Guide to Buying Old Silverware for Recycling

Ami Gur

Guide to Buying Old Silverware for Recycling – What You Need to Know

As silver prices rise, the market for purchasing old silverware for recycling heats up as well. The most common silverware includes sterling silver (92.5% silver), 800 silver (80% silver), and occasionally items made of 99.9% pure silver, often created using a unique process called electroforming. However, anyone considering entering the market for buying old silverware for recycling should take note of several important factors that can impact the quality, purity, and overall value of these items. Here are some essential tips for anyone looking to buy such items for recycling:

1. Checking Joints, Solder, and Wax

In many items, such as candlesticks and tableware, there are joints connecting different metal parts. Often, these joints are soldered, usually with lower silver content than the body of the item, which can reduce the total silver content of the piece. Additionally, in some items, copper screws are used to connect weights or other parts, further reducing the silver content. In candlesticks and candelabras, melted wax can also seep into various areas, adding stability but creating additional recycling challenges. If these candlesticks or candelabras were used with candles, there’s also a chance that candle wax melted and collected in hidden areas, adding weight to the item in a misleading way. When purchasing items like these, it’s essential to examine each part of the piece and accurately assess the silver content.

2. Caution with Thick Silver Plating

In some items, especially decorative or antique ones, the pieces may be made of brass with a thick silver plating. This can be misleading even in XRF (X-ray fluorescence) testing, as the test may show a high silver content even though it’s just a coating. To avoid errors, it’s recommended to polish a small area of the surface before testing and, of course, to look for hallmarks indicating the metal’s purity.

3. Presence of Weights or Plaster Castings

In candlesticks and candelabras (multi-arm candle holders), it’s common to find added metal weights or plaster castings in the base of the item for stability. These weights can affect the item’s total weight and skew the estimate of the silver content. Before purchasing, it’s a

good idea to check the base to ensure it doesn’t contain weights or castings that could reduce its recycling value.

4. Items Made with Electroforming

Silverware created with the electroforming method, especially those with a high-purity silver content (99.9%), often contain filling materials like wax or plastic that provide structural stability but significantly reduce the net silver weight. Recycling such items can be challenging and costly, as these filling materials must be removed before the recycling process begins.

5. Using Liquid Testing as an Alternative to XRF

For those who don’t have access to an XRF device, liquid testing agents are available. These allow for silver identification by applying a specialized liquid to the surface. When the liquid reacts with the silver, it confirms the presence of silver, but as with thick plating, it’s essential to polish the area before testing to reveal the true material underneath.

6. Attention to Silver Cutlery

When dealing with silver cutlery, it’s crucial to pay particular attention to knives. In many knives, the blade is made from stainless steel rather than silver, which can reduce the overall silver content. Additionally, knife handles are often not solid silver, and in many cases, they are filled with stabilizing materials such as sand or plastic. Therefore, it’s wise to examine these pieces carefully before purchasing, as the actual silver content may be considerably lower than it appears.

7. How Much to Pay for Silver Scrap

To ensure profitability in silverware recycling transactions, it’s advisable to pay no more than 80% of the metal’s value in the item, considering that the recycling process itself involves costs that may reach around 10% of the silver value, with an additional 10% margin for profit. For example, if you have 1,000 grams of sterling silver scrap (92.5% purity) and the market price for silver is $1 per gram, the calculation would be as follows:

So, it would be prudent to pay no more than $750 for this scrap to ensure a profit margin of approximately 10%.

8. Selling Silverware as Products Instead of for Recycling

Often, selling silverware as pre-owned products can yield higher profits than recycling. Recycling silverware involves disassembly and processing costs, which may reduce the final value to below the spot price of silver. Therefore, before opting for recycling, consider the potential for selling the item as-is, particularly if it’s unique, old, or antique, as it may attract collectors and bring in a significantly higher price.

In Summary

Buying silverware for recycling can yield good profits when the correct assessments and evaluations are made for each item. Thorough examination of each piece, with attention to hallmarks, soldered joints, weights, or plating, can help buyers avoid mistakes and make wise, profitable purchases.