I buy sterling at antique stores and estate sales all the time. Always way under spot price. I think it is more fun to have a piece of wealth with a purpose than just coins, bars, and other bullion. It is nice to have variety and eating with sterling flatware and hollowware is fun. The “ping” of an old fork or spoon against a ceramic plate or bowl just resonates and sounds magnificent.
I have been switching over to Sterling, ditching the stainless. Looks better, sounds better, and provides external and internal microbial shield. The inherent value is an added bonus. Buying at or below spot, and patiently filling set.
I like visiting my local antique shops that have old prices and picking up sterling for well below melt. A month ago I bought a teapot for $195 that has at least $350 of silver in it. Bargain. The problem is dealers are catching on to this and updating prices. It's virtually impossible to find silver below or at melt on eBay now.
Got pawnshops here that are selling silver cutlery and commemorative coins at and around melt, but with much lower premiums than bullion from reputable silver and gold shops. In fact, those total extras are lower than the 24% VAT rate that's levied on investment silver. Some items would actually have negative premiums if I just look at the melt price's tax value. Like a 15€ coin that's .900 and 23,9g. 15,70€ worth of silver in it ATM. Tax on the silver melt alone would be 3,60€, so the shop's losing over 4€ in the deal. Must've gotten the pawn deal and valuation before the latest spike.
Thank you for your video,is two years old.right now.but been collecting, sterling siver flatware for many years l personally think is worth collecting because it is the real money, silver is always money. It will continue going up in price,and the dollar continue going down.
I have been stacking for my grandchildren so when I am gone they will get it all. I am not fussy if it's silver I stack it. From bullion bars and coins to jewelry and even cutlery and flatware. I have silver from all over the world dating back to the 1700,s and would never sell for scrap melting unless it was far beyond repair. I have a collection of pure 999 chopsticks from asia and I believe the reason they were made of silver was to detect poison in food as the silver would tarnish instantly. Maybe this is another reason why European Royalty and aristocrats would use it too. ?? Thanks from New Zealand.
I have, I use, I keep buying. Silver is silver anyway. From my coffee spoon, wine goblet, fruit dish or ashtray, silver can be used everyday. Even on the bottom of water jar I am keeping some silver to be ionized the drinking water. I like sterling silver, but I love continental silver: .800, .830, .850. Pieces of history very sophisticated, very well made, easy to find at or below the spot price. If there are stackers of junk silver coins 40%, 50% and it is always a big hunt of them, why to not stack and use in the same time silver between .800 and .925? Doesn't matter when I will want to sell, in the same day somebody will be more than happy to buy them for a fair 2%-5% over spot price.
I'm a hobbyist refiner,I use sterling silver pieces to inquart karat gold down to 6k. Wont bore with the details but end up with 999 fine gold and 999 fine silver.
The R is actually an 8 and probably is a code for the actual maker of the spoon as Eaton would have had many workers in his shop. When silver prices get high, many hollow ware pieces are sold at melt, which turns out to be cheaper than when they earlier were sold as antiques.
@@BackyardBullion I have 2530 oz ASW of antique British sterling. I used to have a lot more, but in 2011 the temptation to take a profit was too great and it was a good way to cull pieces that were not considered collectible.
Im a huge stacker of sterling i found a designer's sighed piece it was a big bowl with fish legs worth 4k free and many othees for free some 20 cents a ounce over 100 ounce
Very interesting timing for this video as I was just about to look at a deal of spot price flatware/tableware on TSF. Thought it might be an interesting part of my stack.
Silver flatware was considered a standard part of an established household in Norway well into the 1970s and 80s. Over here, a big silver-flatware industry developed through the silversmiths in most of the cities in the early 1900s. The competition led to a wide range of available series, often based on very diverse and intricate patterns. This trend peaked around the 50s and 60s, whereafter the popularity of silverware has steadily declined. Still, most jewelers to this day still offers a limited selection of silverware from the most popular series new, and there is a strong second-hand market not only limited to antique shops. Typically, at the moment, the second-hand market has rates that are around twice the metal spot price for items with established patterns. This is again typically half the new-price charged by jewelers. As of the future... The popularity for silverware here has quickly gone down the last few decades, but at the same time the silver spot price has become very high. This is first of all due to the hikes lately, but a weakening local currency does not help. At the moment, getting a full set new from scratch is prohibitively expensive, but still... Due to the popularity of silver in the 1920s to the 60s, there's also a lot of it around and a lot of that is being passed along through inheritance. Most of the new-sales from jewelers are typically just to fill in for missing parts of inherited sets, and as a result the selection of parts available new is getting more and more limited. However, with people being aware of the concept and the well established second-hand market, you very rarely see anything at spot and practically never below.
I always PREFERRED Sterling Silver Flatware and such... Sterling Silver is more valuable in the USA than Old Coin Silver... Sterling Silver holds 92.5% Silver and 7.5% Copper... Old Coin Silver was made from 90%, 80% and even 40% Silver, much less than Silver Content than Sterling Silver Flatware... It adds Variety to someone's collection if you stack Silver.. and gives you something to have a functional use in day-to-day uses... Also, Silver Flatware can be transported without anyone realizing what it truly is, so that you can transport it easier too...
Great topic Mr ByB!!! Fantastic addition to the conversation. It is actually on par to my Silver collection. Today I prioritize in WW constitutional Silver, some WW commemorative, indie hand poured, AND Silverware. However, Silverware is aimed at my Silver refining hobby. Unfortunately I have not been able to find that many unities with good price, it is been enough to recover. refine and pour ~4 Ozt per month. I just love this hobby.
This ladels are really beautiful and stacking out not would be a great addition to the kitchen for sure! Think about it - switching from the everyday usual flatware that you can buy anywhere to all sterling. Even if it's not all matching. That's neat!
People in South American countries that experienced currency collapses relied on their sterling rings, chains, flatware, etc. to feed their families. Market places wouldn't accept currency but had booths where jewelry etc. was weighed for which you were given market tokens. Tokens bought anything in the market, then armed guards followed you to your car and waited until you loaded your purchases, then you were on your own to get home safely.
spoons and jewellery far less likely to be confiscated by any new silver laws . especially if they get warrants for silver dealers customer lists , or any reinstatement of the 1966 laws on gold
@@pouglwaw5932I acquired a 32 piece set of Towle Sterling flatware about a month ago in a Thrift store, paid 6 bucks,I looked up the value and had to pat myself on the back,still can't believe it!!!!
I have been told that 'R' mark beside the sponsor mark denotes what set it would have been part of when commissioned or bought in unison. They come in various symbols.
Of course you can invest in silverware. But unless you're not an antique dealer and knows your stuff about antiques then don't fall victim on counting on the collectibles value. Especialy if bought relative to scrap price it can be a great buy. But for your own sake unless it's a cool piece that you for some reason want to actually use or for some other reason really like then don't pay too much. Too much above scrap price and you'd be much better of buying "junk" silver coins and medals instead. Not so much because of the value aspect of it but unless you live in a vault you need to consider safe storing of it - especially as your collection grows. Storing coins/medals is just much easier as they take up less space. I have a few silverware items stumbled upon by chance - some of it because seller didn't know the foreign hallmarks.
At its base, all gold and silver is money, wether its bullion, jewellery or cutlery. I'd actually love a set of sterling flatware, never mind that its money hidden in plain sight but also for all the health benefits that supposedly come with it.
It's true- any pathogen [bacteria, fungi, germs, and even virus] die when in contact with silver. The longest these "bugs" can live is 6 minutes. Too bad people weren't told this during our pandemic, hmmmm?
Anywhere other than England it will literally say “sterling”, or just “925”. You don’t see lions, sterling, or 925, it’s plate. Also, most plate will say some weird gibberish
I found some pretty worn out silverplated flatware at a thrift store and was was wondering if it was worth buying them. They possibly were from restaurants based on their apparent heavy use.
Whoo hoo I bought a victorian coffee pot and waste bowl for $150 with tax and shipping and they weigh a whopping 48ozt total!!!! And yes i test all my purchases. I have a arsenal of sterling silver and karat gold All at crackhead prices, I bought a huge sterling salad bowl for $35, the deals I get are crazy. I never have and never will pay even half of spot no where near it!!!!!!!! No coins no bars!!! I make more money off sterling then anything else. Gold is second runner up and I get really nice pieces of jewelry below spot all the time, most of the time 25%-50% of spot and yes their all real because i sell some to get back what i paid and stack the rest for free:) i make more money sitting on my couch then most going to work doing a 9-5 lmfao. I have all the time in the world to do what ever I want to all while making huge bank off people who sell a bookend for $300 that's worth $250 but sells a shoe box full of sterling silver for $25 lmfao, 2 pounds for $25 lmao, after I purchase it someone messages them and says something to the seller about silver and they post 1 spoon for $60 and it sells instantly lmao. I bought a 25 gram 14 kt gold x ray confirmed for $200 lmmfao!!! I bought a 14kt 6 gram 1 carat minced diamond for $15 lmmfao, I bought a 10kt white gold 9 grams 1 carat mined diamonds total weight, 3 carat emeralds total weight for $100 lmfao. This lady solid me a costume jewelry ring lmao it was 10kt 1 carat total weight aquamarine ring for $12 lmfao. I can go on and on and on!!! The deals are out their 24/7 just have to be quicker then the next guy or you miss out:) you win some you lose some that's the name of the game. I am sure other buyers where not happy I made those purchases but it is what it is and the same happens to me because I cant be online 24/7, it's not just online, I score a lot at savers, good will and salvation army. They have a tendency to price silver as if it is $2 a ounce. I bought a little table and chairs for $9.99 and they weigh 4 ozt total. I bought a dish for $2.49 and it weighed 8 ozt, I bought numerous candle holders forn$1. I bought a bowl for $20 and it weighed 6ozt and so on. I love my life and what I do to get paid and i would not want to be doing anything else. P.s. I do sell collectibles on the side and every morning I wake up I made money while I was sleeping and have to package and ship out boxes easy peezy then i go fishing for some nice rainbow trout and brook trout while most people have to be at a job doing a certain thing. I love my freedom how many people can say they do that. Almost all tax free. Amen.
I buy sterling at antique stores and estate sales all the time. Always way under spot price. I think it is more fun to have a piece of wealth with a purpose than just coins, bars, and other bullion. It is nice to have variety and eating with sterling flatware and hollowware is fun. The “ping” of an old fork or spoon against a ceramic plate or bowl just resonates and sounds magnificent.
I have been switching over to Sterling, ditching the stainless.
Looks better, sounds better, and provides external and internal microbial shield.
The inherent value is an added bonus.
Buying at or below spot, and patiently filling set.
I like visiting my local antique shops that have old prices and picking up sterling for well below melt. A month ago I bought a teapot for $195 that has at least $350 of silver in it. Bargain.
The problem is dealers are catching on to this and updating prices. It's virtually impossible to find silver below or at melt on eBay now.
Got pawnshops here that are selling silver cutlery and commemorative coins at and around melt, but with much lower premiums than bullion from reputable silver and gold shops. In fact, those total extras are lower than the 24% VAT rate that's levied on investment silver. Some items would actually have negative premiums if I just look at the melt price's tax value.
Like a 15€ coin that's .900 and 23,9g. 15,70€ worth of silver in it ATM. Tax on the silver melt alone would be 3,60€, so the shop's losing over 4€ in the deal. Must've gotten the pawn deal and valuation before the latest spike.
To the left of William Eaton’s Mark, is the journeyman’s mark. (The actual maker) William Eaton is the owner of the shop, (the sponsors mark)
Thank you for your video,is two years old.right now.but been collecting, sterling siver flatware for many years l personally think is worth collecting because it is the real money, silver is always money. It will continue going up in price,and the dollar continue going down.
I need a big silver goblet, one big enough that my nose does not hit the rim when I drink. 🤩🤩🤩👃🏻🍻
get a silver straw
LOL - love it!
@@pavlovssheep5548 🍻🍻
@@BackyardBullion 🤩🤩🤩
I have been stacking for my grandchildren so when I am gone they will get it all. I am not fussy if it's silver I stack it. From bullion bars and coins to jewelry and even cutlery and flatware. I have silver from all over the world dating back to the 1700,s and would never sell for scrap melting unless it was far beyond repair. I have a collection of pure 999 chopsticks from asia and I believe the reason they were made of silver was to detect poison in food as the silver would tarnish instantly. Maybe this is another reason why European Royalty and aristocrats would use it too. ?? Thanks from New Zealand.
I have, I use, I keep buying. Silver is silver anyway. From my coffee spoon, wine goblet, fruit dish or ashtray, silver can be used everyday. Even on the bottom of water jar I am keeping some silver to be ionized the drinking water.
I like sterling silver, but I love continental silver: .800, .830, .850. Pieces of history very sophisticated, very well made, easy to find at or below the spot price.
If there are stackers of junk silver coins 40%, 50% and it is always a big hunt of them, why to not stack and use in the same time silver between .800 and .925? Doesn't matter when I will want to sell, in the same day somebody will be more than happy to buy them for a fair 2%-5% over spot price.
Love finding silver cheap... I just picked up an American "coin" silver spoon made in Virginia sometime between 1761 and 1787. It only cost me $0.25
Its always a thrill when you get a good deal!
I'm a hobbyist refiner,I use sterling silver pieces to inquart karat gold down to 6k. Wont bore with the details but end up with 999 fine gold and 999 fine silver.
it's a lot easier to squeeze silver in the hand than to shake it from the bush. i would take that ladle over a share of SLV any day.
Well said, yes indeed!
I invest in Antique Chinese Export Silver, Indian Colonial Silver, English Silver and one of my favorites Mexican Silver (TANE).
The R is actually an 8 and probably is a code for the actual maker of the spoon as Eaton would have had many workers in his shop. When silver prices get high, many hollow ware pieces are sold at melt, which turns out to be cheaper than when they earlier were sold as antiques.
Wonderful, I am very grateful for you sharing - makes much more sense than copyright :-)
@@BackyardBullion I have 2530 oz ASW of antique British sterling. I used to have a lot more, but in 2011 the temptation to take a profit was too great and it was a good way to cull pieces that were not considered collectible.
Thats a nice giveaway from the sponsor but my fingers are crossed for yours! Best prize I've seen by far!
Thanks my friend!
Great video! I collect antique silver and those are actually fiddle pattern sauce/cream ladles 👍
Im a huge stacker of sterling i found a designer's sighed piece it was a big bowl with fish legs worth 4k free and many othees for free some 20 cents a ounce over 100 ounce
Very interesting timing for this video as I was just about to look at a deal of spot price flatware/tableware on TSF. Thought it might be an interesting part of my stack.
Lovely things, great history but not that practical for big stacking.
Silver flatware was considered a standard part of an established household in Norway well into the 1970s and 80s.
Over here, a big silver-flatware industry developed through the silversmiths in most of the cities in the early 1900s. The competition led to a wide range of available series, often based on very diverse and intricate patterns. This trend peaked around the 50s and 60s, whereafter the popularity of silverware has steadily declined. Still, most jewelers to this day still offers a limited selection of silverware from the most popular series new, and there is a strong second-hand market not only limited to antique shops. Typically, at the moment, the second-hand market has rates that are around twice the metal spot price for items with established patterns. This is again typically half the new-price charged by jewelers.
As of the future... The popularity for silverware here has quickly gone down the last few decades, but at the same time the silver spot price has become very high. This is first of all due to the hikes lately, but a weakening local currency does not help. At the moment, getting a full set new from scratch is prohibitively expensive, but still... Due to the popularity of silver in the 1920s to the 60s, there's also a lot of it around and a lot of that is being passed along through inheritance. Most of the new-sales from jewelers are typically just to fill in for missing parts of inherited sets, and as a result the selection of parts available new is getting more and more limited. However, with people being aware of the concept and the well established second-hand market, you very rarely see anything at spot and practically never below.
Stack all silver😎 5 stirling spoons and 2 stirling forks are always in my lunch box.
I always PREFERRED Sterling Silver Flatware and such...
Sterling Silver is more valuable in the USA than Old Coin Silver...
Sterling Silver holds 92.5% Silver and 7.5% Copper...
Old Coin Silver was made from 90%, 80% and even 40% Silver, much less than Silver Content than Sterling Silver Flatware...
It adds Variety to someone's collection if you stack Silver.. and gives you something to have a functional use in day-to-day uses... Also, Silver Flatware can be transported without anyone realizing what it truly is, so that you can transport it easier too...
Great topic Mr ByB!!! Fantastic addition to the conversation. It is actually on par to my Silver collection. Today I prioritize in WW constitutional Silver, some WW commemorative, indie hand poured, AND Silverware.
However, Silverware is aimed at my Silver refining hobby. Unfortunately I have not been able to find that many unities with good price, it is been enough to recover. refine and pour ~4 Ozt per month.
I just love this hobby.
This ladels are really beautiful and stacking out not would be a great addition to the kitchen for sure! Think about it - switching from the everyday usual flatware that you can buy anywhere to all sterling. Even if it's not all matching. That's neat!
Probably had a hammered finish on the end but 183 years of polishing took it out.
Hammer finish everything 👍
Lol, maybe this was the case!
I see sterling as an emergency stash and usable until it is needed for something else!
People in South American countries that experienced currency collapses relied on their sterling rings, chains, flatware, etc. to feed their families. Market places wouldn't accept currency but had booths where jewelry etc. was weighed for which you were given market tokens. Tokens bought anything in the market, then armed guards followed you to your car and waited until you loaded your purchases, then you were on your own to get home safely.
Love those spoons...I have yet to find silver in the wild.
They are wonderful!
spoons and jewellery far less likely to be confiscated by any new silver laws . especially if they get warrants for silver dealers customer lists , or any reinstatement of the 1966 laws on gold
Yeah, for sure but I don't think this is something we need to worry about any more.
@@BackyardBullion i wouldn't bet on that .Shit is getting pretty crazy
I like spoons and forks and plates and all other stuff , I have few in my stock , really good idea 💡
Very Good video
Good luck 😁👍🏿💪🏽🏴👊🏼
Great video!
Sterling, the original "junk silver"
For sure my friend!
At $23. a ounce these days I hardly think there's such a thing as "junk" silver any more.
@@pouglwaw5932I acquired a 32 piece set of Towle Sterling flatware about a month ago in a Thrift store, paid 6 bucks,I looked up the value and had to pat myself on the back,still can't believe it!!!!
Love flatware. Would have pay a premium for those, they are beautiful.
I have been told that 'R' mark beside the sponsor mark denotes what set it would have been part of when commissioned or bought in unison. They come in various symbols.
Wonderful, I am very grateful for you sharing - makes much more sense than copyright :-)
back in the day. the furniture came with locking drawers. hmmm.
Yes indeed, no pesky servants wondering off with the silverware!
Plymouth had a assay office I've not thought about silver flat wear before
Of course you can invest in silverware. But unless you're not an antique dealer and knows your stuff about antiques then don't fall victim on counting on the collectibles value. Especialy if bought relative to scrap price it can be a great buy. But for your own sake unless it's a cool piece that you for some reason want to actually use or for some other reason really like then don't pay too much. Too much above scrap price and you'd be much better of buying "junk" silver coins and medals instead. Not so much because of the value aspect of it but unless you live in a vault you need to consider safe storing of it - especially as your collection grows. Storing coins/medals is just much easier as they take up less space.
I have a few silverware items stumbled upon by chance - some of it because seller didn't know the foreign hallmarks.
At its base, all gold and silver is money, wether its bullion, jewellery or cutlery. I'd actually love a set of sterling flatware, never mind that its money hidden in plain sight but also for all the health benefits that supposedly come with it.
It's true- any pathogen [bacteria, fungi, germs, and even virus] die when in contact with silver. The longest these "bugs" can live is 6 minutes. Too bad people weren't told this during our pandemic, hmmmm?
I don't mind getting silver from 50% upwards. I think it's all good. You know you can hold it - without lose I guess.
I've heard that's a lot of the ones you find might be Sterling plated and I wonder how you would distinguish
learn uk and other country hallmarks , and carry a small magnet to quickly discard magnetic steel ones , makes sorting a box of old cutlery quicker
Yep, it is very easy to tell once you know what a real hallmark looks like
@@pavlovssheep5548 thanks. I don't own any and never look for them, but often wondered. Thanks everyone!
Silver plated markings are pretty much gibberish :)
Anywhere other than England it will literally say “sterling”, or just “925”. You don’t see lions, sterling, or 925, it’s plate. Also, most plate will say some weird gibberish
That's so interesting, love it! Out of curiosity, is it the marking related to masonry? Thanks for the video
A lion's head??? It's a leopards head. Until 1821 it would have had a crown above it. Still a good video, nonetheless. 👍👍👍
I use silverware everyday & I recommend anyone to do so. Buy a new set, or search out piece by piece 👍🏽
The duty Mark was discontinued in 1890
is this something you'll keep as is, or melt down into a bar??
Very interesting
I found some pretty worn out silverplated flatware at a thrift store and was was wondering if it was worth buying them. They possibly were from restaurants based on their apparent heavy use.
Pure JUNK! SILVER IS SILVER
For sure!
Whoo hoo I bought a victorian coffee pot and waste bowl for $150 with tax and shipping and they weigh a whopping 48ozt total!!!! And yes i test all my purchases. I have a arsenal of sterling silver and karat gold All at crackhead prices, I bought a huge sterling salad bowl for $35, the deals I get are crazy. I never have and never will pay even half of spot no where near it!!!!!!!! No coins no bars!!! I make more money off sterling then anything else. Gold is second runner up and I get really nice pieces of jewelry below spot all the time, most of the time 25%-50% of spot and yes their all real because i sell some to get back what i paid and stack the rest for free:) i make more money sitting on my couch then most going to work doing a 9-5 lmfao. I have all the time in the world to do what ever I want to all while making huge bank off people who sell a bookend for $300 that's worth $250 but sells a shoe box full of sterling silver for $25 lmfao, 2 pounds for $25 lmao, after I purchase it someone messages them and says something to the seller about silver and they post 1 spoon for $60 and it sells instantly lmao. I bought a 25 gram 14 kt gold x ray confirmed for $200 lmmfao!!! I bought a 14kt 6 gram 1 carat minced diamond for $15 lmmfao, I bought a 10kt white gold 9 grams 1 carat mined diamonds total weight, 3 carat emeralds total weight for $100 lmfao. This lady solid me a costume jewelry ring lmao it was 10kt 1 carat total weight aquamarine ring for $12 lmfao. I can go on and on and on!!! The deals are out their 24/7 just have to be quicker then the next guy or you miss out:) you win some you lose some that's the name of the game. I am sure other buyers where not happy I made those purchases but it is what it is and the same happens to me because I cant be online 24/7, it's not just online, I score a lot at savers, good will and salvation army. They have a tendency to price silver as if it is $2 a ounce. I bought a little table and chairs for $9.99 and they weigh 4 ozt total. I bought a dish for $2.49 and it weighed 8 ozt, I bought numerous candle holders forn$1. I bought a bowl for $20 and it weighed 6ozt and so on. I love my life and what I do to get paid and i would not want to be doing anything else. P.s. I do sell collectibles on the side and every morning I wake up I made money while I was sleeping and have to package and ship out boxes easy peezy then i go fishing for some nice rainbow trout and brook trout while most people have to be at a job doing a certain thing. I love my freedom how many people can say they do that. Almost all tax free. Amen.
no.
It takes on smells. I would not want to eat from Silver. Ruins the taste and i always feel like having stake Dirty jewelry und my mouth