# Selling Silver

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-silver/656276>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 21, 2013, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-silver/656276 "2013-04-21T01:23:40Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\
**Post date:** [April 22, 2013, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-silver/656276/21 "2013-04-22T04:14:50Z")

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I don’t speak for **samclem** , but the margins taken by retail shops buying old silver can be quite significant, on the order of 25 or 30%. Also, keep in mind that that precious metals prices–silver especially–[have undergone a mini-crash](http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/opinion/columns/g-chandrashekhar/precipitous-fall-in-gold-silver/article4640274.ece?ref=wl_agri-biz) in the last week, though they are now starting to head upwards again.

If you can possibly hold off on selling, you might want to consider it.

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**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\
**Post date:** [April 22, 2013, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-silver/656276/22 "2013-04-22T05:29:55Z")

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I have “a guy” I found on Craigslist. I’ve sold some coins and jewelry and other things to him, and he pays close to melt value. I’ve done eBay in the past. Where I used to live it was possible to go to auctions several years ago and buy boxes of silver “silverware” for a $1.

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**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\
**Post date:** [April 22, 2013, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-silver/656276/23 "2013-04-22T12:42:45Z")

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> [@samclem](#):
>
> Sterling flatware is just jargon for knives/forks/spoons made out of sterling silver.
> 
> IF you have candlesticks, etc. made out of sterling silver, we call that holloware.

Thanks, I misunderstood when you said sterling flatware was not saleable. I understand you meant as flatware, but it has melt value.

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**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\
**Post date:** [April 22, 2013, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-silver/656276/24 "2013-04-22T14:13:54Z")

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A little searching online showed a couple of reference to Wm. Rogers silverware, it’s silverplate if it’s from the 1940s, and a set is worth $100 to $150. But those didn’t look like reliable sources. Another site said that antique shops pay the most for silverware or silverplate. Take that with a grain of salt also. A couple of online sales of single pieces showed a price of $6.50 for a spoon and $10 for something else, but it might take years to sell a set out in pieces.

Best bit of information I learned was that there were dozens of companies with the name “Rogers” making silverware in the 19th and 20th century. One company hired a man with the name Rogers to use his name. Wm. Rogers was acquired by International Silver in the late 1800s, many of their products are also marked with an IS.

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