Question: Is all silver plated flatware brass underneath? From Estella in Grand Rapids, MI
Hi Estella,
Thanks for your question. Not all silver plated flatware is brass underneath. Silver plated flatware will usually be copper based (like brass) or nickel based. Usually flatware is not a pure copper base, as copper is too weak. Brass is actually an alloy of copper and zinc. Most often scrap metal yards will purchase brass plated flatware for the copper.
Flatware made with nickel is worth more than flatware made with copper. Pure nickel under silver plate is an older plating method and rarely used anymore. If you have pure nickel plated flatware, we would guess that you have older flatware that may be worth more as antiques than for the scrap nickel value. Nickel is magnetic, whereas sterling silver, copper brass and cupronickel (below) are not.
There is also cupronickel which is an alloy of copper and nickel. There are different grades or alloys of cupronickel. If you have a high percentage of nickel compared to the copper, try to sell to a scrap dealer for the nickel value. Some may just give you the brass price.
Scrap Metal Junkie is a website that we found that comments about scrap metal like we do about precious metals. If you think that your items could be sterling silver (not plated), then a precious metal refiner could be the right fit for you.
*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.
9 comments
i like silver spoon
The silver plate has been worn off from the dishwasher. Is it hazardous to eat with it?
I have a question. If you are intentionally buying silver plated flatware (because of the cost savings), is there a difference in brands, or way it is done? The reason I ask is that I have looked some, and see that some seem to have more silver than others, and some are worn down more, not looking like it is purely from use. Is there a difference between something marked silver plated, and something that says it is electroplated with silver? I want to purchase something that will last a while, and try to keep it looking good, which I read is mostly keeping it out of sitting in water, and not rubbing it to death. Do you know of any sites that explain this more? Thank you for any information you can give me!! 🙂
Lisa
Sir
I want to know that,why silver is plated only on cupper base metal?
I wait your answered
Work in a mid-nineteenth century mansion and currently polishing door knobs, etc. Question-can the hinges be nickel with brass and silverplate? Originally they were silverplated and much has been worn and polished off. It appears to be nickel underneath. The house was built in 1857.
I have an old silver-plated lid that is tarnished on the outside but silver looking inside. It is not magnetic so I am wondering if it is silver plate on the inside too. I wanted to turn it upside down and use for my dog’s drinking bowl since silver is anti-bacterial. Just worried it might have been aluminum but I guess my chances are high that it is silver or stainless steel like their current bowl.
I have old silver plated cutlery made by Armand Frenais in Paris. (I understand that he also did silver plating for Christofle.) My cutlery dates to the end of the nineteenth century and early twentieth century. I have had a couple of pieces resilvered in the states, but it seems to ruin the design of the flatware with too much silver. My question is: since some of the silver has worn off, is there any toxicity to the flatware? I use it everyday, I enjoy the weight and size of the flatware, and through the years and many trips to European flea markets, I have assembled a large collection with many different pieces in the shell pattern. But I don’t want to use flatware that could be harmful to guests or to me. Can you tell me what the metal is that Armand Frenais used in the late nineteenth century? Is it harmful? Can I safely continue to use this flatware everyday?
I have a set of silver plated goblets which are not very nicely plated. After a few years of polishing, the plating is so much more BRASS than SILVER. Im trying to figure out a way to refresh them Can I remover the rest of the silver and then just polish the Brass and use them as gold goblets? Ive also considered spray painting the outside with 14 K Gold Spray paint inside is fine Please advise me!!!!! Many thanks!!!!! Pat Taylor
I have some Alvin patent silver plate silverwear which is non magnetic.
I have been trying to find out what might be the base metal because it looks as good as the solid sterling.
Could you help me out?
By submitting a comment you grant Precious Metal Refining Blog from Arch Enterprises – Gold & Silver Refiners a perpetual license to reproduce your words and name/web site in attribution. Inappropriate and irrelevant comments will be removed at an admin’s discretion. Your email is used for verification purposes only, it will never be shared.