!

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Gorham Chantilly Patent

If you are a Gorham Chantilly history fan, you might be interested in seeing the original patent for this pattern. The U. S. Patent and Trademark Office has a searchable data base of patents. Unfortunately, it's difficult to search for patents issued before 1976 because they are in image format only.

The two images below, found in that data base, represent the patent issued on July 30, 1895, to William C. Codman and Gorham for the Chantilly pattern. Click on an image to see a large version. Depending upon your image viewing software, you may be able to zoom in and out so you can see the documents better.

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.

Silver Plate Marks

We don't deal much with silver plate pieces but we receive an awful lot of questions about them. One thing that's confusing to many questioners is the plethora of confusing marks one finds on various silver plate pieces.

So, here's a list of clues. If you see one or more of these designations on your piece, it may very well be silver plate.

• A1
• AA
• Coin Plate
• Deepsilver or Deep Silver
• Double or Double Plate
• Electroplate
• EP
• EPC
• EPBM
• EPNS
• EPWM
• Extra Coin Plate
• Extra Plate
• Plate or Plated
• Quadruple or Quadruple Plate
• Reinforced Plate
• Silver Plate or Silverplate
• Silver Soldered
• Sterling Inlaid
• Sterling Plate
• Triple or Triple Plate
• XII
• XIV
• XS

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