Last Updated on May 23, 2022
Silver is a precious metal and holds a long-lasting value. In previous times crockery and mostly every item was made of silver due to its color and strength. But with time, the availability of silver decreased, increasing the price.
However, that doesn’t mean the silver-plated items will also be sold at the value you can sell pure silver. The value of silver depends on the spot price, but the worth of the silver plate depends on the buyer.
If you still have any confusion regarding the silver plate, keep reading to get a better idea.
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How Much Is A Silver Plate Worth?
Depending on the silver plate piece, it can be worth around $0.01 to $2. Silver plates made by sterling silver can be valued at around $15-200 per pound mainly depending on the patterns and other unique features. If the 925 silver plate is rare it can be worth a fortune in the antiques market.
A silver plate has a value around $30 to $400 per ounce. As a silver plate has no melt value it can be difficult to extract the silver and get a higher value.
Which Silver Plate Pieces Have A High Value?
Never sell your silver plate piece without getting it checked by an expert. An expert can tell you the content and weight of silver in the piece.
If your silver plate piece has 925 (sterling) silver, it can get you around hundreds or even thousands of dollars. That is why get a silver plate checked before buying or selling to make sure you don’t get ripped.
What Is The Difference Between Silver and Silver Plate?
Silver is a precious metal and has an intrinsic value. The 925 sterling silver is the purest form of silver. Therefore, it holds a high value in the open market.
However, a silver plate has a very low weight of silver in it. Therefore, it is not possible to extract silver from a sliver plate. That is why it holds the value of what someone is willing to pay for it.
Silver plate is a part of the antique market, not the metal market.
Where To Sell Silver Plated Items?
As we mentioned above, silver-plated falls under the antique market. Therefore, a pawnshop is a great place to get a good value for silver plated items.
There is also eBay, where you can sell antique silver-plated pieces. Many other shops deal in silver plated items, and you can always take yours to them and get a value. Then it is in your hands to decide the place to sell them.
How To Know If The Silver Plate Is Special?
It is important to know if the silver plate is rare or is just a common one. Many things on the silver plate will tell you a lot about it.
The hallmark is the first thing one should look at on the silver plate. The hallmark is a maker’s mark and a form of a logo that represents the maker. Once you have the hallmark, you can look up the maker’s history and look up the history of the maker.
There are many things you will only get to know by the hallmark. In addition, the rare patterns on the silver plate piece are also something that tells if it is a special piece or not.
How Was Silver Plating Invented?
No doubt silver and copper items were made in previous times, but they were made entirely with silver. However, things with silver plating are different.
Thomas Boulsover invented silver plating. Then, he discovered that he could fuse copper and silver through an accident. This led him to master this process and taught many people how it was done.
After that, it led him to make housewares using silver plating.
Why Is Silver Plating So Popular?
With time, the silver prices kept going up, and making houseware was expensive. Using the silver plating process lets your manufacture silver products at a very low price compared to silver products.
The silver plating items are made with copper, and a silver layer is infused with the copper to give a real feel of silver. Not only mass-produced, but the silver-plated items look the same as the real ones.
Due to silver-plated products available, people are not interested in silver products as they are higher in price. In addition, silver plating helps you make products giving you exact look of silver but cheaply. This enables everyone to have sliver plated items in their homes.
This is why silver plating is popular and disturbed the silver housewares market.
