First real Yard/Garage Sale day.

[billn1956]

The old school guys always told me if it's not marked silver it's not silver. I know there are exceptions,but I live by that rule.

Then you have passed up on alot of silver.If you look up the history of how long we have been useing silver compared to when we started marking it by law then it has not been long that it has been marked.

 

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[mydogiscool]

Bill, you skipped the part where I said exceptions, I'm fully aware of that. You want to throw your money away on non stamped items because you think you can judge silver just by looking at it be my guest.

 

[mydogiscool]

The predominant American standards used on solid silverware were Coin (.900, roughly pre-1870) and Sterling (.925, roughly post-1870). It is important to keep in mind that solid silver wares always were, and still are, luxury goods for which people have always paid a premium. Given that, it has always made sense for the maker to clearly label the item with something indicative of its luxury status. This is why 99.9% (the figure is a guess, but I'm confident that it is not far off) of all American solid silver made after 1870 is clearly stamped "Sterling" or in more recent years .925, just plain stupid for a maker not to choose to do this. If a U. S. piece made after 1870 is not stamped "Sterling", it is almost always plate.

 

[MUD(S.W.A.T)]

Ok,

The conversation at least is going somewhere. The more experience you get looking at and handling silver the easier it is to recognize. You'll see, one day you'll spot silver a mile away and you'll be amazed with yourself. Just so everyone knows, I'm going to be honest. I took them to my dealer and he acid tested them. The bigger two with the design did not pass the test. The smaller plain four (4) tested as sterling. I think the test on the other bigger two did not come out positive because on the area he scratched on the stone was really tarnished. is it possible for the tarnish to interfere with the test ?? I been doing this for awhile but I've never invested in a acid test kit and don't know much about them. Everyone really should have one though.

Keep @ it and HH !!

 

[jerseyben]

You don't test sterling on a scratch stone.

You cut into the metal and drop some acid on the cut. Look for the green fizzle. If it bubbles slowly milky blood red, then it is sterling.

 

[twiasp]

I have had several finds of silver jewelry that are not marked at all. I agree with MUD(S.W.A.T) once you get used to the feel and look of silver you will notice it and find a lot of stuff that isn't marked and make some great scores. I recently found a bracelet at a thrift shop for 2 dollars, it was solid sterling and weighed almost 2oz, and fyi it had no markings at all on it, but it had the luster, the buttery feel, and no other metals showing through. If you are buying things for pennies on the dollar who cares if you lose a few pennies to learning.