Sterling and then some.

[dejapooh]

I was at an Estate sale and I saw some interesting sterling candelsticks... Looking a little closer, I saw they were Weighted Sterling. How do I account for that when weighing them to make an offer. I mean, they weighed a good 6 or 7 oz. each, but how much of that was silver?

Another great thing was a pair of Leica Binoculars. They were asking $550, but willing to come down to $325. I wanted to be in them for no more than $275, so no sale (Sigh). They would have sold for $450 to $700. Oh well, Their loss...

 

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[Generic_Lad]

Weighted sterling usually has a lot of plaster in it, the sterling part is likely no more than a little bit of foil.




The picture shows a candlestick that someone took apart.

Many refiners/scrap places won't take weighted sterling until you take out all of the plaster.

As for estimating the weight, every piece is different and some use more silver than others so there's no good rule of thumb.

Myself, I stay away from weighted sterling unless its something that I know is a good deal (such as $6 for a candlestick)

 

[mjlalt]

I was at an Estate sale and I saw some interesting sterling candelsticks... Looking a little closer, I saw they were Weighted Sterling. How do I account for that when weighing them to make an offer. I mean, they weighed a good 6 or 7 oz. each, but how much of that was silver?

Another great thing was a pair of Leica Binoculars. They were asking $550, but willing to come down to $325. I wanted to be in them for no more than $275, so no sale (Sigh). They would have sold for $450 to $700. Oh well, Their loss...

IIRC the last time stripped the silver from weighted candlesticks I only got 10-15% silver by weight

Wear thick gloves if you do strip em for the silver that silver skin is sharp!

 

[diggummup]

I usually pay no more than $10 for a pair, tops. Unless they are large sized or Designer marked. Did you try the estate sale at the end of the last day to see if the binoculars were still there? That's when they lower the prices. Weighted candlesticks will differ in weight depending on the maker. For instatnce a pair of Gorham sticks will weigh about double that of a Duchin Creations set. Usually anywhere between 1/2 -1 ounce per pair. 10% of the total weight is a safe bet when buying sticks.

 

[trdhrdr007]

Silver weight definitely depends on manufacturer & size. A pair of 3.5" diameter by 3.5" tall Gorham candelsticks can scrap out to 2+ ounces of sterling. I keep a pocket notebook & every set I buy I measure & then weigh before and after they are scrapped. That data lets me now what I can afford to pay.

 

[stonehenge]

Silver weight definitely depends on manufacturer & size. A pair of 3.5" diameter by 3.5" tall Gorham candelsticks can scrap out to 2+ ounces of sterling. I keep a pocket notebook & every set I buy I measure & then weigh before and after they are scrapped. That data lets me now what I can afford to pay.

I do the same. Only scrapped three or four makers so far.

 

[dejapooh]

I usually pay no more than $10 for a pair, tops. Unless they are large sized or Designer marked. Did you try the estate sale at the end of the last day to see if the binoculars were still there? That's when they lower the prices. Weighted candlesticks will differ in weight depending on the maker. For instatnce a pair of Gorham sticks will weigh about double that of a Duchin Creations set. Usually anywhere between 1/2 -1 ounce per pair. 10% of the total weight is a safe bet when buying sticks.

I was there sunday at about noon. They closed at 2pm. They came down from $550 asking to $325, but were unwilling to move any more. I doubt that there were many buyers behind me. I am guessing they are going to ebay.