This has been a very interesting video, I'm personally looking into collecting silver wherever I might run into it locally and it's nice to have some guides to help in case I find something not made in the USA.
Silver has a very distinct sound and has a very high ring ! I've spotted sterling across the room, purely from its sound. However lots of fake silver will have a similar ring... Never go by the sound alone that it is silver, take several tests, as many as you can !!
It's taken me about twenty years of collecting, and I'm still learning! I recently had an epiphany. I was looking at some unmarked napkin rings I bought years ago before I had a lot of experience, and I noticed that they were somewhat on the heavy side. I thought for a second, maybe I got ripped off, as plated pieces (with metal other than silver underneath) tend to be heavier than sterling, which is very light. But then it suddenly dawned on me: coin silver, with its extra 2.5 percent non-silver metal, WILL be heavier than sterling, so that explains the extra weight. Also, was noticing that many times when they put gilt on flatware, they make the sterling in that spot a little rough first. Does the gold plating tend to flake off if this isn't done, say, to help it adhere better? I ask because I noticed this roughness on a napkin ring I bought long ago that I have a high suspicion is plated. (There are other things, such as it has beading that looks like it has uneven fill between the beads, as though something has coated them.) When they create plated forgeries, do they need to do something similar to make the plating adhere to the base metal? And lastly, I agree with you about the Sheffield plate. The protruding copper has a beautiful and warm look to it. It almost has a mixed metals appeal to it. I inherited a pair of HUGE Sheffield plate branched candelabra, like haunted house size, sans the cobwebs. :) I love them.
Hi, thanks for the informative vid. Showing us the french plated bottle holder may have been the ideal oppourtunity to make sure people are not misled when looking for '84' (On Russian pieces for example. You mentioned 2 examples) '84' on French pieces means plated.
Thanks for the knowledge.I recently bought a cup from a thrift store.(no markings) but it looked silver . I spent a dollar.I just got my silver testing kit today and what do know.its silver.129 grams😝
I have a tray and the only identifying marks are an antique looking A and a stamp of what appears to be a crane bird. It says it was made in Sheffield England. I’m assuming it’s plate but I’m not sure.
Question about the box with no markings: You mentioned that it should not ring like a brass bell, if thats the case then why do Silver coins ring when the box does not?
AZHighDesert I think he doesnt want anyone to take all the silver. It's obvious he is making false bait. Here's my tips. Sterling silver items tend to have a darker color (dark grey to black) when tarnishing. A german silver item has a gold-like color when tarnishing. (german silver is impure With multiple types of metals and has no silver at all) i bought a plate that was far too heavy to be silver yesterday for 1.50 and just found out when i got home that silver that tarnishes doesn't have a gold color tint to it. Still looks nice though. Silver can easily deform and have bumps on it. To know if it's silver you gotto look for parts of it looking as if it's been hammered or deformed. Sometimes the fancy patterns are even shown through the metal plating. Usually silver is really thin and lighter than it looks. With false silver it tends to be alot heavier than it looks. And the manufactures who make false silver bends the edges to make sure no one notices the rustic copper peeking through. false silver (it has alot more copper than silver) manufactures sometimes triple plates it with silver to make sure no now realizes the false indication. Another thing is there's this acid you can put on it to see if its real. I forget the name but i guess it's used on silver to test the authenticity. To prepare you Wear gloves (recommend thick thick gloves but as long as your careful) and eye protection as well as a mask. If you want to make sure it's not triple plated you may need to drill or scrape at a part thats not noticeable by others. Once you do that you squirt a drop of the acid in the chipped place then you wait. It sometimes takes a couple minutes depending on if the plating is too thick. If the acid turns into a greenish blue color then it's a fake if it stays a reddish brown color then it's real. Silver sounds more high pitched then other metal alloys and is easily cold. They also are soft and smooth. Silver is conductive enough for ice to melt faster then other metals. Oh and you got to look for certain numbers and patterns. You may need to look up online about fake patterns vs real patterns. It didn't take me too long (like 2 days) to learn all this but im happy to give advice.
AZHighDesert Oh wait false alarm i just realized that silver can turn into a goldish color when tarnishing. But i still recommend testing it to make sure it's real.
i think you are referring to citric acid. scratch the silver in an inconspicuous spot and put a drop of citric acid in it, if the response is green, not silver, a tannish cream color, silver.
What is 90 stamped on 1970 German spoons? Plated or 90 percent silver?I I bought at the flea market what was told me to be silver necklace is all jewelry marked?
I ALWAYS appreciate learning about new hallmarks and what to attribute them to. I did not know the Philadelphia hallmark for coin silver. Good to know.
Is it possible to have a lion passant on Sheffield Plate?Or is the lion a mark of other significance,such as a town?Can it be mistakenly marked plate?There doesn't seem to be the typical copper center characteristic of Sheffield.The forward looking lion throws me off
i have a knife , on the handle i see it says british airways . then next t it is marked RM & CO 1988 . there no other markings or hallmarks . how do i know if its silver ?
What does the value of a piece that says International Silver Co.with the numbers 0998-01 mean? Also, there is a box with a 70 inside. Does this mean that the piece is 70% silver? What does the 0998-01 mean? It's a 14" silver platter.
Well, one point of confusion for me. Remember the song "silver bells -silver bells -it's Christmas time in the city"...? That and we use to "ringggg" the Kennedy silver 1/2 dollars resting on our fingertips while flicking with the other. Also in this video I heard one of your pieces ring when you accidentally hit it. 5:08
RJSoftware2000 Oh wait false alarm i just realized that silver can turn into a goldish color when tarnishing. But i still recommend testing it to make sure it's real.
first of all thank you for your videos , I do have a question for you , are you familiar with this : EPC 5/36- then the plate has a face a crown an a sign that I wouldn't be able to describe
I found what looks like a silver trinket box but there are no markings whatsoever. I cant even figure out what era its from. Does anyone have any ideas on how to find this information
where was this place you went to, it looks like fun? Was this a regular flea market or a one time yard sale event? do you always find a lot of sterling at these types of events?... Love the music....Your information was very informative & I'ld like to learn more. It looks like you are in a store, where is it? I came from a poor background & never knew anything about buying silver or any kind of expensive item, What does one do with a sterling piece, I mean you can't eat it, oh sorry I'ld probably have to pawn it anyway to pay the internet so I could keep watching you.
seeamerica1 He gave false advice. Silver is supposed to have a high pitched ringing sound. So im going to give you better advice for finding silver. Sterling silver items tend to have a darker color (dark grey to black) when tarnishing. A german silver item has a gold-like color when tarnishing. (german silver is impure With multiple types of metals and has no silver at all) i bought a plate that was far too heavy to be silver yesterday for 1.50 and just found out when i got home that silver that tarnishes doesn't have a gold color tint to it. Still looks nice though. Silver can easily deform and have bumps on it. To know if it's silver you gotto look for parts of it looking as if it's been hammered or deformed. Sometimes the fancy patterns are even shown through the metal plating. Usually silver is really thin and lighter than it looks. With false silver it tends to be alot heavier than it looks. And the manufactures who make false silver bends the edges to make sure no one notices the rustic copper peeking through. false silver (it has alot more copper than silver) manufactures sometimes triple plates it with silver to make sure no now realizes the false indication. Another thing is there's this acid you can put on it to see if its real. I forget the name but i guess it's used on silver to test the authenticity. To prepare you Wear gloves (recommend thick thick gloves but as long as your careful) and eye protection as well as a mask. If you want to make sure it's not triple plated you may need to drill or scrape at a part thats not noticeable by others. Once you do that you squirt a drop of the acid in the chipped place then you wait. It sometimes takes a couple minutes depending on if the plating is too thick. If the acid turns into a greenish blue color then it's a fake if it stays a reddish brown color then it's real. Silver sounds more high pitched then other metal alloys and is easily cold. They also are soft and smooth. Silver is conductive enough for ice to melt faster then other metals. Oh and you got to look for certain numbers and patterns. You may need to look up online about fake patterns vs real patterns.
seeamerica1 Oh wait false alarm i just realized that silver can turn into a goldish color when tarnishing. But i still recommend testing it to make sure it's real.
I'll give you some tips. This guy only talks about patterns so uh yeah. Sterling silver items tend to have a darker color (dark grey to black) when tarnishing. A german silver item has a gold-like color when tarnishing. (german silver is impure With multiple types of metals and has no silver at all) i bought a plate that was far too heavy to be silver yesterday for 1.50 and just found out when i got home that silver that tarnishes doesn't have a gold color tint to it. Still looks nice though. Silver can easily deform and have bumps on it. To know if it's silver you gotto look for parts of it looking as if it's been hammered or deformed. Sometimes the fancy patterns are even shown through the metal plating. Usually silver is really thin and lighter than it looks. With false silver it tends to be alot heavier than it looks. And the manufactures who make false silver bends the edges to make sure no one notices the rustic copper peeking through. false silver (it has alot more copper than silver) manufactures sometimes triple plates it with silver to make sure no now realizes the false indication. Another thing is there's this acid you can put on it to see if its real. I forget the name but i guess it's used on silver to test the authenticity. To prepare you Wear gloves (recommend thick thick gloves but as long as your careful) and eye protection as well as a mask. If you want to make sure it's not triple plated you may need to drill or scrape at a part thats not noticeable by others. Once you do that you squirt a drop of the acid in the chipped place then you wait. It sometimes takes a couple minutes depending on if the plating is too thick. If the acid turns into a greenish blue color then it's a fake if it stays a reddish brown color then it's real. Silver sounds more high pitched then other metal alloys and is easily cold. They also are soft and smooth. Silver is conductive enough for ice to melt faster then other metals. Oh and you got to look for certain numbers and patterns. You may need to look up online about fake patterns vs real patterns.
Oh wait false alarm i just realized that silver can turn into a goldish color when tarnishing. But i still recommend testing it to make sure it's real.
I have some very small forks they are silver they look to me like perhaps Jewish markings. One have on the back the (800) and the letter D or O the front have what looks like olive tree and a gate to a city, one with jewish candle stick grape vine on the front,one has the star of David with what looks like a city carved at the top. I have six all different, two with what looks like roses,one has what looks like a ribbon on it. A Rabi said he did not know what they were. Any clues?
Question, if a piece is completely unmarked and I do an acid test, will EPNS or heavy silver plate still give you a positive test result? Or does only solid sterling silver turn the acid dark red?
Marcus Silveritis Sterling silver items tend to have a darker color (dark grey to black) when tarnishing. A german silver item has a gold-like color when tarnishing. (german silver is impure With multiple types of metals and has no silver at all) i bought a plate that was far too heavy to be silver yesterday for 1.50 and just found out when i got home that silver that tarnishes doesn't have a gold color tint to it. Still looks nice though. Silver can easily deform and have bumps on it. To know if it's silver you gotto look for parts of it looking as if it's been hammered or deformed. Sometimes the fancy patterns are even shown through the metal plating. Usually silver is really thin and lighter than it looks. With false silver it tends to be alot heavier than it looks. And the manufactures who make false silver bends the edges to make sure no one notices the rustic copper peeking through. false silver (it has alot more copper than silver) manufactures sometimes triple plates it with silver to make sure no now realizes the false indication. Another thing is there's this acid you can put on it to see if its real. I forget the name but i guess it's used on silver to test the authenticity. To prepare you Wear gloves (recommend thick thick gloves but as long as your careful) and eye protection as well as a mask. If you want to make sure it's not triple plated you may need to drill or scrape at a part thats not noticeable by others. Once you do that you squirt a drop of the acid in the chipped place then you wait. It sometimes takes a couple minutes depending on if the plating is too thick. If the acid turns into a greenish blue color then it's a fake if it stays a reddish brown color then it's real. Silver sounds more high pitched then other metal alloys and is easily cold. They also are soft and smooth. Silver is conductive enough for ice to melt faster then other metals. Oh and you got to look for certain numbers and patterns. You may need to look up online about fake patterns vs real patterns.
Marcus Silveritis Oh wait false alarm i just realized that silver can turn into a goldish color when tarnishing. But i still recommend testing it to make sure it's real.
I have a silver chain that has the "925" marking on one side of the clasp and on the other it has made in Italy, Im trying to figure out if it is real it seems to be between 4 to 6 pound, I do not have nitric acid or a heavy enough magnic to test it. I was wondering if it is real?
Without seeing a pic of it at least there's only so much I can tell you as a random in a YT comment section without getting your hopes up... Are there any other marks at all? Symbols? Initials? Some home tests you can do, like the "Ice Cube Test" Silver absorbs and holds radiant heat fairly well compared to other metals. This test is literally setting an ice-cube on it and seeing how quickly it melts the ice cube, not super informative. A dip in some white vinegar, which would mess up most common silver-fakes like Nickel and White Brass, will actually clean silver rather nicely. If you're feeling ballsy and don't mind scratching it up a bit: A "scratch test " in a hard-to-see area. Just scratch it with a nail file, give it three or four good strokes, like you were just filing your nails, just to see if it's plated, look at it with a magnifying glass or closely under decent light & if you don't see any differences in color like a duller silver or something like gold, you most likely have silver. You can polish the scratches out 99.9% with a 4 way fingernail buffer those things are friggin miracle workers. Speaking of nail buffers...Clean un-tarnished Silver will leave a silver streak on a nail buffer, Nickel/ Steel leaves a black streak & brass leaves something of a brownish or blue-black-ish streak depending on if it's yellow or white brass. Be careful though, I picked up a leather & ".925 silver" bracelet not too long ago the " .925" tube bead was fake ( plated) but the Clasp was real so it helps to test in more than one spot. Hope this helps :D
rare to see pure silver because it's a relatively soft metal... but yes, it would be more valuable than same weight of 92.5% silver usually found in sterling.
James Grapes Then I'll give you some tips. Sterling silver items tend to have a darker color (dark grey to black) when tarnishing. A german silver item has a gold-like color when tarnishing. (german silver is impure With multiple types of metals and has no silver at all) i bought a plate that was far too heavy to be silver yesterday for 1.50 and just found out when i got home that silver that tarnishes doesn't have a gold color tint to it. Still looks nice though. Silver can easily deform and have bumps on it. To know if it's silver you gotto look for parts of it looking as if it's been hammered or deformed. Sometimes the fancy patterns are even shown through the metal plating. Usually silver is really thin and lighter than it looks. With false silver it tends to be alot heavier than it looks. And the manufactures who make false silver bends the edges to make sure no one notices the rustic copper peeking through. false silver (it has alot more copper than silver) manufactures sometimes triple plates it with silver to make sure no now realizes the false indication. Another thing is there's this acid you can put on it to see if its real. I forget the name but i guess it's used on silver to test the authenticity. To prepare you Wear gloves (recommend thick thick gloves but as long as your careful) and eye protection as well as a mask. If you want to make sure it's not triple plated you may need to drill or scrape at a part thats not noticeable by others. Once you do that you squirt a drop of the acid in the chipped place then you wait. It sometimes takes a couple minutes depending on if the plating is too thick. If the acid turns into a greenish blue color then it's a fake if it stays a reddish brown color then it's real. Silver sounds more high pitched then other metal alloys and is easily cold. They also are soft and smooth. Silver is conductive enough for ice to melt faster then other metals. Oh and you got to look for certain numbers and patterns. You may need to look up online about fake patterns vs real patterns.
James Grapes Oh wait false alarm i just realized that silver can turn into a goldish color when tarnishing. But i still recommend testing it to make sure it's real.
