Featured Weighted Sterling: Any Good Tips To Estimating The Silver Weight

Have passed up some cheap weighted sterling candlesticks and similar items at auction since I don't know how much they weight. I've seen a local coin dealer scrapping weighted pieces and the sterling can be almost paper thin in places .... so that scares me off on bidding on these.

Any good tips on guesstimating interior construction and actual silver weight?

 

I've peeled a few and while there is some silver it's not as much as I'd like. I've looked for a "rule of thumb" guide before but haven't found a way yet to guess so I'll be interested in ideas. Basically weighted has to be dirt cheap for me to take an interest.

This site takes apart a candle holder similar to some often seen and gives the weight of the silver in it.

https://www.redollar.com/edu/how-much-silver-in-weighted-silver.html

 

Great information. Thank you.

 

Buy some and tear it apart. Cheaper than college education. You will get a feel for various brands construction.

This is currently 14 pounds. It adds up.

 

I've stripped a few and found that the full size single candle holders have about an ounce and 1/4 to 1/2 per pair (depending on make). The smaller ones just under an ounce per pair. The larger multiple holders will range between 2-4 ounces +- give or take. I don't usually buy them unless I can get them for 2-4 bucks per pair for the singles.

 

the taller they are the better the value as the weight is on the bottom..

 

The top section is usually filled too

 

I've torn apart broken silver candlesticks in the past to melt them for scrap. There's VERY little silver. It's basically silver foil. That's it.

 

I wasn't aware of that..!

 

Once the ends are off, just rapping it with a hard object usually shatters the pitch or plaster filling. Squeezing with channel locks around the middle fractures the tougher stuff around the steel rod.

This was one of the thinner types. Duchin Creations may be a bit lighter. Generally the older the heavier, the newer the thinner.

 

Great info and photos, thanks for posting that! As much as I want to sometimes I can bring myself to tear these apart. I somewhat envy your ability to do so and it somewhat makes me cringe lol. I just accidentally bought some weighted candy dishes/compote dishes and have a handful of candle sticks that may meet that fate some day if I can stomach it. Every time I come upon cheap weighted silver I'm trying to guesstimate what's there, this was helpful.

 

These are some of the worst things to deal with. Took nearly a half hour to destroy for 30 grams.

 

I've bought thousands of these. I don't recall seein them marked inside the rim like this before. Some of the lightest ones I've had. One Troy for eight of them.

 

That's all they're worth

 

Fantastic info and pics!!!! I’ve never seen the mark inside like that either. Good to know. I’ve seen a few I would think were silver but with no marks, maybe I missed them if it was there. Crazy that each ashtray yielded less than 4g! I would have though a little more. Going back up I now notice you said they were light relatively speaking. The mirror by contrast must have been a very heavy one relatively speaking? Brushes seem to be the cheapest sterling item I find outside of the shirt Candle sticks. Next time you test one up I would love to see the results! Also any larger footed bowls I would be curious about! Thanks for sharing!

 

I had a good weekend for weighted items that made me glad I don’t tear them up. 2x Frank M Whiting coasters/ashtrays advertised for $45 (because hey why not!) I had them up for a month or so locally. I got a couple offers of around $20-$25 and turned them down. Finally got a guy to come take them for $45! While he was on the way I remembered I had an Alvin short candlestick laying around. Offered it to him for $20 and he wanted it! Nice guy so I knocked off $5 for him when he got here. All in all 2x coasters + 1x candlestick = $60! Not bad if you can get it! Beats the $10 I would have got in scrap and I didn’t have to destroy them. I just had to wait a month or so lol.

 

scrap tham all?

 

All I can say is wear gloves it’s like working with razor blades