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Nickelless
Administrator
USA
5580 Posts |
 Posted - 10/09/2008 : 02:53:45
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Just curious, for something like a weighted piece (say, a candlestick) that's marked both "weighted" and "sterling," how much sterling weight would one of these pieces have relative to the weighting itself. I just saw this comment by Saul Mine on this thread: You must be logged in to see this link. quote:
Originally posted by Saul Mine
A candlestick has only a very thin layer of silver on the outside. If it's a foot tall it will have just under one oz silver. The rest is an iron rod and wax or plaster. A three-hole candelabra might have as much as two ounces. And that goes for anything marked as "weighted".
Surely it would be more than an ounce of silver if it's marked sterling, even if it's weighted, wouldn't it? Take this auction, for example:
You must be logged in to see this link.
There would surely be more than just a relative sliver of silver in these, wouldn't there?
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Edited by - Nickelless on 10/09/2008 19:05:40 |
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magnasort
Penny Pincher Member
USA
174 Posts |
Posted - 10/09/2008 : 06:05:05
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| Ive scrapped dozens, they have very little weight, same for most knives and mirror shells. |
Magnetic sorters, no moving parts except the coins |
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Nickelless
Administrator
USA
5580 Posts |
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Frugi
Administrator
USA
627 Posts |
Posted - 10/09/2008 : 11:09:24
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concerning malleability; gold can be hammered so thin it is transparent. silver is 2nd only to gold, followed by copper.
One time when I spent a beautiful sunny day outside smashing candlesticks, a subtle wind came up and actually blew away some of my silver pieces. Not all brands are the same thinness, some are thicker, but MOST are thinner than paper. |
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Frugi
Administrator
USA
627 Posts |
Posted - 10/09/2008 : 11:12:52
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| I forgot to mention non-weighted which is solid silver & no cement, these are nice & heavy and worth hanging on to. These vases, candlesticks, etc., are much lighter feeling than weighted pieces but are all silver. Look for these that have a hollow bottom, and not marked weighted. |
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Nickelless
Administrator
USA
5580 Posts |
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Computer Jones
1000+ Penny Miser Member
USA
1112 Posts |
Posted - 10/12/2008 : 14:06:23
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The amount of sterling to "weight" ratio varies quite widely.
You need to disassemble the piece and weigh the different chunks to be sure. Once you've done this a few times you'll be able to make an informed decision just by eyeballing the item.
If it's marked sterling or .925 it's worth keeping. Just toss the weight (unless it's lead and you keep Pb). What you have left is 92.5% silver.
Otherwise (i.e. not marked sterling) it's either plated of filled (just a thicker plate) with silver. Sometimes (mostly?) they're copper or brass plated with Ag. The value of the copper or brass is usually worth more than the thin silver veneer.
I keep such pieces (unmarked plated) if they are given to me (or free in the last hours of a yard sale). I calculate their value on what I can get for brass.
Does that help to answer your question about weighted sterling candlesticks? |
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Nickelless
Administrator
USA
5580 Posts |
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Relative amount of Ag in weighted sterling?
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