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For over 2 years precious metal refiner, Arch Enterprises has written and maintained a precious metal blog, answering people questions about refining gold and silver.

WM Rogers Silverware | What is Brazilian Silver?

Hi I have eight pieces of old WM Rogers silverware and two knives made of Solid Brazilian Silver. What is this worth? – Alex in Birmingham, AL

Thank you for your inquiry.  Many Wm Rogers (Rogers & Brothers) patterns are silver-plated and some are sterling.  Please look on the back of one of your pieces and see if it has the hallmark or word “sterling” or the numbers “925”.  If it doesn’t, more than likely it is silver plated and unfortunately, we cannot offer returns on silver plated material, unless you have 50 lbs or more of silver plated flatware.

Also, “Solid Brazilian Silver” is a name used for nickel silver, also called German silver; it has the appearance of a silvery-white color, but actually contains no silver at all.  Typically, it is made up of copper, nickel and zinc.

sterling silverware value

If you determine your WM Rogers flatware is sterling, please feel free to request an estimate with the weight of your pieces, excluding any knives (but please give the count of how many knives you have, for example (8) knives).

* Please keep in mind that we are not a antique dealer and cannot give estimates based on the value of collectable, rare or vintage antiques. As a precious metal refiner, we only give estimates based on the weight of items and the amount of precious metal available for recovery.

* Blog estimates are given on a case by case basis and are not Arch’s final settlement price. Any prices or estimates in blog articles are based on the precious metal prices at the time of the post and can change on a daily basis as the price of precious metals change.

* Read our disclaimer

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Platinum Markings & Hallmarks for Selling

Question: What does the stamp “Plat Furo” mean inside my engagement ring? From Kathryn in Danbury, CT

Sterling Silver RingAnswer:

With the price of platinum rising above the price of gold, this precious metal is the commodity of the week! So thanks for your question about your platinum ring.

Though there are not as many hallmark variations for platinum jewelry as gold and silver, when deciphering platinum hallmarks you still must take in to account the purity, time period, manufacturer and place of origin for your piece.

“Plat” obviously means platinum, however we’re not sure what “Furo” means next to it. Are there any other markings? We would be looking for a number that indicates the purity/grade of your platinum ring. Below are some common markings we see:

850 (85% Platinum)
900 (90% Platinum)
950 (95% UK Standard Platinum)
999 (99.9% Pure Platinum)

If your ring is new, I would think that it would have one of these common platinum markings. If it does not have one of those, you may want to have a jeweler look at it for purity. While most of our platinum posts are about industrial platinum refining, here are a few about platinum jewelry that may help also:

https://www.precious-metal-refining.info/is-there-any-way-to-tell-if-my-platinum-ring-is-pure-platinum/
https://www.precious-metal-refining.info/where-to-sell-platinum-wedding-rings-precious-metal-refining-blog/

*Images displayed are only a representation of the items described in this blog post and may not be true images of the items in question.

While we are happy to give estimates on precious metal items, we are NOT antiques dealers, researchers, or retail sellers. As a precious metal refiner, we only consider the weight and amount of precious metal available to extract during the smelting and refining process.

How Long Does Precious Metal Refining Take? What are the Steps Involved?

How long does refining precious metal take – from the time you receive the metal until the check is mailed? What are the steps involved? From Lee in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Hi Lee,

Thanks for the question! Because of how time sensitive precious metal prices can be, we do our best to ensure quick turnaround times to our customers. We try to give our customers as much information before they ship to speed up the process and so that all questions are answered beforehand.

For a more efficient process it is beneficial to do the following:

  1. Include a packing slip
  2. Include any copies of emails you may have had with a representative.

Our Process

Caculate Precious Metal Value request precious metal estimate ship precious metal

Also it depends on the type of materials you are sending. If we will have to run tests to check the purity of your items, the process may take a bit longer. If you are sending in marked items of silver or gold we can get your items refined quicker.

We normally can return in 3 business days of receiving your material. If additional testing and verification is needed it can take 5-7 business days. We will use the precious metal price of the business day that the material arrives at our facility. You can find a step-by-step process about how to ship precious metals on our website.

Hope that helps!

1847 Rogers Brothers IS Silver Value

I Have a set of – 1847 Rogers Brothers Silverware with The Letters “IS” and “Eternally Yours” printed on each piece. What is the value of this set? From Patsy in Richmond, Virginia.

 

I have 4 pounds of 1847 Roger Brothers IS. I was just wondering what it was worth. I would like to know more about it before I decide whether or not to sell it? From Tim in Pacific, Missouri.

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Hi Patsy and Tim,

Since you both have 1847 Rogers Brothers IS Silver, I wanted to address your questions together. There are a few main points that we try to address when talking about Rogers Brothers:

“1847” and “IS” Marking on Rogers Brother Silver
The first thing we tell people about 1847 Rogers Brothers Silver is that the 1847 is NOT the manufacturer date. This is the founding date of Rogers Brothers that they include in the hallmark of all their silverware.

The “IS” stands for International Silver who has owned Rogers since 1898.

The point is that neither of these markings gives any indication about the purity or value of the silver.

Rogers Brothers is NOT all Sterling
Make sure that you are aware that NOT all sets and pieces by Rogers Brothers are sterling. Some pieces are silver plate. Sometimes people automatically assume that old silver pieces are sterling, but silver plating techniques have been around since the 1800s.

Selling Rogers Brothers Silver
The most important item to know is whether or not your silver is sterling. No matter who you sell to, usually sterling silver is more valuable than silver plate, stainless steel, copper or some other non-precious metal.

If you have sterling, check to see if you have a complete set and if any pieces are broken or damaged. If you have odd and end pieces Arch Enterprises, precious metal refiner will pay for the silver. We would need to know the exact weight of your sterling silver. That means if you have knives or weighted serving wear, we would want that weight separate. Please feel free to start the process and fill out our Request Estimate Form.

Otherwise for non-sterling, check to see what items are going for on eBay to get an idea about the value. The prices on eBay we found for “Eternally Yours Rogers Brothers Silverware” range from $235 -$295. But also keep in mind that these are large 52 piece to 72 piece sets in good condition, and some of them in their original boxes which makes a difference in their resale value.

* Images displayed are only a representation of the items described in this blog post and may not be true images of the items in question.

* Please keep in mind that we are not a antique dealer and cannot give estimates based on the value of collectable, rare or vintage antiques. As a precious metal refiner, we only give estimates based on the weight of items and the amount of precious metal available for recovery.

* Blog estimates are given on a case by case basis and are not Arch’s final settlement price. Any prices or estimates in blog articles are based on the precious metal prices at the time of the post and can change on a daily basis as the price of precious metals change.

* Read our disclaimer