I’ve taken home some of my family’s old silver (some small trays, cups, creamers, a samovar, etc.). Mostly late 19th-century, Gorham sterling. It’s all pretty badly tarnished; but I’ve seen too many Antiques Roadshow appraisers say, “If you’d left it alone, it would be worth $300,000. Now, it’s gah-bage.”
Do I leave Grandmother’s silver alone, or shall I polish it and remove the tarnish?
DONT POLISH!
Let the buyer, if you want to sell it, do the polishing. The discoloration/patina authenticates the age of the pieces.
Why argue with the experts on “Roadshow”???
And get an appraisal if you really want to part with it.
You can get a good tarnish on silver overnight just by placing it in a bag with a hard boiled egg yolk.
However, if tarnished silver offends your sensibilities or clashes with the decor, it can be “dehabilitated,” if you wish.
To restore the patina, place the item underneath a clear plastic bag (so you can watch) and place a couple of hard-boiled eggs inside of it–I recommend off to the side, just in case. The sulfides from the eggs re-corrodes the silver. As I recall, as the eggs begin to go bad, that’s when the patina begins to show, so yank the nasty ones and replace them until the object in question looks like junk, I suppose. I’ll bet one of those roadshow folks can spot the ruse, though.
I wish I could provide the link, but I did the research a couple of years ago and only remember the results, not the pages. I’m sure experts can supply them if necessary.
Another tip I recall is don’t place your silverware on newspaper, because it will cause the contact surface to tarnish faster than the rest of the utensil.
Squink, will you be the editor for my upcoming book?
Sure, but it’d probably end up being a pamphlet 
Or a manifesto. I’m not sure those are en vogue these days.
In the museum in which I work, we sometimes clean silver objects. We never discuss anything like valuation, so I can’t tell you whether it will effect the resale value, or not. We only do so if the piece is going to be on display.
I will suggest that if you do decide to polish, not to use any of the abrasive paste products on the market. We only use Nevr-Dull. It’s a cotton wadding with tarnish-cutting oils. It will not scratch or damage the surface. (Wear gloves if you are going to use this product. Your hands get filthy.)
Afterwards, if you wish, you can use a product called Renaissance Wax to keep the tarnish from coming back. Use it very sparingly. (A tiny smidegon on a soft cloth is enough to coat the whole piece.)
Eve, you’re the closest thing these boards have to a real lady. Of course you polish the silver, then you use it every day. You wouldn’t dream of selling your grandmother’s silver, would you? What would she think if you left it unpolished?
I think silver is one of those items whose value is not diminished by removing the oxidation, You might compromise by polishing the highlights and leaving the patina in the nooks and crannies.
Hmmm. The tarnish certainly doesn’t bother me. As for value, I doubt the whole lot is worth more than a few hundred bucks, and I would never sell it anyway.
I like that guy on PBS who wrote Haley’s Cleaning Hints. He uses fabric softener, alum foil, hot water & salt. No rubbing necessary. I haven’t tried it on my silver cause I can’t find any dry fabric softener.
If I do polish them, I will look for that Nevr-Dull, Lissa. Where can it be found?
I buy it at a hardware store. Wal-Mart or one of the chain stores may have it.
This is what it looks like.
**handy, ** I’d strongly urge you not to use that method. Sure, it may work, but you may end up with a pitted surface. With an heirloom, why take chances?
There are a lot of “helpful cleaning hints” out there which can seriously damage antiques. When in doubt, call your local museum and ask them. They should be happy to tell you how to clean and care for your item.
Or, just ask me. If I don’t know the answer, I’ll ask my curator.
Thanks—I printed out that page and will stuff it into my briefcase.