How To Collect Sterling Silver

About sterling - How to Collect Sterling Silver
By Jeanne O'Connor, Appraiser, Instappraisal

Sterling pieces can be some of the most beautiful pieces of artwork for the antique collector, but there are several things that you should know about collecting silver, and particularly sterling silver before diving-in.

Here are some pointers that should help you get started.

1) Avoid pieces that have been cleaned with harsh chemicals or have a "white" appearance to them.

2) The best pieces will have no marks or dents, and will have the original decoration with the correct set of marks.

3) There are a tremendous variety in silver marks, some looking almost identical to each other. In order to insure validity of what you are considering purchasing be sure to consult a good silver guide book which has a good index of marks.

4) Be sure to carefully check the joints at the handles, spouts and feet, also the rims. Also check for pinprick holes where the silver may have thinned from excess handling or weathering.

Remember that marriages can be done skillfully and take a variety of forms. Often marriages are performed in the form of a legitimate marked part of a piece married to a later piece. Because silver can be quite costly always seek from a reputable silver dealer and seek trustworthy advice if you have the slightest doubt about an item.

Be sure to visit the world's first on-line silver mark identifier where you can quickly determine who made your silver pieces, when they were made, and a bit about its history.