2.5 lb sterling platter at goodwill. 3.99

[Ohiogoldfever]

Found an Onadia platter for 3.99! Thought it might be plated but took the chance on it. Gave her the old magnet test when j got in the truck and she glided across back slow and steady.

Pumped!

Oh and found one silver handled knife for .19

 

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[Red-Coat]

Anyone have a good resource for me to check them in the future? My google search didn’t give me any direct answers.

This site explains the silver-plate/sterling hallmarks quite well. Well worth the read up for the future buys-but buyer beware a little knowledge can be dangerous.

American sterling silver marks: marks and hallmarks of US makers: O

There are lots of good resources on the net and the link to the site provided by pepperj is one of them. However, he’s quite right about a little knowledge being a dangerous thing. I have noted numerous posts on the “Thrift Store” section of the forums where people have looked up ‘silver’ marks from internet resources and come to completely the wrong conclusion. People saying things like “it has the lion mark so that means it’s English Sterling” or “it has the letter T so that’s 1734”.

You really need background knowledge or experience in addition to what the internet might tell you, otherwise it’s a bit like looking up your symptoms in a medical encyclopaedia without having any medical experience:

High temperature… check
Extreme fatigue… check
Aching joints… check
Blotches on tongue… check

Oh cr*p… I’ve got Limpopo Fever.

 

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[ARC]

I've seen a lot of those platters with that engraved pattern, which is pressed on. I will say that's a clue it's a widely mass production silver plate item. To me having found a few pieces of pure silver items completely unmarked then the clues come from how it's constructed and the actual color and how it ages. After being at this for a long time, I have found pieces made of pure silver do stand alone against all the silver plate items that end up in thrift stores. On another note, there are old silver plate items that should not be overlooked due to the age, quality or maker's like Cistiofle of France and others, as those can be worth more than your normal silver plate.

I will leave them for you :P

 

[Ohiogoldfever]

Thanks for all the info gents! I’ll keep these things in mind as I’m looking in the future. Frankly I thought it kinda unlikely at first given the lack of a sterling stamp or the usual suspects.

If it’s copper under there I’ll just let it with the rest I have laying around.

 

[MObushwhacker]

12 troy oz. = equals 1 troy pound

 

[pepperj]

Thanks for all the info gents! I’ll keep these things in mind as I’m looking in the future. Frankly I thought it kinda unlikely at first given the lack of a sterling stamp or the usual suspects.

If it’s copper under there I’ll just let it with the rest I have laying around.

Ok it's not a total bomb. Copper might reach those levels in scrap once again in the long futures.
In the meantime use it as a water tray under a large planter-first class digs those are.
Just mark it up as a school of hard knocks-the best I won't forget that lesson down the road of life. (They might cost a buck or two along the way, but those experiences gathered are priceless)

 

[Ohiogoldfever]

Liars knows I have paid far more than 3.99 for some of my life lessons. Lol

 

[Corvus]

Plated pieces will tarnish in blue and yellow hues, sterling will tarnish black. Since most plated pieces are copper a magnet test is a complete waste of time.

While usually a good rule of thumb, actual sterling or coin silver pieces sometimes get a rainbow hue from being stored with plated items. I just found this 830S Norwegian serving spoon that was a swirly purple when I gleaned it from a tub of flatware. Also, some pre-WWI silver will turn gold-colored from having used a different amalgam from modern pieces.

 

[Red-Coat]

While usually a good rule of thumb, actual sterling or coin silver pieces sometimes get a rainbow hue from being stored with plated items. I just found this 830S Norwegian serving spoon that was a swirly purple when I gleaned it from a tub of flatware. Also, some pre-WWI silver will turn gold-colored from having used a different amalgam from modern pieces.

I don’t think there is any ‘rule of thumb’ that applies here. Most silver plate after 1840 is electro-plate and ‘amalgam’ doesn’t play any part in that process. Electroplating deposits ‘pure’ silver onto base metal, whereas Sterling silver and other standards used in other countries are alloys of silver with copper. It’s those differences in silver content that result in tarnishing to different colours, provoked by atmospheric pollutants (sulphur dioxide et al) or chemical action in the ground.

Contaminants from handling and, to an even greater extent, the consequences of washing, cleaning and polishing also play their part. A piece that has never seen any chemical silver polish will tarnish in a very different way to one that has.

 

[BuckleBoy]

It’s not sterling. Since the early 1900s it has been Law to label US gold and silver as such.

 

[Red-Coat]

It’s not sterling. Since the early 1900s it has been Law to label US gold and silver as such.

True, but just to clarify. The 1906 US National Gold and Silver Marking Act didn't mandate that all silver had to be marked as such... only that items which didn't meet the specific purity criteria couldn't be marked or sold as silver (eg placed in a box saying it was silver or proclaimed in advertising as such). It wouldn't make sense however for a large silver piece to go unmarked. The initial requirement was for a '925' mark on items that met the Sterling standard. I believe it was Tiffany who (voluntarily) first added the word 'Sterling' alongside the mandated '925' mark and others followed.

None of that helps for earlier pieces of course and it's also worth pointing out that introducing a law is one thing but having the commitment to adequately police it is another. In the early days the policing was poor and it wasn't until 1961 that the US required a manufacturer identification mark to be added alongside the fineness indication such that violators could more easily be traced. A company like Oneida of course wouldn't be such a violator.

 

[against the wind]

Interesting conversation,, the Silver Plated tray may not be worth much, but the conversation it evoked is priceless. Congratulations on your almost Silver Tray

 

[Ohiogoldfever]

I really appreciate all the info guys. It’s been great to read through all of it.

I have picked up a few things in the past few days. Some more platters and a water jug. All plated but super cheap. 1.99 ish. I’ve been looking at some de platting info. Looks like fun. Heck looks like some of them could have a fair amount of silver on them. If nothing else it fuels my need to treasure hunt and learn a few new things while I tinker in the garage.