What would be a fair offer?
Newbiedoobiedoo
Posts: 71 ✭✭
Locally we have a small estate sale where they will have an unattractive Solid sterling dish offered for bid. It's 229g. I would plan on taking it to a local coin shop that advertises regularly about buying gold and silver objects, etc. I would need to take into account what an average shop might be willing to pay. I can put in a max bid which will counter bid until my max. It's a local pick up. This will be the first time I've bought metal to sell. I figure that if I have a plan they won't automatically think "this woman hasn't a clue". 😁
They also have several candle holders marked " weighted sterling" I imagine so that the candles didn't tip over. They have plenty of silver plated items that I'm not interested in though they appear Hall marked including the British lion, etc.
Advice?
Comments
Sounds like under 7 tozs asw, correct? You're not going to make much unless you get it cheap. $100 is the most I'd pay in the above scenario.
people can go crazy at estate sale auctions. if it is already marked sterling silver, then don't chase it up
Thank you both! I already know now that my "hidden" max was going to be way too high. I had thought about having my max be around $200. Good advice about not "chasing it up". Any thoughts about weighted sterling? I'm not sure if there's a standard ratio of silver to " weight" or not. Thanks again! - Kelly
This is good advice if you are thinking if scrapping it. The coin/pawn shop won't offer you more than 150-175.
It will probably sell for 250 at the estate sale.
Knowledge is the enemy of fear
I'm still hung up on "an unattractive Solid sterling dish".
One persons ugly is another person's beautiful (sometimes).
When you look at these pieces are you also looking at the maker?
There might be more value than just discounted scrap if they are from a desirable manufacturer.
As for weighted silver, as I understand it, the "weighted" part far exceeds the silver.
Get the offer from the local show and work the percentage you want to make into your bid.
Thanks! I'm realizing that it's not as easy as I thought to get nearer to the price of silver, but then I hadn't thought about the cost of melting it.
LOL - it's not exactly ugly, but it's not really special either. It's tarnished in many places even though I'm sure that they polished it. It does have clean lines though. It's not engraved or had any design applied other than the shape of it. If I can take a screenshot of it I'll post it. I can't see the maker on the photos of it. I can't see the hallmarks either. However, they've been really clear about what's silver plate, what's weighted sterling and this is only one of a couple that they note as being solid sterling. I have bought from them before but not anything in the precious metal category. I'll also let you guys know what it finally goes for. 😊
229g = 8.0777oz x .925 = 7.47 ozs fine,
Silver at $36.03 per oz at this moment gives about $269 melt value
Coinlearner, Ahrensdad, Nolawyer, RG, coinlieutenant, Yorkshireman, lordmarcovan, Soldi, masscrew, JimTyler, Relaxn, jclovescoins, justindan, doubleeagle07
Now listen boy, I'm tryin' to teach you sumthin' . . . . that ain't no optical illusion, it only looks like an optical illusion.
My mind reader refuses to charge me. . . . . . .
Hopefully these photos come through ok. This is the dish I was looking at.
Not ugly to me, but yeah, kind of basic. I don't see any markings, much less a maker's mark.
The above calculation uses 28.35 grams/ounce. Precious metals are troy ounces at 31.1 grams/ounce.
229g = 8.0777oz x .925 = 7.47 ozs fine, should read:
229g/31.1 = 7.3633oz x .925 = 6.81 ozs fine.
Arghhh! I certainly booted that one!
Coinlearner, Ahrensdad, Nolawyer, RG, coinlieutenant, Yorkshireman, lordmarcovan, Soldi, masscrew, JimTyler, Relaxn, jclovescoins, justindan, doubleeagle07
Now listen boy, I'm tryin' to teach you sumthin' . . . . that ain't no optical illusion, it only looks like an optical illusion.
My mind reader refuses to charge me. . . . . . .
the tarnish is the ugly part
seeking comments on sterling not bearing, at least, the word sterling
I'd pay $8 per "weighted" candle holders. Probably 1/2 to 1oz of sterling silver. Yes they are filled with epoxy or plaster for weight. Holloware is another name. Pain to separate the silver from the whatever.
bob
Yeah, I couldn't see anything marked but when the bottom side is shown it's almost as if there's something marked but I can't tell in the picture quality.
They've been so careful in the documentation of all the items from the estate sales they've done (I did buy a couple of items from them a couple of weeks ago) that it would be surprising if they made the claim without proof. HOWEVER - I know that it's a buyer's risk and even totally honest sellers can make mistakes.
Run away. There are way better silver items available than that dish. Without hallmarks or stamped markings, I would not even consider buying it.
My US Mint Commemorative Medal Set
No sterling hallmark? Don't bid.
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
I just got a text back from the person running the Estate sale auction. I asked about whether it was marked sterling. It is. She apologized for the poor picture because the mark is on the bottom on the left side. That's where I thought I was seeing something but it's poorly marked. I trust her response. Now I just hope no one else asks her or that she posts a better picture. The silver dish is gaining in attraction. 😂
Good advice. I've decided to let it sit where it's at and not bid at all until the last few minutes or so, unless it's more than I want to spend. It's been sitting at $13 since yesterday with 3 bids. It closes as 7pm on Wed.
Well, it went for $121. I didn't even bid on it as it was being automatically counter-bid so quickly that the auction closed before I bid. As it was I had decided to buy it for myself and keep it and I didn't love it enough to pay that much anyway. I learned some things from you guys though.
However - I did get a nice wallet. 😁