Thrift Store Score!!! Finally!! Updated...

[frugi]

Also,
Look for old pictures of 1930-50s of male atheletes, sailors and soldiers. Lists them as 'gay interest' on e-bay.

They sell for hundreds of dollars.

I have tried it yet, but a local reseller recently told me about it. Check it out, wierd but true.

it is true....I have sold several pictures from the 1920's and 30's with guys in their swimsuits and bulging, and they sold for about $70.00 - $100.00 each, and I had one where they were acting "gay" for the picture, it sold for over $100.00/...

[Thogey]

How do you know these items are 100% sterling silver and not plated silver?

If they are stamped sterling with a makers mark they are sterling.

[jtlee321]

How do you know these items are 100% sterling silver and not plated silver?

Well for one thing they are stamped "STERLING". And for another they are properly Hallmarked with the manufacturers Hallmarks. I was able to do research and find them online. So the pattern numbers match the photos of what the items look like. Plus I put a small etch into an inconspicuous place and acid tested them. That is how I figured out that the candy dish was silver plated brass.. Also the candy dish was not marked. I had assumed that because of the polishing over the years that any marks that were present had been rubbed away (which does happen, just not this time).

[Coppercrazy]

if its marked sterling or 925 its sterling. Silverplate is actually pure silver on copper or brass,and will never be marked sterling. Also look for pieces marked 84 or 800 as they are silver as well,just not the same purity as 925 or sterling.

[jacer333]

Great score!

Thanks for the nice story too.

[frugi]

yes they are many, many silver marks, such as: 1000, 975, 950, 925, 900, 875, 835, 800, 735, 725, coin, coin silver, and the lion passant from UK, along with many, many more from other countries, like mentioned above 84, which is from Russia.

[JobIII]

Not trying to hijack or make this any less of an awesome post. Will there ever be items stamped as 925, 92.5 or sterling that are actually silver on copper?

[jtlee321]

Not trying to hijack or make this any less of an awesome post. Will there ever be items stamped as 925, 92.5 or sterling that are actually silver on copper?

Only on counterfeit items. It is illegal to mark something 925 that is not solid 925. The most common things you will see are items marked International silver, community silver or anything else silver. All that stuff is silver plated. The best thing to do is to go into an antique shop. A lot of the time they do have sterling silver and it will be priced accordingly. But you can take a look at it and look at the marks on the bottom.

Another thing to watch for are items marked "Sterling Weighted". They are sterling silver, however they are weighted in the base or stem of the item with something other than sterling silver. Because silver is expensive it is cheaper to add weight to the item with another material to give it stability.

[frugi]

i did once buy a platter that was marked sterling silver, that is actually really dense polished aluminum, once you make that mistake you will never make it again......it was a purchase made from a con artist, who found my craigslist advertisement that I buy silver & gold......he had 20 of them, and each weighed 20+ ozt....I was skeptical, and bought only one, it turned out to be 100% fake, I got ripped off. No big deal, life and (the scrap metal business) is about learning from your mistakes.
I still have it. it will forever be mine, since I paid over $200.00 for it, and I would never try and pull one over on anyone else. it was a huge bummer, I would hate for anyone else to feel like they got scammed, I am stuck with it, I can't even donate it to a thrift store. lol.

[JobIII]

with my luck I would buy silver ware that is marked 925 on the blade, but the handle is a different metal. Or some novice mistake like that.

[jtlee321]

I just came across a couple of marks I have not seen until today. They were marked "Deep Silver" which when I looked it up meant that they contained a higher concentration of sterling silver in the high wear areas. So that after polishing and use the silver plate does not completely wear off. I also came across a small pitcher marked something like "Rochester Sterling Works" I did not have my loupe with me So I could not confirm exactly what it said. It was marked for $22.50. I did not feel like taking the chance. I could not find anything through Google about it at the time. I always carry my iPhone to look stuff up if in doubt.

[jtlee321]

with my luck I would buy silver ware that is marked 925 on the blade, but the handle is a different metal. Or some novice mistake like that.

Almost always it is the handle that is marked. And in most cases on knives the blade is not Sterling. It is steel or another harder metal. Sterling is too soft for use on knives. Some butter knives may have sterling blades though...

[hobo finds]

I just came across a couple of marks I have not seen until today. They were marked "Deep Silver" which when I looked it up meant that they contained a higher concentration of sterling silver in the high wear areas. So that after polishing and use the silver plate does not completely wear off. I also came across a small pitcher marked something like "Rochester Sterling Works" I did not have my loupe with me So I could not confirm exactly what it said. It was marked for $22.50. I did not feel like taking the chance. I could not find anything through Google about it at the time. I always carry my iPhone to look stuff up if in doubt.

http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/a ... -water-tea

[jtlee321]

I just came across a couple of marks I have not seen until today. They were marked "Deep Silver" which when I looked it up meant that they contained a higher concentration of sterling silver in the high wear areas. So that after polishing and use the silver plate does not completely wear off. I also came across a small pitcher marked something like "Rochester Sterling Works" I did not have my loupe with me So I could not confirm exactly what it said. It was marked for $22.50. I did not feel like taking the chance. I could not find anything through Google about it at the time. I always carry my iPhone to look stuff up if in doubt.

http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/a ... -water-tea

Thank You... I see that it is Rochester Stamping Works and not Sterling.. I could clearly see the ST and ING but not quite read the AMP because it was pretty well worn. I'm glad I did not pick it up. Thanks..

[Pennybug]

Also,
Look for old pictures of 1930-50s of male atheletes, sailors and soldiers. Lists them as 'gay interest' on e-bay.

They sell for hundreds of dollars.

I have tried it yet, but a local reseller recently told me about it. Check it out, wierd but true.

Priceless!! You mean like this? Check out the size of this guy's pole.

Sorry... I had to...

[Oakair]

Picked up some champagne glass from an anniversary...

$1.95...

It is unstamped, but it looks silver...would whatever metal they use in silverplated stuff be magnetic, or is there a better way to check this?