Grandmother's Sterling flatware from under the bed. Sounds like an eBay come-on, doesn't it?

lordmarcovan

It's not.

This Gorham Sterling flatware set (patent 1895) came from the estate of my maternal grandmother, Evelyn Elizabeth Radeker (1916-1993).

It's been sitting in a box under my bed these past few years, while I wondered what to do with it. Now that silver's gone through the roof, that wondering has become more intense. What's a fair price for Sterling flatware like this?

I've responded to one member's BST ad, as he seems to be an upstanding sort of fella and his forum references are good. But before I lock in at his offered price, is there anything I should know? Is that a competitive price?

Thanks.







(12 pcs.) Butter knife, est. weight 27 g ea., 15 cm long
Marked "PAT. 1895 (hallmarks: lion, anchor, old English 'G') STERLING", monogrammed "EER"
Total est. weight 324 g.



(12 pcs.) Cocktail fork, est. weight 15 g ea., 14 cm long
Marked "PAT. 1895 (hallmarks: lion, anchor, old English 'G') STERLING", monogrammed "EER"
Total est. weight 180 g.



(10 pcs.) Fish/dessert fork, style 1, est. weight 30 g ea., 14.8 cm long
Marked with hallmarks: lion, anchor, old English 'G', "PAT. 95 STERLING", no monogram
Total est. weight 300 g.



(8 pcs.) Fish/dessert fork, style 2, est. weight 37 g ea., 16.3 cm long
Marked "PAT. 1895 (hallmarks: lion, anchor, old English 'G') STERLING", monogrammed "EER"
Total est. weight 296 g.



(12 pcs.) Salad or small dinner fork, est. weight 50 g ea., 15.8 cm long
Marked "GORHAM STERLING", monogrammed "EER"
Total est. weight 600 g.



(12 pcs.) Large dinner fork, est. weight 63 g ea., 19 cm long
Marked "GORHAM STERLING", monogrammed "EER"
Total est. weight 756 g.

(24 pcs.) Table knives, all match the set but differ subtly by three types/styles
Unmarked Sterling silver handles, stainless steel blades, some marked "GORHAM STAINLESS * (star)"
Total est. weight undetermined- to be priced by the piece rather than weight(?)




One small table knife is an oddball, differing in size from the others. It is included in the count above, however.


(8 pcs.) Table spoons, est. weight 50 g ea,, 17.9 cm long
Marked "PAT. 1895 (hallmarks: lion, anchor, old English 'G') STERLING", monogrammed "EER"
Total est. weight 400 g.


(12 pcs.) Tea spoons, est. weight 31 g ea., 14 cm long
Marked with hallmarks: lion, anchor, old English 'G', "PAT. 95 STERLING", monogrammed "EER"
Total est. weight 372 g.

(12 pcs.) Coffee/dessert spoons, est. weight 16 g ea., 13.6 cm long
Marked with hallmarks: lion, anchor, old English 'G', "PAT. 95 STERLING"
Six are monogrammed "EER", some of which are also stamped "R.H. RICKERT" on back, six are unmonogrammed
Total est. weight 192 g.

(6 pcs.) Long handled iced tea spoons, est. weight 30 g ea., 19.2 cm long
Marked with hallmarks: lion, anchor, old English 'G', "PAT. 95 STERLING", no monograms
Total est. weight 180 g.


(1 pc.) Odd-sized small fork, matches the pattern but is different size than all the others, est. weight 28 g
Marked "PAT. 1895 (hallmarks: lion, anchor, old English 'G') STERLING", no monogram
Total est. weight 28 g


(1 pc.) Grapefruit spoon, est. weight 24 g, 14.5 cm long
Marked "GORHAM STERLING", with "EER" monogram
Total est. weight 24 g


(1 pc.) Bread knife w/serrated back edge, est. weight 72 g, 24 cm long
Marked with hallmarks: lion, anchor, old English 'G', "PAT. 1895 STERLING"
Total est. weight 72 g
Interestingly, though it matches the pattern, this piece is monogrammed with an old English "H".
When she married the second time, my grandmother took the surname Henry. I got this piece years before I got the others, though all came through the same family channels. There might be a whole set of Henry silverware out there, for all I know.
Unlike the table knives, this piece is solid Sterling- no Stainless steel blade.



TOTAL PIECES: 131 (Of which 24 are the two-piece knives with the stainless steel blades).
The group photo above shows one tiny circa-1900 "NIAGARA FALLS" souvenir spoon that wasn't part of the set, which I kept aside.

TOTAL ESTIMATED WEIGHT IN GRAMS: 3,724 (Just a ballpark figure, as these were weighed on a "not legal for trade" postal scale.)
NOT including the 24 table knives with Sterling handles and stainless steel blades.

roadrunner

It's been sitting in a box under my bed these past few years, while I wondered what to do with it. Now that silver's gone through the roof, that wondering has become more intense. What's a fair price for Sterling flatware like this?

Seems like it was a good thing to leave it under bed for a few years as silver tripled up. If you don't have pressing plans for that cash why not let some of it ride for another double or triple? There are a whole lot of folks on this forum that are still carrying the bulk of their silver positions.

roadrunner

lordmarcovan

It's a thought.

Then again, I'm greedy and wanna buy more little round pieces of silver.

BBQnBLUES

Robert;

You do know that (IF) you sell it.... your Grandmother's Ghost is gonna haunt you forever !!






BOO !

lordmarcovan

She'll get over my sending her silverware off to be melted, maybe. I can see her scolding me a little.

But it's too late... I already sold the gold purse.

I've kept plenty of keepsakes from her. If this flatware is worth enough, I might just pay down the nearly-maxed credit card. She'd probably approve of that.

57loaded

you are able to barter a fork for a nice meal, so look at it that way.

but, if you can lock in yesterday's price, do it!

ksammut

Depending on the buyer (if they are buying to scrap),they will credit you one ounce of sterling for every 2 or 3 knives. As the knives are weighted, it will take 2 or 3 of them to equal an ounce (depending on their size).

lordmarcovan

He said $5.50 for the knives yesterday, and $5.00 today, I believe. (Apiece, that is.)

CaptHenway

FWIW, my former employer did buy in a few sets of sterling dinnerware in December, more than in the previous six months or so. The $30 price range did bring stuff out of the woodwork.
TD

dontippet

If my calculations are correct, the seller will give you approximately $2,485 for the set, not including the knives. I believe that if you sent it to a refinery, you may get over $2,700, but please choose your refinery well. I assume that is what your buyer will be doing. Obviously, he has a good buyer lined up in which he knows exactly what he will get out of it which is the reason that he can get you a very competitive price. As far as ebay, I don't believe you could get $2,485 after fees. But be careful, if you go the refinery route. In my experiences, I get anywhere between 70-90% of what I should when I send to a refinery.