silverplated tableware : what does I S mean ?

[scrounger d detector collector]

kinda gettin in gear to learn more about silver and silverplate.knife fork and spoons.seen a lot of silver or plated table ware at the auctions cheap lately. everybody knows .marked sterling is silver. or hallmarked european.but what does I S stand for.does it mean silver.? i have quite a few pieces marked I S .AND IT WILL SAY A COMPANY NAME ALSO. also i assume that its plated over copper.so that should make thrift store silverplate a good deal at 5 to 25 cents ea? also a lot of plate is by famous companies. rogers,oneida ,tiffany.even if plated might be worth $$ as long as not damaged ?

 

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[goldgrubber]

I S stands for International Silver Co.

GG

 

[tanner]

always test it with a magnet.....i was given jewelery last week that was marked sterling silver plain as day but stuck to a magnet like there was no tomorrow...

 

[skippy]

Most (all?) old plated silverware is plated on a base of 'nickel silver' - an alloy of copper, nickel and zinc (60:20:20 or so)
If you can find someone who will buy it, it's worth similar to brass or copper

 

[Old_Okie]

IS is also used to denote silver inlay, which is a heavier form of plate, particularly in the heavy wear areas of flatware. Bottom line, it is higher quality plate ware, but still a coating over base metal.

old_okie

 

[scrounger d detector collector]

i was told IS means inlaid silver.a plating so thin it isnt worth recovering even if silver prices doubled from now.this checks out on wikipedia. international silver is a company not a rating.kind of confusing.its interesting how they made the IS to look like a hallmark. which would denote good quality,when in fact its the sign of crap.well not crap actually, some IS pcs can be pretty valuable from the right maker.