Last updated on June 7th, 2018 at 12:30 pm
Last Updated on June 7, 2018 Posted by Colonial Acres Coins
Silver or Sterling Silver, what is the difference?
The content of items that are pure silver is 99.9% silver, whereas Sterling silver consists of 92.5% silver and 7.5% of other metals. Pure silver retains its look even when exposed to the elements, while Sterling silver tends to tarnish easily and needs regular cleaning/ polishing to keep it looking good. Dealers that buy and sell silver cutlery will not usually buy silver plates as melting them down to extract the silver is not economically viable for them. Silver cutlery was particularly popular in households during the Victorian era. In Britain and Europe, plain sterling plates were often used as bases for porcelain or glass plates which were the dishes people ate off.
The various stamps and manufacturers markings
Every piece of silver cutlery comes stamped usually with a hallmark of the manufacturer’s initials and stamped letters of the items silver content.
- EP is electroplating
- EPNS – electroplated nickel silver
- EPC – electroplated copper silver
- EPB – electroplated brass silver
The numbers 80 or 90 indicates that the item is German silver whereas all English silver comes with Hallmark assays of the Lion Passant, city of origin, year of manufacture, and the manufacturer’s stamp. All the year dates are letters of the alphabet. Silver plated items have the letters of content on them and not always further information. The firm of Roger Bros, stamp their pieces with 1847, but, don’t think that you have acquired items of antiquity, 1847 is purely the year the firm started its business! Notable firms for top quality American silver plated flatware are Community, Regency, Oneida and Viking.
Selling Silver Cutlery
Should you find for whatever reason that you want to sell silver cutlery or other silver, look for a company that will offer you cash for your items, you do not want to sell for scrap value. Do some research, such as going online, as depending on the age and condition of the items they might be antique or have vintage value and you will get far more for them than just selling for scrap. Selling silver cutlery that is antique is highly collectible and fetches good prices at auctions or even from antique dealers. The same goes for when you want to sell silver plated, especially items like silver platters, serving dishes, tea sets, and cutlery.
At Colonial Acres Coins our knowledgeable and pleasant staff are here to appraise your valuables. All you need to do is bring in your old Jewellery, Silverware, Coin and or Paper money collections to our store for our assessment. We will pay you top dollar if you decide to sell. Contact us today!