Any tips for spotting silver vs silver plate without markings?

[sheepdog_tx]

Any tips, I've gotten burned a little at garage sales.

 

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[acevillav]

A magnet will help as silver is not magnetic. If something is silver plated it will have a slight magnetic pull from the nickel they use as a base metal. This should help you avoid most things are unmarked.

HH Ace Villa-v

 

[jerseyben]

#1 easiest way is simple. Sterling will be marked almost every time. Just don't buy anything unless it says Sterling until you get a bit more confident.

 

[cyberdan]

lately I try to buy all the silverware I can, I sort it into 4 boxes

magnetic stainless .06¢ lb
non-magnetic stainless $1.25 lb (I think)
silver plated nickel $1.60 lb (I think)(It is treated same as brass)
silver $336 lb

of course I pay the least amount possible and tey to get it thrown in if I buy something else.

 

[creeper71]

things you don't want to buy is anything that has quad,quadruple, triple or plated written on it.. if you see A1 that is plate.. If you don't see ster, sterling, 925 925/1000 it's not sterling

 

[billjustbill]

things you don't want to buy is anything that has quad,quadruple, triple or plated written on it.. if you see A1 that is plate.. If you don't see ster, sterling, 925 925/1000 it's not sterling

Creeper, I sometimes see Hallmarks stamped on the back of some silverware pieces like butter knives. How do you read them?

Bill

 

[creeper71]

Creeper, I sometimes see Hallmarks stamped on the back of some silverware pieces like butter knives. How do you read them?

Bill

with a loupe 20x

 

[billjustbill]

with a loupe 20x

Not with a loupe.... What do the Halmarks with a string of different "pic symbols" mean toward the piece actually being sterling?

 

[diggummup]

Not with a loupe.... What do the Halmarks with a string of different "pic symbols" mean toward the piece actually being sterling?

It could mean sterling or it could mean plated, it depends on the marks. If your not familiar with a (I assume) foreign mark, just treat it as plated and buy accordingly. You need to familiarize yourself with certain marks from other countries that don't use .925 as a standard sterling mark. Here- Guide to World Hallmarks - Encyclopedia of Silver Marks, Hallmarks & Makers' Marks Many countries such as England, France, Spain, Austria, Switzerland, and the list goes on, didn't and/or still don't use marks that most people are familiar with as being sterling. This is where that knowledge is in your favor because chances are the seller doesn't know that it's sterling. That being said, not everything marked sterling can be believed either.

 

[trdhrdr007]

When silver plate is tarnished it almost always has a "blue/black" look to it. You can also tell a lot about a piece by how it's made. In general sterling bowls, plates, small trays, etc are fairly thin pieces with ridges and/or decorative items incorporated to give the piece rigidity. Silver plate items tend to be thicker & heavier. There are exceptions to that......like many Taxco pieces & larger items like trays for tea services.

 

[jerseyben]

Unless you are fairly comfortable identifying markings, the only one you really need to know for accuracy is the British Lion symbol for Sterling.

 

[PYRATE]

SMELL TEST

if it isn't magnetic, rub it a little with your thumb and smell it

Silver plated items sometimes have a sour copper or sulfur smell

While not everything that smells sweet is 92.5% silver, this is a good way to rule out many items

 

[bazinga]

My simple test is this...

Is it marked with any of the recognized markings for sterling/silver? Does it look hand made by a skilled craftsman?

If the answer is yes to either of those, I will buy. If not, then I assume it's not silver and will only buy based upon what I think the desirability of the piece itself is. I've found enough unmarked pieces of jewelry while out detecting that have been in the ground 50+ years and come up as shiny as can be that it's not uncommon to find unmarked home made / shop class made / vacation purchased silver out there.

 

[bazinga]

SMELL TEST

if it isn't magnetic, rub it a little with your thumb and smell it

I use the same test for the women I date.

 

[themarkd]

I use the same test for the women I date.

You might've just won today's internet.

 

[BrutalBeck]

Hilarious!

 

[BrutalBeck]

I was wondering if the silver plating is removable. Is there any way to recycle the silver or would it not be worth the effort?

 

[coinshooter]

Theres a really cool youtube vid from a girl who has found a neat way to tell silver and gold from plated silver and gold.
She gets some face powder makeup and puts it on her arm.
She rubs the spoon on it (or the piece). Items that are real will leave a black mark. Items that are plate will leave a very light mark or none.
I saw it while looking on the garage sale area about how to tell a silver bar from a fake one.
Wish I had the link, but I cant find it now.

 

[jnkhntr]

Theres a really cool youtube vid from a girl who has found a neat way to tell silver and gold from plated silver and gold.
She gets some face powder makeup and puts it on her arm.
She rubs the spoon on it (or the piece). Items that are real will leave a black mark. Items that are plate will leave a very light mark or none.
I saw it while looking on the garage sale area about how to tell a silver bar from a fake one.
Wish I had the link, but I cant find it now.

 

[timbobwey]

A good tip, if it's not marked don't expect it to be real. A magnet won't always tell you if something is silver, as other metals also won't stick to a magnet. I always look for marks