# buying silver "stuff"



## partdeux (Aug 3, 2011)

Went to a church bazaar sale, and looked at several silver pieces. One was in the box, which reported it to be plated, one was made in china, but I picked up two bells. I have no idea if they are pure silver or not, but because of the way they were pricing things, they were free.

How do I determine if they are pure silver and/or sell them?

How do I determine in similar situations if someone selling something is solid silver and not just plated?


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## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

you can buy a kit:
http://www.scales-n-tools.com/

Rub the piece of jewelry across a piece of unglazed porcelain tile. It should not make a black streak. If it does, then it is more than likely pyrite. If the streak is golden yellow, then it is gold. Unglazed porcelain tile can be found at a hardware store. Use the Mohs scale to determine the hardness of the metal. Gold has a hardness of about 2.5 to 3 on the Mohs scale. Glass, on the other hand, has a hardness of 5.5 on the same scale. Try scratching glass with the piece of gold. If it scratches the glass, it is definitely not gold, or it is mixed with other metals and the purity is very low.

Common Metals Scale of Hardness
Lead - 1.5
Tin - 1.5
Zinc - 2.5
*Gold - 2.5 - 3*
*Silver - 2.5 - 3*
Aluminum - 2.5 - 3
Copper - 3
Brass - 3
Bronze - 3
Nickel - 4 
*Platinum - 4 - 4.5*
Steel - 5 - 5.5
Iron - 4.5 - 5
Palladium - 4.5 - 5 
Rhodium - 6
Titanium - 6
Hardened Steel - 7 - 8
Tungsten - 7.5
Tungsten Carbide - 8.5 - 9


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## fedorthedog (Apr 14, 2011)

Try a magnet if coated metal it should stick to steel underneath, it will not if its coated aluminum but its a start.


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## DKRinAK (Nov 21, 2011)

partdeux said:


> Went to a church bazaar sale, and looked at several silver pieces. One was in the box, which reported it to be plated, one was made in china, but I picked up two bells. I have no idea if they are pure silver or not, but because of the way they were pricing things, they were free.
> 
> How do I determine if they are pure silver and/or sell them?
> 
> How do I determine in similar situations if someone selling something is solid silver and not just plated?


Nothing is solid silver - not even 'silver' coins - silver is too soft.

Sterling silver, most often found in home type items, is an alloy of silver containing 92.5% by mass of silver and 7.5% by mass of other metals, usually copper.

Try to identify real sterling silver is by its authenticating mark. When genuine silver is crafted, it is often engraved with a marking such as 9.25, Sterling, Sterling 925, or S/S. On jewelry, this marking is typically found on the clasp; on flatware, the marking is found on the underside of the utensil. Items without the sterling silver marking are rarely genuine silver.

Examine the item's coloring closely. Genuine silver is typically less shiny and cooler in tone than silver plate. If you see places where the silver appears to have worn away or flaked off, the item is probably not sterling silver

Good luck, I worry about items made completely of brass, let alone silver.


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## partdeux (Aug 3, 2011)

I've looked at the bells, short of scratching the surface, and they do not appeared to be plated. It may be a great find  The bells ring and continue to ring, not ferrous metal, and rapidly transfer heat.


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## Immolatus (Feb 20, 2011)

Take them to your local coin dealer/pawn shop. Is hardcore pawn near you?


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## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

partdeux said:


> I've looked at the bells, short of scratching the surface, and they do not appeared to be plated. It may be a great find  The bells ring and continue to ring, not ferrous metal, and rapidly transfer heat.


tungsten alloy perhaps?


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## goatlady (Nov 7, 2011)

IF an item does not have the sterling mark it is plate. Even Paul Revere used the sterling marker on his pieces, it's basically the law.


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## BillM (Dec 29, 2010)

If the idea is to save up some silver , pre 1964 quarters , dimes and silver dollars are 90% pure silver. These are also known as junk silver. The date and denomination preclude any need to assay them.

You can also but U S or Canadian bullion coins . The silver dollar coins contain an ounce of 99.999 fine silver.

You are more likely to get cheated buying stuff at yard sales and flea markets than you are to find a bargan.


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## k0xxx (Oct 27, 2011)

partdeux said:


> Went to a church bazaar sale, and looked at several silver pieces. One was in the box, which reported it to be plated, one was made in china, but I picked up two bells. I have no idea if they are pure silver or not, but because of the way they were pricing things, they were free.
> 
> How do I determine if they are pure silver and/or sell them?
> 
> How do I determine in similar situations if someone selling something is solid silver and not just plated?


Except in rare cases, if the item is not marked 800, 900, 925, coin, or sterling, it is only plated. There are other markings, the Lion hallmark on sterling from England being the most common of those, but you don't generally see those too often. If the seller swears that an item is sterling and it isn't marked, I general ask if they'll agree to let me test it with my kit. Basically it involves rubbing the item (in an inconspicuous spot) on a stone and then using acid to determine the purity of the metal. A lot of times you can see the base metal under the plating of the item as soon as it is rubbed on the stone and the acid test becomes a mute point.

As for magnets, only the very cheap plated items are attracted to a magnets. Most plated items of any quality will be plated copper, brass or some other non-ferrous allow that won't be attracted to a magnet. I would recommend that if it doesn't say 925, sterling, etc., just don't buy it. At least that is until you get more confident and buy a test kit.

When buying items like salt shakers, candle sticks, compotes, etc., be careful to be sure you notice if it says "Weighted" or "Reinforced". What Weighted means is that some substance (sometimes concrete) has been added internally to give the item more heft and also to help stabilize it. That way they can use very thin silver sheeting to form the item and it feels like a nice solid item. Reinforced means that a stiff substance, like a steel rod, has been added to the body to make the thin silver stronger. To give an example, an average sized compote may weigh in the area of 175 to 200 grams, but once the weighting material and the reinforcing rod has been removed so that the item can be scrapped, you only end up with around 65 to 80 grams of sterling silver. That's still not bad considering that I can generally pay about $15 dollars for a scrap compote, and currently it sells for around $1 per gram.

There are a lot of items, like cutlery, that are marked sterling, but it is only referring to the handle. So you have to be careful not to pay too much for these, as most of the weight is not silver.

One last thing, there is a LOT of really cheap crap (especially the smaller chains and a lot of pendents) coming out of China these days, and a surprising number of these will be marked 925 or sterling but still be plated. Most of these will be attracted to a magnet. Just be sure to check the center of the chains, away from the hasps and connectors. A lot of sterling pieces will have small steel springs to make the connectors function, and those spring will be attracted to the magnet.


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## partdeux (Aug 3, 2011)

k0,

should I be able to just scratch it then? I really don't care about the item, I got it for free, it just looked like a solid silver piece


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## k0xxx (Oct 27, 2011)

partdeux said:


> k0,
> 
> should I be able to just scratch it then? I really don't care about the item, I got it for free, it just looked like a solid silver piece


The short answer is yes. Find an inconspicuous spot on the body of the item and cut into it with a small file. If it is plated, you will not have to make much of a cut at all to tell. If you see no color change within the cut, take it to a pawn or jewelry shop and have it acid tested. It is possible that it is all made from the same metal, just not silver, so it's best to have it tested.


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