Got some antiques in your home, but don’t know what they’re worth or what they’re made of? The website, Antique Marketplace, gives readers advice on how to get antiques valued, and how to get things appraised.
Before you search for a ” certified antique appraiser near me“, be mindful of the items you have. You may have heard of sterling silver before, but such items have a whopping 92.5% silver content! Antique plates and silverware are commonly only sterling silver plated, meaning that the silver dish you own may be more copper or nickel rather than silver. This is not to say that your antiques aren’t worth appraising, but keep in mind that it’s common to have certain plates and cutlery pieces that have a thin layer of sterling silver for a coating.
All in all, you should ask an antique expert anyway. Even if you only have what’s referred to as “silver-plated flatware,” it could be worth some cash. Also, hold on to any antique items that may have copper in them, as current market prices show the value of copper is rising.
Antiques are unique because they help to demonstrate, that people have items that remind them of various places, people, events, etc. An example of this would be someone that has an antique that reminds them of their childhood. Now; some important questions to ask about the topic are as follows. “Where are antique glass experts near me?” Moreover, another good question to ask would be as follows. “Where is glass art repair near me?” The questions can be answered through Google, which can be an efficient way to find quick research.
Now as for the first question, antique glass experts, can better help people to understand the kind of work that they are looking for. Meanwhile, finding a repair expert aids people in being able to better understand how any antiques that can be potentially damaged, end up getting repaired. An example of this would be antique glass sheets. Sometimes, these can also be hand-blown, and as such, it would be helpful to answer the following questions. “Where commercial glass repair or hand-blown glass repair near me?
If you’ve recently come into jewelry or other household items, you could be in the possession of antique sterling. Jewelry is often composed of alloys of two precious metals: silver and gold. Gold and silver prices rise and fall in juxtaposition to market trends, but they can still be worth a hefty amount.
Household objects that have a cash-trade value are often things such as sterling silver tea sets, silverware, sterling candelabras, and other similar items. If you are looking to get these items appraised, the first step is to visit a shop that buys and sells precious metals. However, if you’re generally curious if what you possess has any significant monetary value, there are certain tells that will alert you to it’s value.
Sterling Silver Versus Sterling Plated
Many people believe that the items they possess are pure silver or something similar if they appear to be. However, many times these objects are simply covered in a layer of silver, rather than being composed of it.
If an object is considered sterling, or sterling silver, then it is composed of 92.5% silver. Sterling silver is inherently different then fine silver though, and the market price is actually based on a standard of .999, or 99%, fine silver. Sterling silver is referenced in troy ounces, which is about 31.2 grams per troy ounce.
Sterling plated items are commonly confused for being sterling silver, and many antique silver items such as sterling trays are actually plated and not pure. Sterling plated items are metal objects such as brass, copper, or nickel that have a thin layer of sterling silver bonded to the surface. Silverware is actually silverplatedflatware, more often than not. Many of these items will have markings to indicate that they’re silver plated, such as ‘EP’ or ‘EPNS’ etched somewhere. Some items may also state something such as “silver on copper” to indicate what metal is plated.
Even though sterling and sterling plated are two very different terms and you should know the difference, both can be worth something. Sterling silver tends to be worth much more because of its purity, but objects such as silver plated copper can also have value. The market prices for copper are raising so it may be worth it to hang on to any copper-based items for scrapping.
If you think your antique sterling may be worth something, contact today to find out.
