Can This Silverplate Tray be Cleaned?

My best guess is that this silverplate tray was wrapped in Saran Wrap to keep the tarnish off and then forgotten. I have tried every kind of polish and even a little BarKeeper's Friend in a small spot. Nothing works. The next step is the trash can, unless you all have any advice. Measures 10" diameter and is marked Middletown Plate, Quadruple Plate.

Here's the mess:



And here's the good side:

 

It may be Saran Wrap that has adhered or may be an anti-tarnish coating (Ariss or Arris?) that was applied at the time of manufacture and has been removed from the front side.
Try soaking in very hot water, you may find after a few minutes, the 'discoloration' will just slide off. I have had great success with this method, even with tea services where the coating has worn away in patches.

 

Very pretty plate on the public side. I hope it can be saved!

 

And if the above methods do not work, keep a bottle of Chivas Regal on top, with two EXcellent cut-crystal glasses. No one will look beneath. (Really)

 

Sandra! Oh wow, it seems to be working with the hot water. It's in for the 3rd soak and I've made great headway on the flat bottom. The edges aren't as easy but they seem to be improving. I'll post again when I have it all cleaned up. (fyi, someone posted on the web that it took her 2 weeks to clean plastic wrap from a sterling butter dish.)

 

Do you think Crown Royal will work?? That's all I have right now, lol! At least, last time I looked there was still a little left. I was testing out my new Waterford roly poly glasses that I recently found at an auction for a great price. I like your idea.

 

In this case, it isn't the label on the Scotch, so much as the size of the bottle. At 10 inches, your tray can only handle one bottle and a couple of glasses. So if you have a small-to-medium elegant decanter on a back shelf somewhere, that would be excellent. If the decanter is chi-chi enough, one could fill it with Old Charley Horse, and call it a rare single malt.

 

TaDa!!



Thanks, Sandra, for that tip! I'm giving it one more soak in the morning. There are some funny places on the front that I thought was plate loss (in the bend at the edge of the design), but I'm seeing now that it's more of the plastic wrap. Now that I know how to get rid of it, I can make it into that nice tray that silverthwait suggested above.

 

WOW!!!! At 10" dia., I'm thinking just a wee bit too small for my mini-Tea Service!!! But that 'fluting' would just about match it perfectly!!!

 

AMAZING job getting that saran wrap off the tray!!!! I've bookmarked this for that tip!!!

 

I just checked the marks over at 925 and found that this piece dates to no later than 1921.

 

I don't think it's that new. Most quadruple plate pieces are pre-WWI, and odds on that design comes from 1880-something.

 

That's very likely accurate. 925 said that the mark was used between 1864 and 1921, so quite a range.

 

Amazing result, and certainly worth the small effort. It is a very pretty tray, worth rescuing. Aesthetic period, I'd say, so ca 1880 could be right.

So have I, thank you @Sandra!

 

Hi,
I think the quad plate was last used in 1912.
greg

 

You really brought the plate back to life !!!

 

How do you bookmarK?

 

Just like you bookmark a site, drag the url to the sidebar for bookmarks or favourites. Or open the menu for bookmarks or favourites and add the url.

 

Thanks AJ.