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Nickelless
Administrator
USA
5580 Posts |
 Posted - 10/21/2007 : 17:27:21
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I recently purchased some pre-1967 Canadian dimes that are 80 percent silver. I also came across a heretofore unnoticed spoon in the back of one of my drawers in the kitchen stamped with an "800"--meaning .800 or 80 percent silver as well. Is it worth collecting silver flatware as well? What would be the minimum PM content generally considered desirable for collecting silver flatware? I'd think that when SHTF that nobody will really mind what form the PM is in as long as it's there and is certifiable. Anyone else have any experience with collecting flatware?
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horgad
1000+ Penny Miser Member
USA
1641 Posts |
Posted - 10/22/2007 : 07:20:59
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Pure silver and gold always seems to sell for a premium over alloys. After that, I don't think that is the purity that matters.
What does matter is how recognizible and accepted the form of the silver or gold is. A lump of 90% silver is worth less than a 90% silver coin because it is harder for the buyers to recognize. A piece of jewelry is worth less than a coin because its easier to fake a hallmark on a piece of jewelry than make a fake coin.
As for silverware, I would place it above jewelry but slightly below coins and I would think the following are true:
1. A refiner would give you the same for your silverware or coins.
2. A silver hoarder might not touch the stuff because he prefers bars and coins.
3. A collecter interested in completing a set might pay you more or less than the silver value depending on how collectible the silverware is.
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snappy
Penny Collector Member
USA
301 Posts |
Posted - 10/22/2007 : 08:23:30
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| don't forget many silver flatware have "Filler cores" that are steel/stainless I have never seen a silver knife/fork that did not have one I have seen some spoons that did not have one but not many. |
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horgad
1000+ Penny Miser Member
USA
1641 Posts |
Posted - 10/22/2007 : 08:36:51
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I don't think that could legally stamp it with a sterling hallmark unless it was 100% sterling (same for 800 silver).
The only thing that I have seen that is tricky are the knives. Sometime the handles are sterling and the the blade is steel to make them stronger. When that is the case there should be two marks, a sterling mark on the handle and stainless mark on the blade. Anything with a steel core would have to be marked as plate....
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Edited by - horgad on 10/22/2007 08:40:53 |
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fiatboy
Administrator
912 Posts |
Posted - 10/24/2007 : 13:34:23
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What about the old Mexican coins that only have 10% silver, or other coins that have less than 35% silver? I've heard that unless you have a truckload or something, they're not worth bothering with because refiner costs would kill any profit. War nickels are supposedly the lowest silver percentage coins one would want to have.
It might be worth keeping around some low-silver coins for trading purposes, but only if you can get them cheap.
Any thoughts?
"Bart, it's not about how many stocks you have, it's about how much copper wire you can get out of the building." --- Homer Simpson |
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pencilvanian
1000+ Penny Miser Member
USA
2209 Posts |
Posted - 10/24/2007 : 16:02:39
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The Mexican coins that were 10% silver contained 90% aluminum, the Mexican Government might have thought with such a low silver content no one would bother to hoarde them, not realizing Gresham's law would still be in effect, better to hoarde noinal silver than have no silver at all.
Maybe if melted down the 10% Mexican Silver Coins could be used to make wiring for electronics.
(This applies to other blogs/forums, didn't mean to annoy anyone here with this)
Starve the Trolls, don't feed or encourage them.
Destroy the Moonbat breeding caves.
Moonbat, A winged troll. |
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goldsilverpro
Penny Sorter Member
26 Posts |
Posted - 10/25/2007 : 14:55:35
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| I have never seen solid sterling knives. The blades are never solid silver. Some of the old knives have silver plated blades. The handles are always sterling foils with a filler. The filler is usually some sort of resin. On the average, if I remember right, the sterling foils on table knives will weigh about 1/2 tr.oz. |
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Minimum silver content percentage worth collecting
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