I hope this post is appropriate for the forums as it is about modern silver and specifically for the purpose of resale, I cant see anything against this in the rules So I hope this is ok. I have recently acquired these 4 large items of silver, these are from Carrs of sheffield, the pattern is "Grecian" and they are still made and sold today. These were acquired for 20% under their silver content so it may make sense or it might not be economical (I have no idea what I would expect to pay to have them all re polished with marks removed), to buy new they all have a ridiculous price. I want to maximise my resale potential and I am trying to decide if to sell "as is" or to pay to have them refinished. I will be selling at one of the UKs large antique fairs.. The soup ladle is 250 grams and retails new for £917.50 the two sauce ladles are 75 grams each and retail new for £285 each The large serving fork is 110 grams and retails new for £370 Don't get me wrong, I do not expect to get anywhere near what these retail for -not even close even if refinished like new.. But I'm guessing someone with the right equipment could bring these upto looking new with relative ease - there is no bends or dings, just marks. So what do you think, worth getting refinished or not?
I don't know what kind of resources there are in your area for buffing out those scratches (and other signs of use.) Are you going to do it yourself or get them to a professional? I personally don't think they look that bad, but then pictures don't always tell the full story.
I was thinking of taking these to a professional, I'm not sure where though I thought I would try some jewellers and see if I can get any quotes. The shape of them is perfect, but there is some general wear marks. I hope to sell these to an end user - I guess condition will matter more to some than others.
I would think a jeweler could take the worst of it out for a minimal price. Particularly the fork. Not sure it is necessary to bring it back to "like new" condition if you are not going to ask new price.
Well I certainly want to maximise return on them but I am realistic, I'll pop into a few local jewellers and get some quotes
See no reason not to do this if it can be done at a price that it makes sense to do so. If it would have to double your investment, for example, it is probably not worth doing.
I think if it can be done for say £40 for the lot it might be worth doing as I think it could add 20% to sale price and possibly make them an easier sale. I have £165 in them so far..Items like this are fairly new to me but I would think they are fairly desirable as standalone items, and many would be happy to use them with other Deco sets even if not a direct match.
New silver prices are a joke, or a conspiracy against the public. I'd simply polish them up by hand. Not everyone likes ultra shiny silver. The look of old silver is made up of a million tiny weeny scratches earned over the years. These are fairly new,you say, but they are starting on the way to become old silver. I am pretty sure that you could pick up a bench polisher for the £40 you mention, a little rouge for the buffing wheel and you'd not need to pay anyone again.
I don't know why I didn't think of that, I assumed the equipment was more expensive! looking up bench polishers as we speak! Thanks! I can easily practice with some smaller bits first.
I picked up one for about £15 like new at a local general auction. It was a grinder both ends but it was easy enough to get a buffing wheel and fix that on one end instead.
