Ask the Expert — silver tea set

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 16/01/2016 (3581 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Dear Mike,

We are downsizing and moving into a condo. We have this silver tea set we have not used in years. I was hoping you could provide us with a value for it.

Charles S.

Winnipeg

 

Dear Charles,

These sets were popular in the 1950s and 1960s. Few people use tea sets today, though,

and that creates a bigger supply than a demand for them.

To determine the value of the set we first must know if it is sterling silver or silver-plated.

Silver-plated sets will have markings like “EPNS,’ “Plate,’ “EP copper’ or “Reproduction’ on them. If any of these words or letters are on your pieces, it is a silver-plated set.

In most cases, silver-plated tea sets are almost impossible to sell and have no silver value.

Sterling silver, which is solid silver, will have a marking of “Sterling, 925, 800,’ or a series of hallmarks on them. Sterling silver tea sets will have at least the value of their silver content. This value fluctuates with the price of silver.

It is almost impossible to guess a value on your set based on the information you sent. However, if your set was sterling silver, it could be worth as much as a few thousand dollars.

Mike Huen is an antique dealer and owner of Mike’s General Store. If you would like to have an item appraised, email your questions and include a photo to mike@mikesgeneralstore.com and put “Free Press’ in the subject line, or write to Mike’s Appraisals, 52 St. Anne’s Rd., Winnipeg, MB, R2M 2Y3.

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