First real Yard/Garage Sale day.

MUD(S.W.A.T) · Jul 6, 2013

Hello everyone, :hello:

Met up with my mom and went yard sale hunting this afternoon. :headbang:

Our first stop, we see a sign that say's Antique Sale. We figure it's furniture and junk from an old antique shop. Looks like a going out of business sale. I'm thinking I am not going to find anything here. Then I spot a bundle of six (6) knives and... I see they are Sterling hollow-ware. (Stainless steel knife blades with hollow Sterling handles.) I ask "how much for the butter knives ?" I'm thinking she'll say $30 or something. She say's a buck ($1.00 USD), now trying to keep my poker face on, I say "I'll take them." On a great start we go to the next place, at the next place.
I find 6 Wheat cents and pay 10 cents ($0.10 USD) for all of them. Awesome, 6 wheat's and Some Sterling silver.... Good day !! Last stop, again I don't see anything until I'm ready to leave. I see this nice well made old fashion cheese slicer for a quarter ($0.25 USD)... The cheese slicers from cheap stores around here last for about a weak. So this one should last me awhile... I hope you enjoy this post and the photo's !!

Keep @ it and HH !! :laughing7:

vpnavy · Jul 6, 2013

You made a killing today MUD. Thanks for sharing...

diggummup · Jul 6, 2013

Nice finds. What kind of marks are on those knives?

Holloware doesn't actually include flatware. It is a term used for serving pieces or tableware that accompanies the dishware.

MUD(S.W.A.T) · Jul 6, 2013

Oh,

No marks but I know they're silver. I've sold some like them before, for silver scrap.

Keep @ it and HH !!

war-digs-it · Jul 6, 2013

Take a quick peek with a magnifier and check the spine or belly, the marks may be there. Like the pic below.
They do wear down and sometimes completely.

Sterling · Jul 6, 2013

Congrats! Im Glad to hear the more youngsters are yard sale picking.. :icon_thumright:

MUD(S.W.A.T) · Jul 6, 2013

war-digs-it said:
Take a quick peek with a magnifier and check the spine or belly, the marks may be there. Like the pic below.
They do wear down and sometimes completely.

Ok, I double checked with my Loupe... No markings what so ever, Only "Stainless" on the blades.

Keep @ it and HH !!

jerseyben · Jul 6, 2013

Just curious how you know the handles are sterling (because I didn't see any hallmarks)? I have literally passed up hundreds just like that before. If they were all sterling I am going to be pissed.

frankendime · Jul 6, 2013

jerseyben said:
Just curious how you know the handles are sterling (because I didn't see any hallmarks)? I have literally passed up hundreds just like that before. If they were all sterling I am going to be pissed.

Thinking the same here. Passed on some recently. Looked silver and tapped em on something and sounded silver, but saw no markings...

MUD(S.W.A.T) · Jul 7, 2013

jerseyben said:
Just curious how you know the handles are sterling (because I didn't see any hallmarks)? I have literally passed up hundreds just like that before. If they were all sterling I am going to be pissed.

I don't know why these are hardly ever marked.... :dontknow:

I do know they are silver just from looking at them, feeling them and handling them. I've sold knives like this in the past as silver melt. The handles are hollow, because its expensive to have solid sterling handles. One of the dead giveaway's is the hollow handles. Also look at the tarnish on them, notice the difference in color from the stainless blades to the Silver handles. Only Silver will tarnish like that. I just know from experience that they are silver. They clean up like silver too. If you see knives like this, don't pass them up. I guarantee they are Silver and I've *NEVER* seen plated hollow knives before or silverware like this that is plated. I wish you guys all the luck !!

Keep @ it and HH !!

jerseyben · Jul 8, 2013

Would you mind indulging us all and doing a little experiment?

I know I am very curious about this, so:

Take a file and scratch deep into the handle. Drop some sterling (red) acid on the the cut and see if it fizzles green. Thanks.

trdhrdr007 · Jul 8, 2013

What are the dark spots on the floral design on the handles? It looks suspiciously like plating that has worn through to the base metal.

MUD(S.W.A.T) · Jul 8, 2013

Sorry,

Don't have an acid test kit and they are not plated... I did do some more investigating though, simply for everyone's satisfaction. I know they are sterling, I've been a treasure hunter for 10 years now... Ok, I cleaned them up with a little tooth paste and took some before and after pictures. The spots are gone and they look brand new... My camera battery died so just waiting for it to charge and then I'll post them. I also took a file and filed one down a whole lot and its silver all the way down... You can see some scratches and they are sterling underneath. I'll post the pictures today soon, no slacking I promise.

Keep @ it and HH !!

Maburger · Jul 9, 2013

You're gonna love your cheese slicer! Got one just like it only I had to pay $.50 for mine. Don't put it in the dishwasher. It comes out looking really funky!

Like the others, I am interested in the "butter knives"

MUD(S.W.A.T) · Jul 9, 2013

Maburger said:
You're gonna love your cheese slicer! Got one just like it only I had to pay $.50 for mine. Don't put it in the dishwasher. It comes out looking really funky!

Like the others, I am interested in the "butter knives"

Hello,

Happy you liked my Cheese Slicer and thank you for giving me a real comment. :icon_thumleft:

Only dish washer I have is my two hands. :laughing7:

There is a video on Youtube with a guy talking about these types of knives and ripping one apart on the video to get the silver scrap from it. :headbang:

Called "How to Value Sterling Silver" I would link it but its not mine to link so I won't. :dontknow:

keep @ it and HH !! :hello2:

trdhrdr007 · Jul 9, 2013

If you see knives like this, don't pass them up. I guarantee they are Silver and I've *NEVER* seen plated hollow knives before or silverware like this that is plated.

Please don't take this the wrong way. I have probably scrapped over 200 sterling handled knives & other serving utensils in the last couple years. I've also seen well over 1000 silver plated knives & other utensils in the same time period. It's entirely possible that the knives you have are sterling.....but your claim that all knives that look like that are sterling is flat wrong.

MUD(S.W.A.T) · Jul 9, 2013

trdhrdr007 said:
Please don't take this the wrong way. I have probably scrapped over 200 sterling handled knives & other serving utensils in the last couple years. I've also seen well over 1000 silver plated knives & other utensils in the same time period. It's entirely possible that the knives you have are sterling.....but your claim that all knives that look like that are sterling is flat wrong.

You took what I said the wrong way yourself... I never said "all knives that look like that are sterling..." Your twisting my words around, I'm simply saying. " I've never seen plated hollow knives" is all.... I don't guarantee all knives are silver... Just the ones I have....

Keep @ it and HH !!

Produce Guy · Jul 9, 2013

I have a cheese slicer just like that,it's a little over 10 years old.

trdhrdr007 · Jul 9, 2013

You took what I said the wrong way yourself... I never said "all knives that look like that are sterling..." Your twisting my words around, I'm simply saying. " I've never seen plated hollow knives" is all.... I don't guarantee all knives are silver... Just the ones I have....

And I'm simply saying I've seen well over 1000 hollow handled knives over the last couple years that were silver plated. I interpreted your comment to mean that all hollow handled knives were sterling. Rereading the post I pulled the single sentence from I'm pretty sure that's what you meant, if it wasn't I apologize.