Need your expertise

[jr98119]

My first not strictly CRH post but still silver related. My wife came into possession of sterling tea sets which, after converting from sterling to 999, comes out to 158.58 troy ounces. Would anyone have recommendations about an honest refinery to work with? I'd really like to trade what I have for junk silver coins but I don't know what way would be the least disadvantageous for us. The idea of selling at wholesale and buying at retail is, well, ...

 

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[ArkieBassMan]

I know almost nothing about tea sets, but before I just scrapped it I would make sure it had no value (collector, antique, etc) above melt value. Depending upon who made it, I'm guessing some of those sets can be quite valuable.

As for trading, no business is going to swap anywhere near even, as there is no profit in it.

 

[smokeythecat]

The tea set pieces probably have more value to antique collectors. Find the names of the pieces on a place like Ebay and see what they are bringing. Lot at the "sold" pieces. I would not sell them for junk silver. You'll lose on both ends of that transaction series.

 

[jr98119]

The tea set pieces probably have more value to antique collectors. Find the names of the pieces on a place like Ebay and see what they are bringing. Lot at the "sold" pieces. I would not sell them for junk silver. You'll lose on both ends of that transaction series.

Why didn't I think of that? DUH. Thanks guys.

 

[GMan00001]

My first not strictly CRH post but still silver related. My wife came into possession of sterling tea sets which, after converting from sterling to 999, comes out to 158.58 troy ounces. Would anyone have recommendations about an honest refinery to work with? I'd really like to trade what I have for junk silver coins but I don't know what way would be the least disadvantageous for us. The idea of selling at wholesale and buying at retail is, well, ...

If you are truly looking to trade, the other option is post a free ad in either/both your local facebook marketplace and craigslist saying what you have and what you are looking to trade for. You may come across someone who has silver coins, but would rather have a silver tea set and in a fair trade, you should be able to get approximate equal value on both sides.

As others have suggested, I would research the value of the tea set(s) before attempting a trade to make sure the trade is fair to you as I also suspect they likely have collector value above melt.

 

[XtreasureX]

Jr- Selling sterling holloware on eBay is difficult unless it has some historic value. It will sell at scrap price. eBay takes a sizeable cut as well. Search Google for a refiner that hand pours silver bars. These guys buy very close to spot (90%+). With spot a bit over $26, 158 ounces should net you about $3700-$3800. That will buy quite a pile of silver coins. Good luck.

 

[galenrog]

I run across sterling at garage sales, and the like. If undamaged, I research for the best price. If damaged, it is sold as
scrap. Of course, if you want a fast turnaround, finding a buyer of scrap silver is fairly easy. I do not use a refinery as there are several members of another forum I regularly visit who give the same or better prices. Do your best. Enjoy!

Time for more coffee.

 

[Roll Hunting Family]

My understanding had been that in the 21st century, the value of silverware has plummeted, even for the fanciest and most desirable ornately worked silver. If there's nothing particularly special about this set, then it's probably just worth melt value. There simply aren't many buyers who want ornate silver anymore, and those few who do, they find that they can obtain pretty fancy pieces for a low premium over melt.

 

[Owassokie]

My first not strictly CRH post but still silver related. My wife came into possession of sterling tea sets which, after converting from sterling to 999, comes out to 158.58 troy ounces. Would anyone have recommendations about an honest refinery to work with? I'd really like to trade what I have for junk silver coins but I don't know what way would be the least disadvantageous for us. The idea of selling at wholesale and buying at retail is, well, ...

Jr, forum member CyberDan was just mentioning the ability to get 95% of melt from a refiner in Texas. If you want to take the easiest route....that might make the most sense. Your next best option for a relatively quick/easy turnaround would be Ebay, however, you need to be confident that the sterling poses about 15-20% value above melt in order to come out ahead. If time is no factor, start listing it on FB groups, Craigslist, and website pier groups to get the absolute most value out of it. Unfortunately, I don't think there's a great way to accomplish quick, easy, and max value all at once.

 

[jr98119]

Thanks all. Good ideas which I will pursue.

 

[cyberdan]

CyberDan was just mentioning the ability to get 95% of melt from a refiner in Texas.

Saw my name and had to comment.
I have used https://www.aragold.com/schedule.html a lot in the past. One time i even sent in scrap silver and traded it for silver coins. But I think there are new owners now. I made a deal with the son of the lady owner. Their web site used to introduce the family. All that is gone now. This is what they pay on silver.

SILVER MELT & SHOOT (PER TOZ FINE CONTAINED)
1-49.99 Toz -90%
50 - 99.99 Toz - 92%
100 - 499.99 Toz - 95%
500+ Toz -97%

Also they only deal with businesses. You can start a business just for this, but don't tell them that.

 

[jr98119]

Thanks CyberDan. I do have a business and I'll check them out.