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I have never scrapped anything.... yet. Talked to a guy today about an estate sale and apparently there is like 10k in sterling available. Apparently the people selling have a 10 lb solid sterling vase or something, guy said the collection is pretty insane. I offered to buy some before the sale and he's going to get back to me. I have to do some research for a scrap yard around my area. Just thought I check here first for average prices.

Whats average price for Sterling at scrap yards?

Cheers,
Henchman

Scrap yards are for base metals, I'd offer 10-20% below spot and see what you can get it for.

search completed recent auctions on ebay or contact a smelter.remember to subtract ebays fees when figuring what the buy price is,seller loose 10% plus with paypal combined.you never get melt.

10 lbs of sterling is worth about $5250 today.
try this site>
http://www.silverrecyclers.com/Calculat ... lator.aspx

Send it to Michael at Market Harmony and have him turn it into some sweet .999 bars for you.
marketharmony.net

Most likely the object you mentioned was made in the Victorian era and with such weight may have been made by one of the finer American silversmiths or by a British silversmith with four hallmarks. You will need a book of hallmarks to determine the maker and date. Melting an object like this will be a big mistake as its value as an object of the 19th century decorative arts will far exceed its melt value. Once you have purchased it you should bring it to an appraiser or auction house to obtain its value. You may be suprised.

I have no complaints about the service that I provide to many realcent clients. If you would like to learn more about what I can do to help you in this situation, then please feel free to contact me directly: 412-468-4653. My company is Market Harmony, can be found at http://marketharmony.net and my name is Mike.

RR GUY wrote:Most likely the object you mentioned was made in the Victorian era and with such weight may have been made by one of the finer American silversmiths or by a British silversmith with four hallmarks. You will need a book of hallmarks to determine the maker and date. Melting an object like this will be a big mistake as its value as an object of the 19th century decorative arts will far exceed its melt value. Once you have purchased it you should bring it to an appraiser or auction house to obtain its value. You may be suprised.

Did you see the article on coinflation the other day about sterling silver antiques being melted down?

The article talked about how even many Victorian era antiques are being melted down because the metal value far outweighs the antique value of the pieces.

Not always true. I recenlty bought an antique tankard weighing 17 oz. The dealer had it priced at $700 which is just a few bucks over melt. I didn't have my book of hallmarks but knew it was English and possibly 18th century. The dealer said it was mid-late 19th century. The hallmarks revealed that it was in fact 18th century by Paul Storr a famous London silversmith and dated 1806. I took it to Christie's in New York who valued it at $1500-$2000. I have a few other stories like this, so don't beleve everything you read.