Sterling at four sales!

HistoryTeacher · Mar 31, 2019

Garage sales in my part of town are cut-throat with highly competitive pickers and treasure hunters. Because I can never go to Friday sales (job), I am usually picking over the leftovers by Saturday morning. In March and April, though, there are so many sales that no one can hit them all. On this past Saturday, I struck out on three sales in row. I was greeted at the fourth by an older woman who seemed to have had an antique booth once upon a time and was liquidating. The prices were high, and I was about to leave when I saw three Ziploc bags of silverware. The first one I picked up I immediately saw, "Sterling." I tried to keep on my poker face, but if all of the pieces were sterling then I was looking at a huge haul. I got the six butter knives (Pat. 1895), spoon, and Chinese tea? spoon plus 6 R. Wallace silverplate butter knives (which it turns out were a better buy than the sterling ones) for $25.00 (about 162 grams). Not a great deal, but the silverplated knives should bring me another $50. The other two bags turned out to be junk silverplate, and she wanted $50.00 a bag for them so they stayed with her.

The next sale was the typical mugs, glasses and kids clothes, but the owner told me about her neighbor's sale around the corner. I got the two Preisner candlesticks and two Fisher salt and peppers for a total of $4.00.

The pair of earrings and the pendant were a total of $1.50 at another sale.

At the last sale, I got the sterling footed bowl and pitcher for $16.00. I don't think there is much silver weight on either, but I think they will sell okay. And I liked them. Overall, not a huge haul, but enough to get me up early again next Saturday.

Anyone know anything about the Chinese tea spoon?