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