Can "sterling silver" flatware or pieces be sold for cash, the way old gold jewelry is?

I keep seeing these stories and ads about people selling their old, used gold jewelry for cash. Tonight there was a story on the local news about it, and they said gold was selling for nearly $1,000 an ounce. Too bad I always preferred sterling silver to gold jewelry...I was wondering if there is any market for sterling silver items that are not jewelry, like pitchers or sugar bowls?

I realize they can't be "pure" silver, which is too soft to hold up alone. And maybe silver containers or whatever are only silver-plated. But is there a market for that kind of thing?

And if so, does anyone know kind of money it would bring in? I would think that selling this kind of item for the silver itself would bring more money than selling to a pawn shop, but I don't know that for sure...Thanks,Katherine Asked by ***caseycat*** 34 months ago Similar questions: sterling silver flatware pieces sold cash gold jewelry Lifestyle > Jewelry.

Similar questions: sterling silver flatware pieces sold cash gold jewelry.

Yes, you can quite easily sell "flatware and pieces. " Whilst still living in Toronto, I used to do a lot of garage saling. I was with my daughter’s father at the time and he would buy up any silver pieces he found with the thought of using it to make a ring.

Didn’t happen. We were drinking at our usual spot when a fellow we knew came in and asked if we would be interested in buying some fur coats. We walked over to the back where he had left his things.

I believe that there were two or three fur coats in a bushel basket, all fake, all smelled moldy and all were as ugly as sin and nothing I’d be caught dead in. When he lifted out the coats out of the basket, I noticed a large amount of flatware at the bottom and asked what he wanted for that instead? Five bucks and it was all mine.

I cleaned that up with Brasso silver polish and ended up with an eight piece setting as well as other flatware: salad forks, a couple ladles, and a lot of other stuff too. Oddly enough, and in that tiny bedsitting room, I had a velvet lined flatware box. What can I say, I picked it up thinking I’d find a use for it.

I think I had that eight serving set for almost a year before Bob took it all to the pawnshop. They gave him $800 for that set of software. I couldn’t believe it; the only reason I even bought it was thinking that Bob might find something suitable to do the ring thing.

Big shock that was. Sterling silver has a stamp on it. Used to be used from telling which silversmith in any particular Guild had made the piece.

One other one I got too. We worked for a while doing flyers, door-to-door and garbage days were a lot of fun. I approached one house and noticed something sticking up from the rest of the stuff.

Being the nosy parker that I am, I just had to go over and see what it was. A grandfather clock, but a small one that sits on a table or the mantle. None of the glass in it was broken and I couldn’t see any other damage, so I threw it in the bag with the rest of my flyers.It turned out to be the type of clock that you need a key to wind it up but there was no key.

I figured that a clockmaker or even possibly a jewelry store might sell keys for this purpose. I got one for five dollars (yes another five); took it home and wound up the clock.It worked like a charm, and we figured that whoever threw it out must have lost their key and not known they could still get one. It was a fairly old clock as well.

I took it in for an appraisal, $500 value, and I sure enjoyed spending that money. Apparently the clock was leaded glass all around it so you could see the workings if you looked at it from any angle. To this day I can’t understand someone throwing something like that away because they lost the key.

I also had some really good luck with a truck I purchased, but I’ll save that for another occasion.As for the silver, real silver in most cases (I want to say all, but I’m not positive) has a stamp on it that designates that it’s real silver. Sources: Experience Anonymous's Recommendations Modeling the Mining Industry: Gold and Silver Stamp Mills Hand book to foreign hall marks on gold and silver plate: (With the exception of those on French plate) Containing 163 stamps HAND BOOK TO FRENCH HALL MARKS ON GOLD AND SILVER PLATE, CONTAINING 431 STAMPS Used from: $48.49 Here are a few books that you can find out more about silver stamping and what's good or bad about any particular stamp.

Yes, sterling silver flatware pieces can be sold for cash. In fact, any piece marked "STERLING" can be sold for its silver value. Sterling silver is 92.5% fine silver.

Today's current silver price is $34.41 per troy ounce of fine silver. Sterling silver flatware sets, tea sets and hollow ware are worth a lot of money. Some of these sets are worth thousands of dollars.

The value of these sets is determined by silver weight. Vonharringa Metals offers free appraisals for sterling silver pieces. Html.

Thanks for the answer. My question is 32 months old, however. :) I lost all my stuff, including the sterling silver pieces, in the May 2010 floods in Nashville.

Kat ***caseycat*** 1 month ago .

HI Katherine, You can sell sterling silver flatware! The way you are referring to the gold, you are talking about selling your silver based on the silver value only. This is only based on 1.

Weight of your items 2. Purity (should be 92.5% silver if you have true sterling) 3. The price of silver (which changes daily).

Sometimes selling for just the silver value will bring in more money than selling your pieces "as is" as silverware. Usually this is because you either have a mismatched set, damaged pieces, or pieces that are not desirable for resale. Many times pawn shops will buy your pieces and then sell them for more for the silver value.

I recommend getting a few quotes about what your pieces are worth and working directly with the refiner. Check out this list here: silverinstitute.org/refiners_recyclers.p... only deal with reputable companies when selling. A good way to tell is by looking to see if they are in the BBB..

Thanks for your help! Kat ***caseycat*** 6 months ago .

1 Indeed it can. We have a local coin shop which deals in not only coins, but any kind of precious metals such as sterling sliver pieces. Silver plated really isn't worth much.

There is a clear preference for gold. I've always had a thing for sterling silver too. I'm just back from a trip to the Caribbean, and while there I bought a sterling silver ring from a Rastafarian for $10.00.

Clearly the market for sterling silver hasn't been affected like market for gold.

Indeed it can. We have a local coin shop which deals in not only coins, but any kind of precious metals such as sterling sliver pieces. Silver plated really isn't worth much.

There is a clear preference for gold. I've always had a thing for sterling silver too. I'm just back from a trip to the Caribbean, and while there I bought a sterling silver ring from a Rastafarian for $10.00.

Clearly the market for sterling silver hasn't been affected like market for gold.

2 Flatware, and other pieces can be sold. I believe it has to be sterling. It can't be silverplate.

Flatware, and other pieces can be sold. I believe it has to be sterling. It can't be silverplate.

The luster is much less. What about value" "Why buy Sterling Silver Jewelry? " "Does sterling silver jewelry cleaner remove the black color on the silver?" "what home remedy works the best to clean up sterling silver jewelry?

" "IF you wear jewelry,do you prefer gold,silver,or platinum? " (13 answers) "in regards to flatware, serving pieces, bowls, etc--what is the difference between silver-plated and sterling silver?

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.