| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
n/a
deleted
478 Posts |
 Posted - 08/19/2006 : 16:09:02
|
All those old forks and spoons you see at garage sales and the Salvation Army may be worth something for the BASE METAL. If they have the following marks, they are silver plated Nickel Silver which is an alloy of Copper and Nickel (zinc also). If they have the following marks, they may be worth it if you can get them for 10 cents each or less:
EPNS- Electro-Plated Nickel Silver
EPC- Electro-Plated Copper
G. Silver or G.S. or German Silver
Am I wasting my time here or is this worth collecting? Opinions appreciated
<<Composition
There are many different formulations of alloys which fall within the general term of "Nickel Silver". All contain copper, nickel and zinc, while some formulations may additionally include antimony, tin, lead or cadmium. A representative industrial formulation (Alloy No.752) is 65% copper, 18% nickel, 17% zinc. In metallurgical science, such alloys would be more properly termed nickel bronze.
Some nickel silver alloys, especially those containing high proportions of zinc, are stainless.
Nickel-silver alloys are commonly named by listing their percentages of copper and nickel, thus "Nickel Silver 55-18" would contain 55% copper, 18% nickel, and 27% other elements, most probably entirely zinc. A two-element alloy may be named for its nickel content alone, thus NS-12 is 88% copper and 12% nickel.
[edit]
Uses
Nickel silver first became popular as a base metal for silver plated cutlery and other silverware, notably the electroplated wares called EPNS (Electro-plated Nickel Silver).
It is used in zippers, costume jewellery, for making musical instruments (e.g., cymbals), and is valuable for electrically-powered model railway layouts as its oxide is conductive.
It is widely used in the production of coins (e.g. GDR marks, Portuguese escudo).
Its industrial and technical uses include marine fittings and plumbing fixtures for its corrosion resistance, and heating coils for its high electrical resistance.
It was used in the construction of the arly tricone resophonic guitar.
|
Edited by - n/a on 08/19/2006 16:17:41 |
|
|
Ardent Listener
Administrator
USA
4841 Posts |
 Posted - 08/19/2006 : 16:17:50
|
Sounds like a plan. If you can get any base metal cheap enought then in my opinion you ought to make money on it. I bought some bass lamps this summer at a yard sale. I spent something like $2.00 each for them. I know that the value of the metal in the lamp is over $2.00.
I know that some of the tokens used in Casinos are made of silvernickel the same metal you are talking about. That is a very high grade base metal. Thanks for the idea.
________________________
If you can conceive it and believe it, you can achieve it. -Napoleon Hill |
 |
|
|
n/a
deleted
478 Posts |
Posted - 08/21/2006 : 14:18:50
|
Got some nice large Sheffeild Nickel Silver plates and some flatware at the town wide garage sale this weekend. About 8 pounds worth. Got a box of flatware for a dollar and two large plates for 50 cents each. This is fun.
Any way to remove the silver plate at my home?
|
|
|
|
Ardent Listener
Administrator
USA
4841 Posts |
Posted - 08/21/2006 : 16:34:09
|
I don't think I would remove the silver plate. I don't think it would hurt to have the silver plate on them if you are going to scrap them or if you decide to hold on to them until buyers realize that what they are really worth as silverware now. I have to guess that the price of new silvernickel silverware has gone up with the recent price increase of base metals.
________________________
If you can conceive it and believe it, you can achieve it. -Napoleon Hill |
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
|
|
Overlooked Source of Valuable Scrap??
Forum Locked
