| SM Publications |
| Silver Salon Forums - The premier site for discussing Silver. |
| SMP | Silver Salon Forums | SSF - Guidelines | SSF - FAQ | Silver Sales |
|
|
|
|
The Silver Salon Forums
Since 1993 Over 11,793 threads & 64,769 posts !! General Silver Forum
|
| REGISTER (click here) |
How to Post Photos
|
|
 SMP Silver Salon Forums
 General Silver Forum
 sterling or silverplated???
|
 SSFFriend: Email This Page to Someone! |
next newest topic | next oldest topic |
| Author | Topic: sterling or silverplated??? |
|
roxaglyphs unregistered |
posted 12-15-2001 01:03 AM
 
im new to the world of silver collecting, but i find that its my newest hobby. I need confirmation on determining sterling silver from silver plated. Someone told me that sterling silver is marked "sterling" or will have a company trademark stamp together with a number denoting silver content. If the trademark is without the number that it is silver plated. Is this information true? thanx -R IP: Logged |
|
June Martin Forum Master Posts: 1326 |
posted 12-15-2001 10:01 PM
Not to toot our own horn, but you might want to consider getting a copy of the Guide to Evaluating Gold and Silver Objects written by Scott Martin and published by the publishers of this website, SM Publications. It is a good general guide to determining the silver content of an item. Please see attached for more information. http://www.smpub.com/theguide/theguide.html IP: Logged |
|
Ulysses Dietz Moderator Posts: 1265 |
posted 12-17-2001 09:03 AM
Any 20th-century silver made in the US will have the word STERLING on it, by law. An alternative to this, usually early in the century, is 925/1000, which denotes the ration of silver to other metals for a sterling standard. English silver always (even today) has a series of four or five hallmarks, one of which is the British lion, which denotes a sterling standard. The confusion comes in when you have an early (pre-1850) piece of American silver, which usually does NOT say sterling, but has merely the maker's hallmark. But after the 1850s, when it was a marketing tool rather than a legal thing, most American silver is noted STERLING (or COIN, which is simply a lower standard, 900/1000). European silver is very dodgy, but there are experts for that as well. Sterling silver may wear DOWN (i.e. details get blurred with polishing over decades), but plated silver wears OFF (i.e. you see a faintly grey or yellow base metal--or sometimes copper--underneath at the edges and high points). American Victorian plated silver is usually easy to spot, and it never says STERLING. IP: Logged |
|
Brent Posts: 1507 |
posted 12-17-2001 09:42 AM
One minor caveat. Just recently I encountered my first piece of plate marked "STERLING", an old A.F. Towle plated ladle with an engraved pattern. It was obviously an attempt to "market" an old piece of plate. This type of chicanery semms to be rare, but you can never say "never". There are also a few confusing plate companies like the American Sterling Co., whose plated wares are sometimes sold as sterling no matter how much of the plate is worn off. IP: Logged |
|
FredZ Posts: 1070 |
posted 12-17-2001 09:55 AM
I too have recently come across plated items that were marked STERLING. These were Candy dishes made by the Victor Silver Company. They were not marked silver plate and so someone took a STERLING stamp and intentionaly stamped the items. Selling them at a later date to a student of mine. The student had bought them to melt down to make other silver items and showed me the melted pieces. He asked why they showed a tinge of yellow. I then looked carefully at the items he was melting and noticed that the STERLING mark on the foot of the dish was incomplete and double struck. The STERLING stamp was then tried, with success, on the bottom of the dish. The blemish formed by the stamp was clearly visible on the inside of the bowl. (another indication that it might be an after mark.) I then researched Victor Silver and discovered that they manufactured plated ware for Hotels. Thieves abound everywhere. IP: Logged |
All times are ET | next newest topic | next oldest topic |
  |
|
Ultimate Bulletin Board 5.46a
|
1. Public Silver Forums (open Free membership) - anyone with a valid e-mail address may register. Once you have received your Silver Salon Forum password, and then if you abide by the Silver Salon Forum Guidelines, you may start a thread or post a reply in the New Members' Forum. New Members who show a continued willingness to participate, to completely read and abide by the Guidelines will be allowed to post to the Member Public Forums. 2. Private Silver Salon Forums (invitational or $ donation membership) - The Private Silver Salon Forums require registration and special authorization to view, search, start a thread or to post a reply. Special authorization can be obtained in one of several ways: by Invitation; Annual $ Donation; or via Special Limited Membership. For more details click here (under development). 3. Administrative/Special Private Forums (special membership required) - These forums are reserved for special subjects or administrative discussion. These forums are not open to the public and require special authorization to view or post. |
|
copyright © 1993 - 2022
SM Publications
All Rights Reserved. Legal & Privacy Notices |