Newbie looking for Silver/Gold finding advice

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Fushek

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Aug 21, 2013
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North East Ohio
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OK ... I see many of you posting your silver and gold finds on here and I'm insanely jealous. I've had success with vintage computing, gaming and toys, but I've yet to learn anything about silver/gold and want to expand my horizons and test the waters a bit.

I'm looking to see if there are any old threads that discuss the following:

Marks and/or vendor stamps to look for (925 on silver, etc)?
Value of gold/silver/sterling silver based on the type?

Any research materials (threads, books, internet sites) that you could point me towards would be greatly appreciated!
 

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Fushek said:
OK ... I see many of you posting your silver and gold finds on here and I'm insanely jealous. I've had success with vintage computing, gaming and toys, but I've yet to learn anything about silver/gold and want to expand my horizons and test the waters a bit.

I'm looking to see if there are any old threads that discuss the following:

Marks and/or vendor stamps to look for (925 on silver, etc)?
Value of gold/silver/sterling silver based on the type?

Any research materials (threads, books, internet sites) that you could point me towards would be greatly appreciated!
Click to expand...

It is possible a 'kind soul' will post the links but to answer your question, there have been countless threads discussing the exact information you seek.

My best advice, go to google and type the following:

site:treasurenet.com sterling hallmarks

Replace "sterling hallmarks" with any search term you desire. The entire archive of posts ever made on Tnet will become available to you.

Good luck.
 

Get a real strong small magnet to discreetly test on site, get a loupe also but do not use it in front of the seller. Good luck ........Scott.
 

Generally I just drive by garage sales and yell out the window "HEY, DO YOU HAVE ANY GOLD OR SILVER FOR CHEAP!!!!?"
 

Here is the only sneaky tip i will give you. Go to Radioshack, buy some tiny neodynium magnets, usually a 2 pack for cheap. Put one under a bandaid and put it on a finger (because that is what people do that have a hurt finger), then you can feel it grab items when you touch it and it won't look odd that you pull out some magnet to test things and tip others off in the area of what you are doing or prompt their 20 questions. I would suggest the middle finger since most use their thumb and pointer finger to grab or hold things and it will be close enough these to feel the tug of the magnet.
 

Being able to spot a real piece by eye is the best method. Then confirming it with a loupe. Personally, I don't care if someone sees me "inspecting" a piece of jewelry or not. I'll pull out my loupe and look in front of anyone and everyone. Jewelry isn't the only thing I use it for. I can barely see to begin with. I carry a magnet with me but, it is the last piece of "equipment" that I would use to try and id a piece. Most/many non silver/gold pieces out there that won't stick to one anyway. Only the cheapest stuff will stick and you can usually see that it's not real just from looking at it. Me anyway.
 

If you find jewelry at a yard sale just buy the whole box. Don't dig through it don't Or take pieces out. Just ask him how much they want for the whole thing. Tell them you have a daughter or wife or a sister something and then go home and look through it. I always buy it all. The most I ever spent on a jewelry box was $60. There was $600 worth of gold. Not all of them have gold or silver but when you're paying five bucks it's usually worth the risk. I bought one last week for five dollars. Every piece In it was Sterling except for a 14 karat gold bead. I've never found one like that before! You may go months without finding anything and then get that huge score!
 

twiasp said:
I would suggest the middle finger since most use their thumb and pointer finger to grab or hold things and it will be close enough these to feel the tug of the magnet.
Click to expand...
It will be more than a tug, I hot glued one of those to my loupe and those magnets really have a pull.

Hot glue is not really the best way with a strong magnet like that. One saturday I did my usual checking by tapping my loupe on suspected junk and nothing was sticking (I also use it on things that look like copper and brass) later that afternoon I noticed my magnet was missing. Probably still stuck to some copper plated steel item.
 

Just like anything its a learned skill.... Read the forms, posts and links for a few years. U-tube has lots of useful videos to watch. Study the sites for value, learn what Kitco is and Coinflation and How much is my jewelry worth? is... Most importantly learn as *Many Marks* as you can.... Study the names of sliver makers or big sterling names. Like Gorham, Towle, ext. Learn the plating companies like (IS) International Silver... All these are things people helped me with so I'm just returning the favor and teaching the next generation...

Hope that helped, best of luck.
Keep @ it and HH !!
 

The more gold and silver you see and handle in person, the better success you will have finding it in the wild. learn how to identify based on not just markings, but how the metal looks, sounds, and feels
 

also look for dead give-aways, like a "gold" necklace with a ridiculously cheap clasp
 

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I give out business cards at yardsales and one might be paying off.

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