It's time again for "let's play a game"! 5 GAMES IN ONE!

I also said I was interested in 2 because of the pattern potential and a price that was reasonable regardless.

 

I liked the pattern too; I figured some crafter would pay the $20 to get hold of those pieces to mess with.

Easy. My parents got married in 1965, and one of their wedding gifts were those very same candle holders. And yes they're plated at least as far as I know. (and if not they're still 95% cement and steel armature by weight - the real deal might be $40 scrap value for the pair by now.) I forget who made them, may not have been Gorham, but the top part screws off for transport. I'd imagine you could use them for single candles too.

 

Thank you @evelyb30 and @Lucille.b your observations were 100% correct. This is a good example where the one photo tells you all you need to know. I saw the listing and it definitely looked like potentially weighted sterling candelabras, but upon closer inspection that little tag tells me they are plated and I need not bother with any more inquiry.

Okay, on to GAME #4. I was surprised to see the group split on this one. I'm very curious to learn your responses. Would someone please share your observations on GAME #4? Feel free to share your thinking whether you said you would pass or buy, it's so helpful to the entire group to learn here!

 

#4 was dead easy for me; there's a clear silver mark in the second picture and they're not weighted.

You'd have liked the pieces I scored on Wednesday, and then unloaded half before I ever got home. Everyone had walked by I guess, including one guy I know is a dealer. It was a silver-plated gravy boat and ladle ... at least the gravy boat was plated and obviously so. I asked to see it anyway; the ladle was sterling and the pair were $5. Dropped the gravy bowl at my next stop, a charity thrift, and kept the piece I wanted. Left behind a Victorian silver-deposit pitcher. The glass was fine, but the silver was damaged (as in missing in spots) and I could neither sell it nor scrap it. Another dealer, and not a nice one, scooped it as I was paying for the piece I'd bagged.

 

Looked like a reflection from something else to me. The shape is right for Italian, but it should have more info inside. Can you say, Nate?

 

Click the picture with the mark in it. I did, pulled my glasses down, and saw the .800 mark upside-down.

 

Great eyes @evelyb30 I was really hoping some would be able to see those SNEAKY LITTLE MARKS. Before I show you what I got, I want to first describe what I saw in the listing that peaked my interest. You see, the original listing didn't have any photos of the bottom. The art of finding hidden treasure is seeing the potential for GAME 4 and the lack of potential for GAME 3. The art of this is knowing that you should ask more about GAME 4...so what exactly did I see in the original photo?

Turns out I didn't see much, but enough to ask more questions. The one element that stood out to me the most was the hazy/frosty/wavy look of the metal towards the base:



Typically when a big bulky item like this is plated, it's going to look very smooth and solid, you can almost feel the weight through a photo. This looks soft, and wavy, just a tiny clue to suggest that maybe this isn't plated at all. So, it arrived in the mail, and I was really pleasantly surprised with the thickness of the set; no weighting at all:



Alright, on to GAME #5, would anyone like to share your observations? This game had a lot of varied responses so I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts/clues/ideas etc.

 

Nate? What do you see in person?

 

Hi @Bakersgma sorry I didn't understand your question.

 

For me it was a bunch of warning signs: it's all the same set, some is in the sealed plastic baggies, and it's in the original box. I've found baby spoons in original plastic bags before, but they weren't sealed. I've gotten lucky with partial silver services before when it was all one pattern (so everyone else passed it by) but it's usually not a good thing. The box tells me it was sold as a set rather than by the place setting. Silver was sold by the setting the one time anyone I knew registered for any. Silverplate is sold by the box.

 

For #5, I was on the fence for a bit, the ones in the plastic looked possible for sterling, but I couldn't figure out the pattern. To me, the ones in plastic look like a different pattern. For the pieces not in plastic, I can't remember the name but have seen it often enough and it was never sterling.

 

Any other thoughts for #5? I want to make sure anyone who wants to add to the discussion has an opportunity for revealing anything

 

#4, ditto on the 800 mark -- but interesting the look of the silver (more wavy) got your attention. Good thing to look for!

#5 I said "no" at $175, but like Cxgirl, paused at the pieces in the plastic which actually looked like they maybe could be sterling. Without being able to handle or ask additional questions, I was out.

 

Darn...I was someone else would talk about the clue I saw on GAME #5: So if we look closely at the set that is in plastic, we can notice something beautiful:



If you look closely and carefully, you can see the plastic bag says "STE"...the start of the word STERLING.



To me, this made the purchase well worth the $175 as I was comfortable I would get a small set of sterling silverware. I'll post an update soon to show what I got, but it was a good purchase.

Okay we are almost wrapping up, can any of you share your observations about the bonus GAME 6?

 

Totally missed seeing that Mr Nate, but now that you point it out, the letters sure stands out
For #6, I found this mention in a silver forum and then found a box that sold in 2016.The mark on yours looks to have the 800 mark. Link to the box auction below
https://www.catawiki.com/en/l/7246227-large-and-heavy-silver-box-with-lapis-lazuli-stone-italy

 

Thanks for posting these games Mr Nate, they are fun and you provide some great tips/hints on what to look for

 

My goodness on #5 --not only missed that, I didn't even know to look! Definitely post update. If all of the plastic wrapped pieces are sterling you made a good purchase.

#6 I said no, but I hesitated because I thought it was a gorgeous box even if silver plate. The one Cxgirl found sold high!

Looking forward to updates on these!

Thanks for the cool and fun tutorial. This is improving my silver-buying knowledge for sure!!

 

Thank you @cxgirl and @Lucille.b I was definitely hoping someone would notice that outrageous price for the nearly identical box at auction back in 2016....It's hard to say for sure if that was simply a bidding war, or if my piece may command a similar premium. And I really enjoy doing the Silver Games, and it's great to hear other people like them too.

So here's the silverware photos, and then I'll post the little (not so little) box:

 

And here is the box, I couldn't wait to polish it up

 

The box looks beautiful all shined up Mr Nate
Congrats on the silverware, you did well!