Sell antique silver for scrap value or historic value. what would you do?

[kitt]

I'm about to sell for scrap but I hate to sell these to be melted down because there almost like new.
I had a guy come over and value them at $425 925 spot value about 65.6 grams of 925/1000
He offered me $295 but I turned him down.
Ive identified the makers mark and such and found price ranges from $55-$125 a piece on different sites.
All of which were lesser condition then mine. The dates range from 1909 1912 and 1917 all same maker and same model, just different era's.
How would you go about selling these?

 

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[mustangpalmer1911]

Historic no doubt about it. Seem like more work but alot more $$ in the end, and like you said it be a shame.

 

[steelheadwill]

IMO, right now is a bad time to sell your PMs. bottom of the market.
Unless you find someone who happens to need that particular pattern, spot is the best you can hope for
Ebay sales on this type of silver (even most Colonial era flatware) generally settle around spot or a bit higher, that will be your best bet.
Think about burying it till prices get back to normal.
I'll give you 80% and they won't get melted

 

[kitt]

Thats a generous offer but I will have to decline. I think I may hang up flyers around town, but that could be dangerous as well.

 

[Argentium]

Kitt , Are you really in a jam? because if not, silver is on a low bounce right now - don't sell now unless you are in dire straits for quick
(and minimum ) cash . With flatware - unless you really have a famous name -(Paul Revere comes to mind ) you'll have a tough time
getting much more than melt for it .I would not be advertising the fact that you have this to the general public with flyers .

 

[SusanMN]

You can check your area to see if there is a reputable auction house. I know our local one has one sale a month reserved for finer items and does online advertising. They give you an estimate of what they think sale prices will be and also allow you to set a reserve price so it doesn't go too low.

 

[kitt]

I'm in some thin jam, more like jelly. This months rent is covered and next moths rent/bills covered. But after that jelly gets thicker, then christmas is coming upon us so I'm not sure if my kid will get more then 1 gift.
Not to worried but there are things I need to purchase and would love to get new phone
I also have some gold put away. Not sure how much since I dont have a scale.

We actually dont have any auction houses near or around this area.

 

[luvsdux]

Several years back I sold some silver rounds when silver was nearing 50$. I sold just before everyone in the country unloaded and did very well. Several days later the bottom dropped out and has stayed on the lower side, since. If at all possible, If you decide to sell for the melt value, I'd wait and watch the price until it raises a fair bit.
luvsdux

 

[kitt]

Ok I'll try to hold of til nearing the end of next month. Hopefully it kicks back up

 

[gunsil]

First off the dates are patent dates, not the date they were made. They could be 20 or more years newer than the patent dates. They are stamped out in a press and the makers don't bother to change the dies. Second, as stated above they are not by a very desirable company such as Tiffany and they are a very plain pattern. You'll be lucky to get much for them other than a percentage of melt value, and silver isn't going to have any dramatic increase in the next month.

 

[hvacker]

Kitt, the problem with silver is today's people don't have the interest in it.
I had an uncle that in the 50's.His Sunday job was to Polish the silver in the cabinet. Few do that any more. It's a different world. We don't sit and dress for dinner. I've seen on shows like Antiques Roadshow and there is little interest in what was once a very big deal.
I once had a set of gold plated Bauhaus dinner ware and couldn't find any interest in it even though the design was more important than the item.. Most would rather have stainless that they didn't have to bother with. It's a different world. If you could be around 200 years from now you might find a buyer.
In our bones, Americans don't like the autocracy and this stuff reminds them of that. At least European Americans.
I would sell because the wheel of change moves slow. The market was over hyped and were on a downward slide. I'm no expert, I just know what happened before.

 

[Red James Cash]

One thing to remember is the only way that youre going to get full or near full value is to sell to a collector.Taking items to an antique store cuts the value in half,if theyre honest,so the actual figures would be 27.50 and 62.50.You'll never get full value of an item from a retail store or pawnshop,they need room to make their money.

 

[bigfoot1]

I have sold dozens,a few from as early as 1820s.Only collectors are interested and they have their sites.Poke around.It is very likely that what you have is silver by weight though.I have only sold one for more than scrap and a collector really needed that particular one.cheers

 

[Jeremy S]

Look at COMPLETED auctions on eBay to get an idea on the current market value. Ignore BIN auctions that have gone unsold and prices that you see on private webpages.

 

[CincinnatiKid]

Do not sell. Silver is undervalued. Hold. Buy if you can!
A family I know well recently sold sterling flatware. The brand was Wallace, circa 1957, and style was "Grand Baroque". Each piece commands $50+ replacement. This particular set contained 9 pieces per setting of 12 full settings. They received melt value. The blades of the knives were also removed before weighing. This is obviously standard procedure, as .925 is to weak for blades. Still, it really upset me to view the "buyer" casually break blades from handles!
Peace

 

[songdog]

Kitt,
Don't be misled by the "replacement" values that are put onto sterling silver, or any other item as far as that goes.
The prices are inflated and only worth it when you find a COLLECTOR that needs a certain piece to complete their collection.
I make jewelry from silverware and avoid Sterling because of the inflated cost.
I use mostly siverplate and some stainless silverware in my jewelry making.
I can buy complete sets for less than $30.00.
A lot of people will put sentimental value on their siverware because it belonged to their mom or grandmother.
To those of us that use it for other purposes it is just another fork or spoon.
It is a shame to see a lot of the beautiful sterling silverware that was melted down just for the cash, and most of the times the money paid was not worth the trouble to haul it around to get the best price.
Sure, people say I am cutting it up to make bracelets and rings, but at least the pieces are still around to be enjoyed by the family members.
Because it is Sterling, most of us crafters will avoid it just because it is too costly to use, and there just are not a lot of people that even use sterling silverware anymore because of the upkeep.
I hope you can get what you want for it, but I also don't want you to be surprised at what you may be offered for it.
Good luck, and happy holidays to you and your family!!!

 

[gunsil]

Look at COMPLETED auctions on eBay to get an idea on the current market value. Ignore BIN auctions that have gone unsold and prices that you see on private webpages.

Even better look at SOLD listings on ebay, it's newer and only shows the items actually sold and prices realized.

 

[manorman]

ebay or craigslist is your best bet.

 

[kitt]

Thanks for the great replay guys. I'd like to get atleast $350 for them so wish me luck because we need a new transmission.

 

[Peyton Manning]

On a commercial during rush's show I heard that gold will soon be $2500 and silver back to 50 so hold on