Love goodwill sterling!

Beachkid23 · Jan 28, 2014

Maybe they just put it out there so we keep coming back and looking I'm not really sure. But I'm glad to find it even if it is dented and looks horrible! Even if it were running over by a car I would still buy at this price!

mineralized_miner · Jan 28, 2014

There was a consignment store that went out of business, it was a Catholic outreach consignmant shop, so all profits went to various Catholic Charities. They had lots of Sterling pieces, often for FAR under melt value. They'd have like a 2 lb turkey tray for about $20, but my mom already has a regular, non-silver tray, so of course we did not get it. The store is not there any longer, but I sure wish it was. They had the coolest stuff there. It was essentially an antique store, but they did not keep the profits and only got the stuff from donations, so they charged next-to-nothing for anything.

Nice find at Goodwill, I'd always assumed that they had someone working who could seperate out the valuables from all the rest, but I can now say that they don't!

mugsisme · Jan 28, 2014

Nice. How do you know it is worth it to buy it? Just because it is cheap?

Beachkid23 · Jan 28, 2014

mugsisme said:
Nice. How do you know it is worth it to buy it? Just because it is cheap?

I've done this for awhile. So when I see it I know. But silver is 19.xx an ounce. I would have paid up to $30 for it. But ya, being cheap is a good help! I know jewelry pretty well. Gold and silver. Here we're my other finds at another store today. Spent $8 total.

All sterling, the necklace has a 14k bead on it.

.99 for these. They are marked 14k on the post. 2.1 grams.

This one is sterling and turquoise with carved stone. They sell around $75-80! Most of it was in a jewelry bag for kids. Lasted at 1.99. Best part my 3 girls got a lot to play with too!

tamaco · Jan 29, 2014

wow. those are great goodwill finds. the goodwill here is very expensive. just a simple 925 chain will be priced 19.99 :O

WINTERBEAR · Jan 29, 2014

Awesome ! I would keep that cup in my stash and use it

chris

tamrock · Jan 29, 2014

The way your cup is tarnished with that spotted coal black look is to me the good indicator of sterling when I see the silver on the shelves. When it has a dark gun metal blue look, I take it as silver plate, but still look at it. The word sterling on yours is the proof. Great find, could be a child's christening mug? Is it monogramed?

Beachkid23 · Jan 29, 2014

tamrock said:
The way your cup is tarnished with that spotted coal black look is to me the good indicator of sterling when I see the silver on the shelves. When it has a dark gun metal blue look, I take it as silver plate, but still look at it. The word sterling on yours is the proof. Great find, could be a child's christening mug? Is it monogramed?

Yep it has a monogram. Several dents and dings too. It holds silver coins rather well so I keep it for that.

NHBandit · Jan 29, 2014

Goodwill here sux. Half the store is brand new stuff priced higher than what it sells for in a "regular" store. The rest is overpriced clothes. The only jewelry I've ever seen was junk.

Beachkid23 · Jan 29, 2014

NHBandit said:
Goodwill here sux. Half the store is brand new stuff priced higher than what it sells for in a "regular" store. The rest is overpriced clothes. The only jewelry I've ever seen was junk.

Believe me I am surprised to find any silver here at all. The stores horrible everything is so high. I bought some Sterling candlesticks there a while back. The manager stop me on the way to the register. I was worried she was going to take them. But she just asked how the kids were! Whew. They were dollar 99 too.

twiasp · Jan 29, 2014

NHBandit said:
Goodwill here sux. Half the store is brand new stuff priced higher than what it sells for in a "regular" store. The rest is overpriced clothes. The only jewelry I've ever seen was junk.

Keep checking, you gotta remember how much volume they go through at Goodwill, stuff will slip by them. Also keep checking around, don't write off all Goodwill stores because a few are good at identifying things, some are not. Once you find your not as informed thrift shops, make them your priority shops to hit first then go to the others to keep checking. Most of the mom/pop thrift stores i see are misers that never put anything silver or gold out unless with a way overpriced tag, but I have one that is a small one and they don't know JACK about marks, and better believe I won't be informing them of it.

insontis · Jan 29, 2014

Nice silver! I still have never found any sterling at goodwill other than a few tiny beads and clasps in ONE bag of jewelry I bought there. I am always one of the first there as well.

Lost&Found · Jan 29, 2014

Speaking of over priced I had a good laugh today. Yesterday at my local thrift store they had a $4.99 sticker on an ashtray with the original sticker from National Wholesale Liquidators for $0.95 on it. Went back today and someone had bought it.

Beachkid23 · Jan 29, 2014

Lost&Found said:
Speaking of over priced I had a good laugh today. Yesterday at my local thrift store they had a $4.99 sticker on an ashtray with the original sticker from National Wholesale Liquidators for $0.95 on it. Went back today and someone had bought it.

What's really bad is one has a Walmart sticker on it and the Goodwill sticker is priced higher than Walmart! Or the same price I seen that before too. It makes you wonder who would buy it then the next day it's gone ! They must figure why go to Walmart and buy it when it's here for the same price! Yeah, we don't have to spend 45 min in line at Walmart!

insontis · Jan 29, 2014

insontis said:
Nice silver! I still have never found any sterling at goodwill other than a few tiny beads and clasps in ONE bag of jewelry I bought there. I am always one of the first there as well.

I may actually stand corrected. I just picked up an unmarked napkin holder ring? from Goodwill that may be sterling. Weighed around 80 grams and told myself $5 for possibly $40+ in scrap was worth it. Figured for 1/8 the price I'd be right at least 1/8 of the time.

Anyway it tested sterling from a deep scratch test, but I should file into it.

edit: Tested sterling. I am now a Goodwill sterling lover as well.

insontis · Jan 29, 2014

Beachkid23 you gave me the hope I needed to dig a little deeper than usual at Goodwill and this was the result!

This little sucker weighs 78.2 grams. Still can't see a hallmark, but I shined up some of the sides. Most of the outside is near black. Seems to have G. Jr. on one of the panels with designs on the others. Didn't find any other ones at the GW and I walked the whole store. Wondering if it isn't a napkin ring..

Beachkid23 · Feb 1, 2014

I've learned, go 10-15 min before closing. The 2 times I've bought silver there has been at that time. 8 sterling plates at 3.5 oz each. 2 weighted candle sticks and a sterling cup. All before closing. Only thing is you have to be quick and get your silver eye out!

insontis · Feb 2, 2014

Beachkid23 said:
I've learned, go 10-15 min before closing. The 2 times I've bought silver there has been at that time. 8 sterling plates at 3.5 oz each. 2 weighted candle sticks and a sterling cup. All before closing. Only thing is you have to be quick and get your silver eye out!

Woah! What do you think makes silver appear at that time? Was it just luck of the draw and they just so happened to be unloading it onto the sales floor then? Or do you think perhaps someone different prices the pieces at that time or regular manager(s) step out before then? I've heard from an employee at a thrift store that when he used to price items such as sterling knives he'd put them at $0.29 a piece and buy then when he got off the clock. I wonder if the employees were trying to do something like this by releasing the items to the sales floor at the end of the day?