how to tell if silverware is really made of silver

[Toureg89]

there is a Salvation Army store (or some kind of non profit cheap store) within a 2 miles of my house, and they sell stuff cheap. so i was thinking i could walk up there everyday and get a half way decent deal on silver....

each one of the three utensils that appears to be silver were purchased for 0.25$

 

[Cleaner44]

Sterling silver will be marked as Sterling and/or 925 to designate the 92.5% silver content. That Rogers stuff is usually just junk.

 

[Carson]

M.A. Rogers Triple sounds like something triple plated.



I've got a piece of 1847 Rogers Bros In front of me and it has an "I" and an "S" stamped in it. It is plated, but I think your getting close.

I once had the idea to put together a set with every piece a different pattern. Never got very far.


Some links;

http://www.examiner.com/article/is-it-sterling-or-silver-plate-silverplate

http://www.examiner.com/article/rogers-the-silver-industry


Good hunting!

P.S. I figure stainless is probably safer to eat with.

 

[Zippyjuan]

You can also look at the tines of the forks. Often you can see where the plating has worn off.

 

[presence]

FREQUENTLY ACCESSED REFERENCE INFORMATION:

OTHER WEB INFORMATION SOURCES WRITTEN BY ME
-- My blog: http://www.SilverChatter.com
-- Examiner.com articles: http://www.examiner.com/sterling-silver-in-national/jim-stringer
-- My booklet, “Selling Your Silver”: http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/georgiasilver

IDENTIFYING WHAT YOU HAVE
-- Sterling vs. silver plate: http://www.examiner.com/x-26031-Sterling-Silver-Examiner~y2009m12d9-Is-it-sterli
-- Locating your silver pattern: http://www.examiner.com/x-26031-Sterling-Silver-Examiner~y2010m1d11-How-do-I-det
-- Marks found on bottom/back of silver pieces: http://www.examiner.com/x-26031-Sterling-Silver-Examiner~y2010m1d13-Where-can-I-
-- Code letters on silver plate pieces: http://www.examiner.com/sterling-silver-in-national/what-does-this-mean-on-my-fl
-- The “Rogers” silver companies: http://www.examiner.com/sterling-silver-in-national/rogers-the-silver-industry

VALUE OF STERLING AND SILVER PLATE PIECES
-- Calculating the value of your sterling flatware: http://www.examiner.com/x-26031-Sterling-Silver-Examiner~y2010m4d21-Cheap-approa
-- Calculating the scrap value of sterling flatware: http://www.examiner.com/sterling-silver-in-national/calculating-the-scrap-value-
-- Value of sterling pieces: http://www.examiner.com/sterling-silver-in-national/what-s-my-sterling-silver-fl
-- Value of silver plate flatware: http://www.examiner.com/sterling-silver-in-national/what-s-my-silver-plate-flatw
-- Value of gold plated flatware: http://www.examiner.com/sterling-silver-in-national/what-s-the-value-of-my-gold-
- Silver content in knives: http://www.examiner.com/sterling-silver-in-national/how-much-silver-is-a-hollow-

SELLING YOUR SILVER
-- Things to consider when selling your sterling: http://www.examiner.com/sterling-silver-in-national/things-to-consider-when-sell
-- Selling sterling silver for scrap: http://www.examiner.com/x-26031-Sterling-Silver-Examiner~y2010m1d11-What-is-the-
-- What to do with plated silver: http://www.examiner.com/sterling-silver-in-national/what-to-do-with-plated-silve
-- Selling used silver plate flatware: http://www.examiner.com/sterling-silver-in-national/selling-used-silver-plate-or
-- Ads from businesses near you who BUY SILVER: http://www.silver-buying.com/

eBay
-- Buying sterling silver flatware on eBay: http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-26031-Sterling-Silver-Examiner~y2010m5d26-Buy
-- Locating sales on eBay: http://www.examiner.com/x-26031-Sterling-Silver-Examiner~y2009m12d30-How-do-I-lo

CARE AND CLEANING
-- Care of silver: http://www.examiner.com/sterling-silver-in-national/how-should-i-clean-and-polis
-- A really good polish (Merit Silver Polish): http://faseeds.com/cmd.php?af=1266891

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Silver-Flatware-3281/2012/1/wm-rogers-triple-plate.htm

 

[Bossobass]

Wm. A. Rogers, style: Capri

Yes, it's triple plate silver.



One listing says $6.50 for a dinner fork, so buy as many as you can get for 25 cents each.

 

[Zippyjuan]

That may be for one in nearly mint condition. These don't look very "mint" and may have much more limited resale value. But a quarter is still pretty cheap.

 

[oyarde]

I was @ a yard sale this summer, went through a hole wooden crate of utensils, pretty old , figured I would find something , came up empty

 

[oyarde]

I was all set to make some 92.5 rounds .....

 

[cbc58]

just because it's stamped .925 doesn't mean it is. you can send stuff to get melted down and it can turn out to be .900, .880 or less. It's a crap shoot really unless you buy very high quality stuff. Jewelery marked .925 from Italy is notorious for being lesser quality. Same goes for gold - easy to pass off lesser quality material and you can loose alot of money if buying for pm content.

 

[thoughtomator]

The easiest way is to leave it near Hillary Clinton and see if she steals it.

 

[UWDude]

bring a magnet. easiest test.

 

[enoch150]

I figure stainless is probably safer to eat with.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oligodynamic_effect

Silver disinfects itself in a few hours. Stainless steel does not.

 

[twomp]

The easiest way is to leave it near Hillary Clinton and see if she steals it.

LOL