Newp Sterling Bowl - Made a MEME

asheland

ricko

What size is it? Only for information, no doubt a good deal.... Cheers, RickO

asheland

@ricko It's smaller, like 5 inches diameter and weighs between 2 and 3 ounces. It's not a home run, but definitely a morale booster finding it for under $5
The thing that's pretty cool is that there isn't a single dent anywhere. It's in perfect condition. Usually these small bowls are dented up pretty badly. It's nice to just keep for such a small price paid.

ricko

@asheland ...Definitely a nice find... I saw a similar one.... will let you know if I get it. Cheers, RickO

asheland

This stuff is out there if you really look for it. I find sterling pieces for pennies on the dollar on a regular basis. Goodwill, flea markets, etc. I find more of this stuff (like this piece) at antique malls than anywhere else.

Two weeks ago I got this piece (pictured below) for $15! It's London, 1792 and was originally a cruet stand. It would have had a set of crystal bottles in it, but those and the center piece are obviously long gone by now. The wooden bottom is original though. This piece now sets on my shelf and it's cool to look at. I just can't bring myself to melt such an item...

asheland

@ricko said:
@asheland ...Definitely a nice find... I saw a similar one.... will let you know if I get it. Cheers, RickO

Please do! It's fun finding this stuff in the wild. Kind of like getting 90% in change.

MorganMan94

@asheland said:
This stuff is out there if you really look for it. I find sterling pieces for pennies on the dollar on a regular basis. Goodwill, flea markets, etc. I find more of this stuff (like this piece) at antique malls than anywhere else.

Two weeks ago I got this piece (pictured below) for $15! It's London, 1792 and was originally a cruet stand. It would have had a set of crystal bottles in it, but those and the center piece are obviously long gone by now. The wooden bottom is original though. This piece now sets on my shelf and it's cool to look at. I just can't bring myself to melt such an item...

Wow, what a beautiful piece!

asheland

@MorganMan94 Thank you!

ricko

I am also looking for a nice silver pint mug.... traditional style, not the fancy ones.... Cheers, RickO

MorganMan94

Gosh all I find at garage sales is childrens clothes and other crap.

Downtown1974

Great score, asheland!!

ricko

The silver tray I was looking at went way above reasonable price... I let it go. Cheers, RickO

asheland

@ricko a lot of times they mark the stuff way up. I see that a lot, however eventually you'll get one cheap like this if you look enough.
Thanks everybody for the compliments.

ricko

Yep... this one was on ebay....and went quite high.... Oh well, still looking for my tankard... Cheers, RickO

asheland

I wouldn't mind a tankard myself. Maybe @Weiss will do a giveaway on the board?

Weiss

LOVE IT!

I understand it when people don't know that "coin silver" or non-marked silver is silver. There is a LOT of plated stuff out there, and some of it is very well done. It can be confusing.

But when something is marked "STERLING"?

Ever tell you about the time I was flipping a house and the workers called me to say they'd found something interesting?

Seems in all of the basement full of junk they'd found a suitcase...

...Locked...

They finally busted it open...

http://www.beverlybremer.com/item/sterling/silver/8506/Georgian+Rose+by+Reed+&+Barton+4-PIECE+TEA+AND+COFFEE+SET+#670

asheland

@Weiss said:
LOVE IT!

I understand it when people don't know that "coin silver" or non-marked silver is silver. There is a LOT of plated stuff out there, and some of it is very well done. It can be confusing.

But when something is marked "STERLING"?

Ever tell you about the time I was flipping a house and the workers called me to say they'd found something interesting?

Seems in all of the basement full of junk they'd found a suitcase...

...Locked...

They finally busted it open...

http://www.beverlybremer.com/item/sterling/silver/8506/Georgian+Rose+by+Reed+&+Barton+4-PIECE+TEA+AND+COFFEE+SET+#670

Dang!!! Nice find indeed!

USASoccer

Pretty set!!!

ricko

Wow... that is amazing.... Gorgeous silver tea/coffee set.... Sterling I presume. Too bad there was not a tankard with that set Cheers, RickO

Weiss

@ricko said:
Wow... that is amazing.... Gorgeous silver tea/coffee set.... Sterling I presume. Too bad there was not a tankard with that set Cheers, RickO

Yep. There's a link below the image with details of what the set is. Sadly, though it's a great maker (Reed & Barton), well made, attractive, and solid sterling, it's actually not a particularly valuable set. IIRC, the "hallmark" indicates this set was made in the late 1950s or early 1960s. They made the set for many years. You can find sets like this on eBay for less than $1k. Of course the silver has value. The combined weight is just over 75 ounces. But people just don't sit around having high tea or coffee out of pieces like these.

I might post a follow-up to the story some day soon

asheland

@Weiss Did you end up keeping the tea set? I find sets like this, if purchased inexpensively can be yet another way of holding "bullion" It's a little more fun as you can use these for more than a paper weight.

Weiss

@asheland said:
@Weiss Did you end up keeping the tea set? I find sets like this, if purchased inexpensively can be yet another way of holding "bullion" It's a little more fun as you can use these for more than a paper weight.

I have kept it...up until today. And I agree, I like having some nice pieces of sterling when it can be purchased well. You just have to keep in mind that knife blades are almost always steel, knife handles and candlestick bases are often weighted with plaster or resin. But if you know that and the dealer knows that, you can use it as leverage to get really nice things for next to nothing. I picked up a pretty little sterling bud vase a year or two ago for like $2.

ricko

@Weiss.... I look forward to the follow up.... and your generous give away of a sterling tankard... Cheers, RickO

Weiss

OK, @ricko and @asheland . Here goes nothing

The back story:
About 4 years ago, one of my contractors (I’m a landlord and an occasional home flipper) told me a friend of his had a home I might be interested in. Turns out the 1920s-era home was owned by a retired university professor, who had arranged with another contractor in town to completely remodel his home for a set price. The work went on—slowly—and the price continued to climb. Eventually the entire house was roughed out but unfinished…and then the contractor evaporated. That left the professor with a virtually unlivable house, with almost no chance of selling it on the market in that condition, and with no money left to do anything about it.

The professor’s kids were about my age, and I knew them vaguely from 40 years ago. He and his wife, from whom he was separated for decades, raised the kids in separate houses 3 blocks away from each other. They’d remained very close, but were completely unreconciled and everyone seemed fine with that.

The basement was full of the professor’s belongings. To say he was a hoarder would be an understatement. Among them was a many-thousands deep collection of rare classical music on vinyl. Heavy, fragile, and unfortunately, not very marketable.

I bought the house for a fair price and the professor agreed to have his belongings out by close. We were now the owners, but the professor’s belongings were still in the basement. He assured us they’d be gone within a few days. That date came and went, but there they sat. He promised he’d get them out, but it didn’t happen. Now we were into construction, and given his fragile health, a pretty substantial liability with him tottering around. We also needed to do massive work in the basement, but couldn’t proceed with his things there. Timing is everything with property flips, and we had run out. Reluctantly, I gave him an ultimatum: Have your things gone within the next week, or we’ll have them hauled away (an unpleasant thing to say and do, since the cost would be considerable and on me—he was broke). He promised…but by 5:00 pm, the deadline, he, his kids and their spouses had gotten maybe 1/3 of the things out. It was clear they were in over their heads, so we gave them one final extension: 8:00 am the next day and we were changing the locks. They thanked us and were good to their word—they had only gotten maybe 2/3rds out by the next morning, but they left their keys. They were gone. It was as we were chucking the last of the items into the dumpster when we found a locked suitcase. Breaking it open, we found a big, beautiful, solid silver coffee and tea set. The kind of thing you hear about others finding but never think it will happen to you. Without time to really think about it, I put it aside and got back to work.

I then proceeded to sink a fortune into the home: New HVAC system, cut in new French doors leading to a new deck, Awesome custom fence, period-correct siding, refinished floors, custom granite counters, stainless appliances, custom cabinets, even dropped in a beautiful new half-bath. Months of hard work were paying off.

As we neared completion, the previous owners visited and were in awe at what we’d done (it was pretty cool if I do say so myself).

The delays had cost us dearly. We were deep into the selling season. A tenant of mine agreed to buy the home before we were even finished, for a fair price that would have netted me a nice profit. Unfortunately, after going through the hoops, his tax history kept him from getting a loan. We then lined up another buyer who also fell through. Reluctantly, with the season winding down, I put the house in the multiple listing service and opened the door to real estate agents. After commission and negotiations we essentially broke even for almost 4 months of work. That’s the way it goes: No risk, no reward. So that tea set became my profit. The one thing I got from that project.

Except keeping it didn’t feel right. It never felt right. I tried to sell the set, but ended the listing because that didn’t feel right. Anything I bought with the money wouldn’t have felt right, either. So that beautiful tea set sat in the closet in a box for the last 3 years.

Until today. At 5:15 pm, July 13th, 2017, my eight-year old son and I knocked on the professor’s ex-wife’s door. I introduced myself (she remembered me). She invited us in. The professor died a few months back (something I had found out a few days ago). She reiterated how amazing our transformation of their old home had been. I thanked her, then explained why I was there. She graciously accepted the return of the tea set—which had been her in-laws. I was both relieved and admittedly a little disappointed it hadn’t been hers. But she said now that the professor was gone, the three kids would really appreciate having something substantial that had been part of their father’s family.

So there you go. To a child who dreamed of finding Aladdin-type treasure, to actually finding it (if not in a cave, at least in a dark, dank basement). To a grown man who realized it really isn’t worth having if it weighs on your mind and pressures your sense of right and wrong. Glad I took my son. He totally got it, and that makes me proud.

Would I do it again? I’m sorry it took me so long to do it. Yep, I’d do it again.

The hallmark's date stamp indicates 1954 manufacture:

Downtown1974

That is a great story Weiss.
Based on our previous PM transactions and your contributions to these forums, I've always considered you a class act. This story reiterates that my opinion was spot on.

ricko

@Weiss..... Great story and truly a neat ending. One of my hobbies is metal detecting. When a ring or medal is found, with name or initials (usually initials and date), I try to trace the owner and return the item. Often successful with class rings...not so much other items. Cheers, RickO

cohodk

Love the story Weiss. Thumbs up emoji.

ShadyDave

Great story and good man!

asheland

Great story indeed! I respect what you did with that set.

Weiss

Thanks, guys. It's the kind of story that you feel dumb about sharing, but I know people like me who dream of precious metals can appreciate it. I thought I'd lost all of the before and after pictures in my last computer upgrade, but I found them just now. Here are just a few of the areas of the house before we started and how they looked as we finished up. Note the last few images of the basement before, so you can see what we were up against, and the finished basement with new duct work, furnace, etc...

asheland

@Weiss You certainly do good work!

Downtown1974

Wow, that was quite the undertaking. The finished product came out fantastic. I really like the siding/shake transition on the exterior.

Weiss

@Downtown1974 said:
Wow, that was quite the undertaking. The finished product came out fantastic. I really like the siding/shake transition on the exterior.

Thanks. That was a really, really bold choice and one I stressed about a lot! But I did a fair amount of research for these 4-square houses and these colors were accurate for this period. You can see it had shake before, but it was all painted the same peeling white paint that didn't show any of that transition. We searched high and low for a really bold, thick cut style of vinyl siding that would highlight the horizontal siding and the shake upper. We found it, but man, it was expensive.

The before image of the house was the way it had looked for years. The whole neighborhood was dragged down by that desolate, withering shell. It was really gratifying to see the whole neighborhood start to perk up once they got what we were doing. It was like they were cheering us on. And then the neighbors started to work on their homes, too. Now this quiet little 2-block long street is an oasis in the middle of town. It was something to see.

hchcoin

@Weiss Post of the year. Well done on the return of the set, well done on teaching your child values, well done on the restoration, well done on making the previous owners day.

Whenever I do something like that, even if it is a little delayed, it always works out better in the end. Positive Karma.

ricko

Great work @Weiss.... Fantastic transformation. That cellar was truly a disaster - well, so was most of the house. Cheers, RickO