how to tell if silverware is really made of silver

there is a Salvation Army store (or some kind of non profit cheap store) within a 2 miles of my house, and they sell stuff cheap. so i was thinking i could walk up there everyday and get a half way decent deal on silver....

each one of the three utensils that appears to be silver were purchased for 0.25$

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t...ps04b5358a.jpg
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t...psccdcb8c6.jpg
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t...ps08929624.jpg
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t...pse822a2a2.jpg

Sterling silver will be marked as Sterling and/or 925 to designate the 92.5% silver content. That Rogers stuff is usually just junk.

http://metaldetectingforum.com/attac...1&d=1339725365

M.A. Rogers Triple sounds like something triple plated.



I've got a piece of 1847 Rogers Bros In front of me and it has an "I" and an "S" stamped in it. It is plated, but I think your getting close.

I once had the idea to put together a set with every piece a different pattern. Never got very far.


Some links;

http://www.examiner.com/article/is-i...te-silverplate

http://www.examiner.com/article/roge...ilver-industry


Good hunting!

P.S. I figure stainless is probably safer to eat with.

You can also look at the tines of the forks. Often you can see where the plating has worn off.

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FREQUENTLY ACCESSED REFERENCE INFORMATION:

OTHER WEB INFORMATION SOURCES WRITTEN BY ME
-- My blog: http://www.SilverChatter.com
-- Examiner.com articles: http://www.examiner.com/sterling-sil...l/jim-stringer
-- My booklet, “Selling Your Silver”: http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/georgiasilver

IDENTIFYING WHAT YOU HAVE
-- Sterling vs. silver plate: http://www.examiner.com/x-26031-Sterling-Silver-Examiner~y2009m12d9-Is-it-sterli
-- Locating your silver pattern: http://www.examiner.com/x-26031-Sterling-Silver-Examiner~y2010m1d11-How-do-I-det
-- Marks found on bottom/back of silver pieces: http://www.examiner.com/x-26031-Sterling-Silver-Examiner~y2010m1d13-Where-can-I-
-- Code letters on silver plate pieces: http://www.examiner.com/sterling-silver-in-national/what-does-this-mean-on-my-fl
-- The “Rogers” silver companies: http://www.examiner.com/sterling-sil...ilver-industry

VALUE OF STERLING AND SILVER PLATE PIECES
-- Calculating the value of your sterling flatware: http://www.examiner.com/x-26031-Sterling-Silver-Examiner~y2010m4d21-Cheap-approa
-- Calculating the scrap value of sterling flatware: http://www.examiner.com/sterling-silver-in-national/calculating-the-scrap-value-
-- Value of sterling pieces: http://www.examiner.com/sterling-silver-in-national/what-s-my-sterling-silver-fl
-- Value of silver plate flatware: http://www.examiner.com/sterling-silver-in-national/what-s-my-silver-plate-flatw
-- Value of gold plated flatware: http://www.examiner.com/sterling-silver-in-national/what-s-the-value-of-my-gold-
- Silver content in knives: http://www.examiner.com/sterling-silver-in-national/how-much-silver-is-a-hollow-

SELLING YOUR SILVER
-- Things to consider when selling your sterling: http://www.examiner.com/sterling-silver-in-national/things-to-consider-when-sell
-- Selling sterling silver for scrap: http://www.examiner.com/x-26031-Sterling-Silver-Examiner~y2010m1d11-What-is-the-
-- What to do with plated silver: http://www.examiner.com/sterling-silver-in-national/what-to-do-with-plated-silve
-- Selling used silver plate flatware: http://www.examiner.com/sterling-silver-in-national/selling-used-silver-plate-or
-- Ads from businesses near you who BUY SILVER: http://www.silver-buying.com/

eBay
-- Buying sterling silver flatware on eBay: http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-26031-Sterling-Silver-Examiner~y2010m5d26-Buy
-- Locating sales on eBay: http://www.examiner.com/x-26031-Sterling-Silver-Examiner~y2009m12d30-How-do-I-lo

CARE AND CLEANING
-- Care of silver: http://www.examiner.com/sterling-silver-in-national/how-should-i-clean-and-polis
-- A really good polish (Merit Silver Polish): http://faseeds.com/cmd.php?af=1266891

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http://en.allexperts.com/q/Silver-Fl...iple-plate.htm

Wm. A. Rogers, style: Capri

Yes, it's triple plate silver.

http://img1.imagehousing.com/35/8881...9cdc781442.jpg

One listing says $6.50 for a dinner fork, so buy as many as you can get for 25 cents each. :cool:

That may be for one in nearly mint condition. These don't look very "mint" and may have much more limited resale value. But a quarter is still pretty cheap.

I was @ a yard sale this summer, went through a hole wooden crate of utensils, pretty old , figured I would find something , came up empty :)

I was all set to make some 92.5 rounds .....

just because it's stamped .925 doesn't mean it is. you can send stuff to get melted down and it can turn out to be .900, .880 or less. It's a crap shoot really unless you buy very high quality stuff. Jewelery marked .925 from Italy is notorious for being lesser quality. Same goes for gold - easy to pass off lesser quality material and you can loose alot of money if buying for pm content.

The easiest way is to leave it near Hillary Clinton and see if she steals it.

bring a magnet. easiest test.

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Originally Posted by Carson

I figure stainless is probably safer to eat with.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oligodynamic_effect

Silver disinfects itself in a few hours. Stainless steel does not.

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Originally Posted by thoughtomator

The easiest way is to leave it near Hillary Clinton and see if she steals it.

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LOL