Find a box of antiques sitting in storage in the garage or attic, but not sure what to do with them? If any of them have silver in them, you're in luck; those antiques you had forgotten about could be worth a great deal of money. But are they really valuable, or are they a pile of scrap metal? Here's a bit of information about antiques that you should know before you sell silver.

 

Antique Silver vs. Modern Silver

The value of your silver can depend on its age. Antique silver may be more or less valuable than modern silver depending on its quality, upkeep, and what sort of silver item it is. Antique silver with historical value, such as a pure silver tea set from centuries ago, is going to be more valuable than just your run of the mill modern silver necklace.

 

Quality of Silver

The main thing that's going to determine the value of your silver is the purity and quality of it. Pure silver is going to, on most occasions, be more valuable than sterling silver. This is because sterling silver isn't actually 100% silver. Pure silver is too soft for products like jewelry and tableware, so these items are usually made of an alloy of 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper called sterling silver. Certain places won't buy sterling silver; this is because the silver these buyers are looking for is going to be melted down and used again. Many antiques specialists, however, do buy sterling silver. Look for a hallmark on your silver; many sterling silver items are marked with the number "925."

 

Where To Sell Silver

If you want to sell silver, do your homework to determine who's going to give you the best price for it. Not everyone values all silver items the same since many people will look to buy silver scrap and disregard the item's value as an antique. If you're selling antique silver, look to bring it to your local antique experts, like the experts of Nelson and Nelson Antiques. This way, the historical value is not overlooked, and you can be sure your antiques will be well treated.