What we buy · Sterling Flatware & Hollowware
Heavy, Unloved, and Frequently Misjudged
The canteen nobody wants and nobody wants to throw away. Usually worth real money as metal, occasionally worth more as a set.
Unhurried, itemized, and with a written record. Bring the co-executor, the attorney, or whoever else needs to see it.
2004
Buying precious metals in South Florida since
Itemized
Every item weighed and priced separately, in front of you
Written
A record the estate can put in the file
No pressure
Take the offer away. It will still be there
Two things people get wrong
They assume silver plate is sterling, and they assume a complete pattern set is worth no more than its weight. The first disappoints and the second occasionally costs a family a great deal, because a complete service in a sought-after pattern can be worth substantially more intact than melted.
Weighted pieces cause the most confusion. Candlesticks, some handles and many hollow items contain filler or cement to give them stability, and only the silver counts. A set weighed whole and quoted on that figure is being quoted on a number that includes material with no value.
What we check
- Sterling versus plate — tested, not assumed from appearance.
- The pattern and the maker, before weighing.
- Whether the set is complete, which matters for some patterns.
- Weighted pieces — candlesticks and handles contain filler.
- Hollowware, which is judged differently from flatware.
Whether a set is worth more intact
For a small number of patterns there is a genuine collector market, and a complete or near-complete service can be worth meaningfully more than its metal. For most patterns there is not, and the honest answer is that the silver content is the value.
Which is which is a question of the specific pattern and maker, and it takes a few minutes to establish. It is worth the few minutes, because it is not recoverable once a set has been melted.
How we handle it
- 01Test sterling versus plate on every piece.
- 02Identify pattern and maker before anything is weighed.
- 03Tell you when a complete set is worth more intact.
- 04Explain weighted pieces rather than weighing them whole.
- 05Provide a written itemized record.
Do not polish it before bringing it in. Polishing removes silver, and heavy polishing over the years is why some old flatware weighs noticeably less than it should. It makes no difference to what we can offer.
Said plainly
Where we stop
Silver plate has very little metal value regardless of how good it looks. That is disappointing to hear and it is better heard from us than discovered after somebody paid to ship it somewhere.
FAQ
Common questions
- Is our set sterling or plate?
- We test it. Plate looks identical and has very little metal value.
- Should we polish it first?
- No. Polishing removes silver and makes no difference to the offer.
- Is a complete set worth more?
- In some patterns, considerably. We check the pattern before weighing.
- What about weighted candlesticks?
- They contain filler. We explain it rather than weighing them whole.
For executors
Authority to Sell
executor authority sell estate jewelry florida
Explore →
Records & Accounting
executor record estate jewelry sale receipt
Explore →
Beneficiaries
executor beneficiaries estate jewelry dividing
Explore →
Timing
when to sell estate jewelry gold price
Explore →
The Irreversible Decisions
estate jewelry mistakes melting selling regret
Explore →
Next step
Run it both ways before you decide.
No credit check and no obligation. Tell us what you hold and what the money is for, and if selling is the better answer for your situation you will be told that first.