Shopping for silver at fairs, shows, sales

So, you are going to vintage fairs, antique shows, and flea markets this summer looking for silver. Whether you are looking for sterling or silverplate here are some thoughts while you shop.

As you may know, American sterling will be marked “sterling” or .925 to indicate it is sterling. What you may find will have tarnish and need polishing. That is not a problem. Do look for possible damage or wear such as knife cuts and other bends or some obvious manipulation of the silver mark. Sterling has commodity value. Today’s price is about $16 per oz but remember that the person buying sterling on the spot market must make a little money as well. Remember that commodities fluctuate daily so don’t try to send your kids to college or buy a house on your newly found treasures. Also remember that parts of flatware are not sterling such as knife blades and some parts of utensils. Additional value is in the pattern or brand such as Tiffany or certain in demand patterns such as Francis I. Certain values are determined by the shape of the object such as sardine tongs and other rarer shapes.

Silverplate is a different story. There is very little built in commodity value in the metal. The tarnish will generally come off so that’s ok. What may be under the tarnish is the key. If silverplate is missing or the pieces are heavily scratched, then value is reduced a great deal and those vaults can’t be shined away. . Silverplate can be valued and was often purchased more as giftware. The determining factors are condition and pattern. I am often asked at antiques shows “how do you get your silverplate so shiny”. The answer is I buy silverplate in really good shape. Especially during the early to mid-twentieth century thousands of patterns were manufactured. There are perhaps a hundred that demand attention. Buy silverplate for your own enjoyment and use. That way you will come away happy.

Thanks from whitewaterantiques.com