sparkling husband primitive beyond clueless

[franksolich]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=403x2204

Oh my.

KoKo01  Donating Member  (1000+ posts) Mon Aug-25-08 09:09 PM
Original message

I read on a Blog somewhere that "Sterling Silver" doesn't count as "Real Silver" and if you own Sterling...it's so devalued as to be worthless.

My Dad (bless his heart) gave me my "Sterling Silver" because he was old and he thought it was part of my Dowery! OMG...who even thinks about stuff like that these days. Anyway...he asked me to "pick my pattern" and he paid over 2,000 for my choice...which was a minimum "place settings for six" and on our Aniversaries he sent us Serving Spoons and Forks...that he paid alot for back in the '70's...

But now I hear that what my Dad left me and what he scrimped and saved to give me in serving pieces that were expensive for "him then" are now WORTHLESS... That Sterling Silver is worth nothing.

Is that True? Was he told something that he thought would always give me "money" is not "valueless?"

Anyone know?

First up's the sparkling husband primitive, whose wife makes him use the bathroom in the basement:

Husb2Sparkly  Donating Member  (1000+ posts) Tue Aug-26-08 12:43 AM
Response to Original message

1. I'm gunna take a flyer here .........   

   
..... the guy who wrote the blog buys silver.

Am I right?

There's no way on the gods' green earth that sterling is 'worthless'. Indeed, what your Pop bought you is worth way, way more than he paid for it in the 70s.

Way more.

Now, sterling flatware has two kinds of value. The intrinsic value of the metal - probably the bigger part of the value for most of it. But it also has value in the maker and the pattern. One pattern is worth more than another. even if the silver weight is identical. I am beyond clueless about silver patters, but I know they matter.

Vinca  Donating Member  (1000+ posts) Tue Aug-26-08 12:25 PM
Response to Original message

2. Who is the maker of your sterling flatware?
   
All sterling has value, but some has more because of the maker - Tiffany, for example, is the best. Browse ebay or check the site at this link to get an idea of what yours is worth.http://www.silvercollect.com/

yy4me  Donating Member  (1000+ posts) Tue Aug-26-08 09:25 PM
Response to Original message

3. Whoever gave you this advice is full of baloney. Sterling can be in any form. The word "sterling" means that the object is made of 925 parts pure silver from 1000 parts pure silver, the rest (75) parts is an alloy.

Sterling can be flatware, hollowware, jewelry whatever. It is only the metal content that is in play using this word. If any item is sterling, it has value as 925 parts pure. Right now, the London Fix for sterling is around $16.00 oz troy pure. Disregarding things like scrapping and refining fees, figure your silver is 925% pure. Much modern flatware, candlesticks and the like have certain parts that are cement weighted. This cement is obviously not silver. If your items were to be scrapped, the cement would have to be removed.(a hard job).

To have someone say sterling is worthless is not to be believed. It is not worth as much as gold or other precious metals but a good, desirable pattern in sterling, especially pre-1960 when they started making place forks and the like in a lighter weight, is worth a good chunk of change.

Who was this dummy anyway.

This person needs to do his homework and I'd tell him so.

[JohnnyReb]

Yes it has "some" value. Why else would Hillary try to steal the White House silverware.

[Lord Undies]

I have an extensive set of antique silverware that's over 125 years old.  Even it is "sterling".  And it's worth a small fortune.  Silver is a soft metal.  It is too soft to use in its pure form for practical things like eating utensils. 

[DumbAss Tanker]

I cast it.  Sterling is classically a minimum of 92.5% silver and therefore almost as expensive as fine silver (aka ".999" or 99.9% miniumum purity).  The purpose for alloying it has much more to do with working qualities than it does with cheapening the metal.  The difference in metal value is minor until you start talking pounds of the stuff.

[JohnnyReb]

I cast it.  Sterling is classically a minimum of 92.5% silver and therefore almost as expensive as fine silver (aka ".999" or 99.9% miniumum purity).  The purpose for alloying it has much more to do with working qualities than it does with cheapening the metal.  The difference in metal value is minor until you start talking pounds of the stuff.

It's always been a paradox to me how adding something as soft as silver will enchance the wearabilty/durability of high impact and high abration welding rods used to protect/extend the life on high impact/wear points of heavy equipment.

Just amazes me.