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erikvarela

silver tray pick; need help and info please

erikvarela
11 years ago

hello, well yesterday i bought this silver plate from an estate sale and i would like more information if anyone possible knows. its a beautiful piece and id like to know a little more about it. thanks in advance.

Comments (9)

  • Fori
    11 years ago

    Oooh. Nice! It should have markings on the back side that will most likely give you enough info to ID it (or have it IDed).

  • erikvarela
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    where can i go in los angeles to get it ided? it has no marking on it but so im skeptical that it can be silver, then again it wont stick to a magnet?

  • lazy_gardens
    11 years ago

    No marking = NOT sterling

    Silver plate was usually plated onto copper, which does not hold a magnet.

    Polish it and enjoy it.

  • lindac
    11 years ago

    Sterling is sometimes not marked....but from what I see of that pattern, it's new enough that it should be marked.

    Silver, that i can think of was never plated over anything that would hold a magnet...very often copper, and often "White metal"...
    But silver plate unless it was new and cheap, is marked....
    Unless you are missing a mark somewhere....it could be "Old Sheffield" which is about as valuable as sterling.
    How about a good picture of the back...And a clear close up of the edge? Are there any spots that show any copper?

  • erikvarela
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    hey, well i just went and had it checked it is not silver, its copper silver plated.. also i did find a marking once cleaning a bit more. m.a.?.. 5-18-24

  • lindac
    11 years ago

    Hmm......that could be a date that it was re plated...or perhaps sold.
    Was the person who told you it's silver plated copper knowlegable about old sheffield plate?

  • patty_cakes
    11 years ago

    I have a bunch of SS *plate*, and have only been lucky enough to find the real deal, a mirror, for $8. The lady I bought if from apologized for it being 'so tarnished'. I don't think she realized it wasn't plate, but if she would have cleaned it, she would have found out otherwise.

    Moral of the story, don't look at the shiny stuff. LOL

  • erikvarela
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    umm, i took the plate to a jeweler near my house. he put a small drop of acid on a side and it bubbled green and when he whipped it down there is a copper color underneath. im pretty sure he is not knowledgeable with old Sheffield plate. i don't even know what that is, i will look into it myself.

  • lindac
    11 years ago

    Nope......likely he doesn't know a thing about 'Old Sheffield".
    Old Sheffiend was a way of creating plated ware before electroplating. A layer of copper and pure ( not sterling...but pure silver) were rolled together creating a "sandwich" of silver and copper and things were made from that....and if things were to be trimmed, as in the grapes etc on your tray, those decorations were often made from sterling and applied. Also...often the back side of an old Sheffield tray ot the inside of a coffee pot would not even be plated with silver....just tin or even base metal.
    And old sheffield often is unmarked and never says "silver on copper" or "sheffield plate"
    I hope the jeweler with his little dab of acid didn't destroy some of the value of your tray. Never ever allow anyone to dab some acid on a piece of silver.