The Last Frontier of silver

[juvanya]

It used to be junk silver, but now you can only get that above spot (much to my chagrin). Wish I knew about junk when I bid on an Eagle at $23 and chickened when it hit $26 LOL.

I was reading about the oligodynamic effect (silver and copper kill bacteria) and had found some silver plated flatware and realized that silver flatware is a really good concept. When I have my own house, we can have silver flatware. Its an investment in its own right, it serves as a utensil, and it also is selfcleaning like I said altho Id still wash it.

So I looked on Amazon and they only had ridiculously expensive stuff. Then I read this article and it mentioned a silver Tiffany fruit bowl, which I think would be cool. So I looked it up on ebay and then thought to look up flatware. Apparently flatware is up on ebay there and its like 10% below spot. Silver is silver is silver. Itll get melted down anyway if shtf, so fretting about coins is not important.

I think this might be a good investment for physical silver. And like the face value of junk silver, it can always fall back to being fork, knife, spoon.

Has anyone else thought like this?

[WilliamC]

Absolutely nothing wrong with sterling silver if you can afford it.

Utensils or otherwise.

[juvanya]

Yea, Im saying sterling silver utensils on ebay are very affordable and very practical. No reason to get 50 forks, but I think I might buy 4 forks so I can start my own silverware and buy some silver too (its been awhile since I last bought).

[KCIndy]

So I looked it up on ebay and then thought to look up flatware. Apparently flatware is up on ebay there and its like 10% below spot. Silver is silver is silver. Itll get melted down anyway if shtf, so fretting about coins is not important.

I think this might be a good investment for physical silver. And like the face value of junk silver, it can always fall back to being fork, knife, spoon.

Has anyone else thought like this?

Sounds like a good idea in general. One big question in my mind: how do you know they're actually selling you sterling silver flatware instead of pewter or such? Do you know if there's any good (and simple) way to test flatware to determine for yourself if it is actually silver?

[ryanmkeisling]

Try thrift stores. They often have sterling utensils in the flatware bins. I do this all the time, ebay is great too. If you are near Salt Lake, go to the Deseret Industries shops, they often have lots of it and you will be amazed at what they are selling it for...

[Zippyjuan]

Silver plated flatware is usually fairly thinly plated and probably not worth much for its silver content so avoid silver plate. Just my thoughts.

http://www.examiner.com/article/what...plate-flatware

Since silver plate flatware pieces contain so little silver, it's not cost effective to melt them down to recover the silver. The cost of the process is higher than the value of the silver recovered. Therefore, the resale value of silver plate is not based on silver content.

Here's my opinion regarding what the value is based upon:
•Condition - Is the flatware in excellent condition with intact plating all over?
•Pattern - Is the pattern desirable? Is it distinctive, very nice and perhaps unusual?
•Rarity - Does the pattern fall into the category of a collector's item?
•Popularity/Availability - Are people still trying to add pieces to their sets and if so, how available are pieces on the resale market?

Sterling silverware is typically over 90% silver (0.925) though. Make sure that this is what you are getting- not plated stuff.

[Steven Douglas]

Sounds like a good idea in general. One big question in my mind: how do you know they're actually selling you sterling silver flatware instead of pewter or such? Do you know if there's any good (and simple) way to test flatware to determine for yourself if it is actually silver?

Yes, and CHEAP too. EXAMPLE

$5.95 plus shipping. It's a destructive test, but not a big deal since you're buying the flatware for its metal content and not as a collector's item. Plated silver will show up in an acid test as pure silver, so you need to make a nick or gouge deep enough to get past what you suspect might be plating. Then apply the acid directly. If it's sterling silver the acid will turn red. Otherwise it will turn blue.

Of the thousands of flatware designs out there, each design will be traceable to the manufacturer, and you can actually look it up to know whether its plated or solid stainless, and in what quantities and purities. Almost ALL sterling silver has a stamp, and a design that is traceable to a manufacture.

The really nice thing about sterling silver flatware: It's a relatively small market, so the chances of it being counterfeited aren't as great as with something like bullion and coinage. To counterfeit flatware you would have to actually gear up for it, like any manufacturer, with molds and other processes. And to make any money off of it you'll need to sell that flatware in quantity - which means its chances of being found out and advertised as fraud are greater (i.e., you can do a search on a particular design to see if fraud has been reported).

[juvanya]

Sounds like a good idea in general. One big question in my mind: how do you know they're actually selling you sterling silver flatware instead of pewter or such? Do you know if there's any good (and simple) way to test flatware to determine for yourself if it is actually silver?

It will say one or the other. Or you can do the Archimedes test. eBay sellers with 5000 positive ratings can be trusted. They wouldve screwed someone by now. The guy I was looking at didnt even have a neutral rating, let alone negative.

Try thrift stores. They often have sterling utensils in the flatware bins. I do this all the time, ebay is great too. If you are near Salt Lake, go to the Deseret Industries shops, they often have lots of it and you will be amazed at what they are selling it for...

Good idea. Im going on eBay, but there is an antique store or two in the area. Thanks.

Silver plated flatware is usually fairly thinly plated and probably not worth much for its silver content so avoid silver plate. Just my thoughts.

http://www.examiner.com/article/what...plate-flatware


Sterling silverware is typically over 90% silver (0.925) though. Make sure that this is what you are getting- not plated stuff.

Yea, I found plated that was already in my family (wish it was solid ). But I am looking strictly into sterling or pure (which probably doesnt work). Sterling is actually purer than US coinage. I just noticed that.

Yes, and CHEAP too. EXAMPLE

$5.95 plus shipping. It's a destructive test, but not a big deal since you're buying the flatware for its metal content and not as a collector's item. Plated silver will show up in an acid test as pure silver, so you need to made a nick or gouge deep enough to get past what you suspect might be plating. Then apply the acid directly. If it's sterling silver the acid will turn red. Otherwise it will turn blue.

Of the thousands of flatware designs out there, each design will be traceable to the manufacturer, and you can actually look it up to know whether its plated or solid stainless, and in what quantities and purities. Almost ALL sterling silver has a stamp, and a design that is traceable to a manufacture.

The really nice thing about sterling silver flatware: It's a relatively small market, so the chances of it being counterfeited aren't as great as with something like bullion and coinage. To counterfeit flatware you would have to actually gear up for it, like any manufacturer, with molds and other processes. And to make any money off of it you'll need to sell that flatware in quantity - which means its chances of being found out and advertised as fraud are greater (i.e., you can do a search on a particular design to see if fraud has been reported).

At first I thought that was a scale. I would do an Archimedes test (since you cant know what the weight SHOULD be like you would with coins). But a test solution is cool. Thanks a lot for ALL of this info. This is why I think its a brilliant investment. Even if it was over spot, you can write some of that off for function. But you are getting it BELOW spot, the same silver, and the function. Its a triple value deal! Obviously you cant buy all your silver this way, but as a starting or partial investment, I really think its a good idea.

[Arklatex]

I've bought two silver sets on Ebay, one at spot that were antique, just have them sitting around, but my first buy I found one someone who had acquired as little gift set on a business trip to Korea. Awesome little small forks and spoons - I use them.

[WilliamC]

I have one sterling silver collectable coin with an American Revolution theme, on the face is a bust of Patrick Henry and Samual Adams, on the obverse is 'Committees of Correspondence' and a depiction of two standing gentlemen handing a letter to a rider on horseback.

But like I said, utensils are fine too, I like silver

[juvanya]

I like silver

Who doesnt?

[WilliamC]

Who doesnt?

I have 7 or 8 collectable silver coins with American Revolution/Liberty themes, I think I'll go ahead and pull the trigger on one of these next week so I can take it with me to the State Convention in May where I will be supporting Ron Paul as an (unfortunately) bound delegate.

But Santorum won our State then dropped out, Gingrich won delegates too and he's gone, so we really don't know what's going to happen until we get there.



They're ~$36 from Provident Metals http://ronpaulsilver.com/images/RonPaulSilver-coins.jpg

[KCIndy]

Yes, and CHEAP too. EXAMPLE

$5.95 plus shipping. It's a destructive test, but not a big deal since you're buying the flatware for its metal content and not as a collector's item. Plated silver will show up in an acid test as pure silver, so you need to make a nick or gouge deep enough to get past what you suspect might be plating. Then apply the acid directly. If it's sterling silver the acid will turn red. Otherwise it will turn blue.

Of the thousands of flatware designs out there, each design will be traceable to the manufacturer, and you can actually look it up to know whether its plated or solid stainless, and in what quantities and purities. Almost ALL sterling silver has a stamp, and a design that is traceable to a manufacture.

The really nice thing about sterling silver flatware: It's a relatively small market, so the chances of it being counterfeited aren't as great as with something like bullion and coinage. To counterfeit flatware you would have to actually gear up for it, like any manufacturer, with molds and other processes. And to make any money off of it you'll need to sell that flatware in quantity - which means its chances of being found out and advertised as fraud are greater (i.e., you can do a search on a particular design to see if fraud has been reported).

Great tips, thanks!

[juvanya]

I have 7 or 8 collectable silver coins with American Revolution/Liberty themes, I think I'll go ahead and pull the trigger on one of these next week so I can take it with me to the State Convention in May where I will be supporting Ron Paul as an (unfortunately) bound delegate.

But Santorum won our State then dropped out, Gingrich won delegates too and he's gone, so we really don't know what's going to happen until we get there.

Just dont get hoodwinked or railroaded.