Buff the silverware to a shine with a soft, nonabrasive white cloth. If the silverware is real, it will leave a slight (or not so slight) black mark. Real silver chemically reacts with oxygen to form a patina (tarnish) while silver plating bonds to the underlying metal, so stainless steel will leave no such mark.
How do I date my Rogers Bros silverware?
Locate the manufacturer’s mark on the back of the item. Look for the name “Wm. Rogers” prefaced by the date “1865,” which identifies a piece made by William Rogers around 1865.
How much are silver plated spoons worth?
Silver Plated Spoons will normally sell from $1 to $15. Very few will exceed $15. If a spoon is NOT marked sterling or if it does not have legitimate European silver marks, it is MOST likely silver plated.
Is all Rogers silver plated?
Rogers sterling (often marked Wm Rogers – and also indicated ‘Sterling’) is actually pure silver. Whereas Rogers plated silver is not. Be wary of items marked as Stainless, Triple Plate, IS, Silver, EPNS, and the like.
What do the markings on silverware mean?
A silver object that is to be sold commercially is, in most countries, stamped with one or more silver hallmarks indicating the purity of the silver, the mark of the manufacturer or silversmith, and other (optional) markings to indicate date of manufacture and additional information about the piece.
How can you tell if silverware is valuable?
Inspect the pieces looking for markings such as “925,” “. 925” or “sterling” for pieces made in the U.S. These pieces are usually darker in color and are naturally lighter in weight. Sterling silver pieces have intrinsic value, and can often be resold.
How do you identify a silver mark?
Silver hallmarks are one of the most important factors in identifying antique silver jewelry, flatware, and other items. These small stamped symbols on the back or underside of silver items can tell you the purity of the silver, the manufacturer of the piece, and sometimes even the date it was made.
How can you tell if silver spoons are old?
Antique Silver Spoon Markings Spoons will usually have a hallmark on the reverse of the handle, often slightly below the bowl. Forks usually have a silver hallmark close to the wider portion or shoulders. Knives as well some serving items might have stamps on the collar or ferrule, surrounding the handle.
What does WM Rogers extra plate mean?
It means that there is a little more silver in it than just your normal silver plate. In a spoon, it would be the curved part inside, places that get more warn over time.
What does A1 mean on silver?
A1 and AA: These discreet markings indicate the number of ounces of pure silver used in the plating. There’s two ounces per gross of teaspoons for A1, and three ounces for AA.
Is 1881 Rogers A1 sterling silver?
Most 1881 Rogers patterns will have a backstamp of “1881 Rogers A1.” This mark indicates the pieces are silverplate. The A1 designation means that plating a gross of teaspoons took 2 ounces of silver.
Is flatware a stamp?
Sterling silverware made in the USA after roughly the 1850s always has a marking: either Sterling or 925. If your silverware does not have this marking, it’s most likely not real silver. spoons, you’ll see this marking on the back of the handle.
When did silver company buy Rogers?
changing its name to Wallace International Silversmiths, Wallingford, Connecticut. This firm markets International Sterling flatware and silverplated flatware under various trademarks (e.g. 1847 Rogers Bros, International Deepsilver,). In 1986 the business was purchased by a subsidiary of Syratech Corporation.
When did international silver buy Rogers Bros?
In 1862 Meriden Britannia Company bought the hollowware division, tools and dies from Rogers Brothers Mfg. Co. Many independent silversmiths joined together with that shop to form International Silver Co that became the world’s largest manufacturer of silverware. Rogers 1847 became the trademark of that new firm.
How do you identify hallmarks?
The four components of a hallmark are: the sponsor or maker’s mark, the standard mark, the assay office mark and the date letter for the year. Hallmark identification should answer four important questions – where; what; when; who.
Is silver plated flatware valuable?
Silverplate flatware doesn’t have a melt value like sterling silverware, and with a lower silver content, it is generally worth much less than sterling silver.
How do I sell antique silverware?
Go online and post the antique silver that you want to sell. It can be the best way to establish the true value of your silver because it is then easily compared to other antique silver pieces. Antique silver buyers hunt online for pieces that they are looking for.
What does G mean on silver?
G. Silver or German Silver, has no silver content, although the piece can be highly collectable anyway.
What does the number 90 mean on silver?
90 is the weight in grams used for silvering 12 forks and 12 spoons. 90 is the most frequent, but various other silver quantity of silver can be used in the process and the corresponding number is punched in silverplated flatware. (
What does EP mean on silver?
Many silver plated items bear the marks ‘EPNS’ that stand for Electro Plated Nickel Silver or ‘EP’ for Electro Plate.
What does 100 mean on silverware?
If companies wanted to produce cheaper cutlery, they used less silver, 60 Grams, 40 Grams or even 20 Grams, which made the plating very thin. Some used more, 100 or 150 Grams. Pieces were punched accordingly “60”, “40”, “20”, “100” etc.
Does a magnet stick to real silver?
“Silver is not noticeably magnetic, and exhibits only weak magnetic effects unlike iron, nickel, cobalt, and the like,” says Martin. “If your magnet sticks strongly to the piece, it has a ferromagnetic core and is not silver.” Fake silver or silver-plated items are generally made of other metals.