Sterling Silver Flatware & Serving Sets
For those looking to sell sterling silver flatware and serving pieces, one must first determine whether or not the items they have are made of sterling silver or are silver plated. Plated silver flatware has little to no precious metal value and is not worth refining.
Sterling silver, on the other hand, has value even if it is mangled beyond recognition or branded with monograms or initials. Because sterling silver contains 92.5% silver, it has an intrinsic value related to this precious metal content.
Silverware made in the United States is generally stamped with one of the following markings:
- Sterling
- .925
- 925 / 1000
- .800
- 800 / 1000
- .900
- 900 / 1000
Plated silver is often depicted by an A1 or the like. If the flatware was made in the US after the 1850’s and does not have one of these sterling marks, it is probably not sterling.
Arch Enterprises specializes in the refining of sterling silver flatware and serving pieces to ensure the maximum amount of silver is extracted from the flatware. Please note that many sterling silver knives contain stainless steel blades and support rods that increase their weight while lowering their precious metal value.
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Arch Enterprises is NOT an antique dealer, researcher or retail seller of silverware. We only take into account the weight of your silverware and the amount of silver available for recovery. We CANNOT give estimates based on the make, manufacture date, rarity, or collectability of items. |