Don't forget to think about selling it as a item, you can almost always make twice as much selling it as a serving dish. People collect silver patterns to complete their sets. I have paid $80 dollars for a set of salt shakers that matched my set. I hate when it gets melted down and the history is lost forever.
Dear 'Pickins: The candy dish is marked with the Greek letters Pi Beta Phi. This is a rather old and prestigious "fraternity for women" (or as is more likely but less accurately to be said today, a sorority.) Pi Beta Phi reports that they were founded in 1867 at Monmouth College in Illinois. They claim to be the first Greek style fraternity/sorority - sometimes referred to as a 'secret society' - to have been founded by and for women. And this at a time when few women went to university and few universities admitted women. Incidentily, actress Faye Dunaway is reported to be a member. This dish might be of more than just melt value to a 'Pi-Phi', especially if you could establish the provenance of the dish, regards, F.W.K. Hall
I invest in silver and usually buy junk silver coins. Decided to check out goodwills and resale shops to see if I could find any sterling. After going through silver plate stuff a certain item caught my attention. I left with a 6 inch serving tray marked sterling and It cost me a buck. Made my day.
+max cadey Nice find! I love silver made items, be it jewelry or anything else. Silver has so many industrial uses that it will always not just retain its value, but increase in value as it becomes more and more scarce. It's also possible to make great finds like yours, whereas a gold find is incredibly rare. But it's still rare enough to make a silver find exciting. Good luck in your further silver pursuits.
Note for future reference: those plastic gloves do nothing to protect you from nitric acid. It will stop HCl (muriatic acid), but nitric acid will seep through that incredibly quickly. It would actually be better in this case to not wear gloves at all. Only butyl rubber gloves will protect you from nitric acid, nitrile, vinyl, latex, and normal plastics (PET, etc.) will not do anything other than trap the acid fumes inside the gloves and give you a false sense of security.
Silver is a fairly heavy metal. It's only about 10% lighter than lead. It's heavier than steel, zinc, brass, nickel, Copper or bronze. And they do not plate bronze. Mostly it's copper, brass, zinc, steel or an alloy of nickel, copper and zinc which is called silvernicklel that does not contain silver. Just the plating. Specific gravity of steel is 7.8, zinc is 7.13 brass is 8.5, nickel 8.90, copper is 8.96 and silver is 10.49.
unfortunately with all the pickers with their cells scanning everything on the shelves GW in my town has significantly raised their prices even on the junk
Our goodwill is too. Lines out the door on the first day they bring out the winter clothing. Carts stacked 6ft high and a 50 dollar price tag on a Columbia coat. Just really hard to win now. The greed is rampant. People that take all and leave none.
They're way pricey here in NW Florida too. I went by looking for some cheap jeans and walked out empty handed when I saw their used jeans were something like 80% as much as brand new. I doubt the local Goodwill would have any silver, excepting maybe silver plate. But, I may have to investigate. My eyesight is so lousy I'd have to check it out with my loupe though, and that would earn my looking undesirable attention. BTW Godschildyes, coastal Oregon is by far my favorite place on Earth.
@@Vector_Ze Out Goodwills used to have gold and silver and fine antiques all the time, but they got in the habit of picking everything that comes in with a fine tooth comb. Then they turn around and sell it on their online site! Thanks to shows like Oprah's Favorite Things and Antiques Roadshow where people revealed that they got their valuable treasures at Goodwill or thrift stores, EVERYTHING has changed and the thrift stores have never been the same. Thanks! Yes These Oregon coastlines are very beautiful and have a nice flavor to them. Sorry for my incredibly late reply. 😁 Take it easy friend and I hope you and all yours are well.
Excellent picking. I would keep the bracelet, that is a Mexican heirloom. It's special. The last time I sold silver jewelry, they included the gem weight. The other 2 pieces are amazing too. If you sell them, let us know how you made out. 😉
just picked up some sterling jewelry yesterday in the goodwill showcase. 2 sterling rings from tiffany and a necklase. found them in the 1.99 jewelry tray. picked up those three for 6 bucks.
Nice find, man! better even than my find! I found a webster sterling baby cup, and a gorham sterling silver milk pitcher/sugar bowl set, all for 5.00 CDN each at the local mother millie's garage sale, about 2 years back.
Best find so far was 50c for 18k gold earrings. Couldn't find stamp or other markings, but the detail was far beyond costume jewelry so took my chance.. bought it and the stamp was under the earring backing. And the gold tester I have confirmed
Good job on finding the silver at second hand stores, I do the same thing and put the pieces on eBay. With silver I always look for makers marks, that's where the big money is, like David Yurman, you really pay big for designer items. Good job.
Super interesting. I'm going to attempt this at the thrifststores in the rural areas where I live. I dare to bet people here don't know that much about precious metals.
Goodwill needs people that know how to recognize valuable items, last week I bought a sterling silver bracelet and its going on EBay between $40.00 and $50.00 and I only paid $7.00 ! I also got two Tiffany & Co jewelry pouches a d they are going on EBay between for $20.00 $30.00. You can find all kinds of treasures at Goodwill and Savers if you know what to look for. I'm also a silver stacker so anything sterling/925 I add to my stack. I love treasure hunting with my metal detector and I also love finding treasures at Goodwill. Do you go to garage sales or flea markets or church sales ? I do because those are great places to find silver or what ever you are into. Thanks for the video and happy treasure hunting !
Their not loosing anything, they where gonna sell it sooner or later it just so happens you know how to resell it. I do appreciate what you do actually do with the money though.
I used to work for the Salvation Army And they are dirty and money hungry. They take advantage of their employees and their so called beneficiaries as well as people who donate. Corporate pockets and sells the valuable stuff in secret filling their own pockets by using others. No one is taking advantage of them!
Really appreciate the quality of this video. A lot of people do vids like this but your's is one of the better. Really dig that clam shell piece. The candy dish is great too. I think you're probably spot on regarding the agates in the bracelet & the bowl is simply incredible! Not finished watching yet but really great video. Thanks for sharing.
I found a heart pendent, the type you open and it has a picture of a loved one in it, and I took it to a silver buyer. He offered less than $1. It has 925 stamped on it. Kinda sucked.
Hi ! just saw your video, thanks for sharing! I learned that I should spend more time at thrift stores and yard sales! Also the test with the acid was fascinating, i never knew that! Thank you for doing this!
Today I bought a very nice 2 pound silver bowl for $5.00 at a yard sale its stamped marked English silver, but doesn't have a purity amount its definitely solid and not silver plated . I'm thinking of having it processed into silver a bar . I spent a total of $15.00 and walked away with a brand new looking running and complete portable rotary electric sewing machine and case made around 1920 and a solid brass serving bowl with heating stand . Priced out my haul on eBay and the net and its looking like my $15.00 will get me around $600.00 depending on the silver purity . I never go to yard sales but my daughter begged me to , maybe I need to start.
I bought a nut/mint tray set at a local thrift store, for 3.99. I know w a lot of silver marks after reselling for 30 years now. But this was too easy. Gorham Sterling. One fair sized tray and 12 small matching trays. And I mean small. I resold them for 269.00.
hi, very interesting video.. how would you know if an item is real silver??..a lot of silver items isn't marked..and a lot of non silver is marked as silver..i make silver jewelry and I bought my little tool to stamp my made jewelry, but you see, I saw a lot of medical kids, the ones they come to you at the beach selling silver jewelry..a couple times in the past I bought little pieces with marks on them..but they weren't silver!! but also I bought some very nice pieces that it was silver, and I got it for bargain price. but I go looking for treasures like in good will..maybe only once I scored..but then I stopped looking!! it's great video any way!!
I’m sorry to say I’m British and In britain for the past 20 years, British charity shops (US goodwill) have kept back ANYTHING old or possible silver or gold jewellery and the shop managers get in a ‘expert’ to value the items- then the antique dealer either promptly BUYS the good items and leaves the rubbish. So- and this is ALL OVER BRITAIN you can go into ANY goodwill store and you will NEVER find ANYTHING worth buying. It’s such a sad situation. I knew a shop that changed ‘manager’ overnight and that was it. No more bargains. This lady manager was a crook who sold the good items to the antiques dealer and kept the cash for herself. She was taking holidays abroad on the free cash she was raking in. It’s happening in every goodwill shop in britain. It’s never been looked into but they are ALL on the take.
@@CaliforniaPickin so it’s the same in the US at goodwill now? It’s sad. All the managers are getting the good stuff for free and selling it and keeping the money and putting the rubbish in glass cases to pretend it’s rare with high prices.
CaliforniaPickin Lucky you !! Nice finds. I go pay my phone bill by a "good will store" here in NYC. I will take a look day after tomorrow and see what I find. Being NYC, I expect lumps of garbage at a high price. NICE VIDEO !! ;)
Hi Drew, I have sterling fever as well. I love goodwill! I'm wondering if that bracelet you found is green turquoise! beautiful piece and I love the large bowl, gorgeous! thanks for sharing
@@Pandagurl218 Im aware but i make money from the video so...They were gonna see others videos so I figured its open season. I still find good stuff there tho.
How To Price Sterling Weight x Silver Spot Price x 0.925 = Worth The Bracelet As Of 2022 With Stone Weight 2.67 x 24.41 x 0.925 = $60.29 Astray = $17.16 Bowl = $56.90 But No One Will Give This Price Only Scrap Price.
good find I am sure you no what you are doing. but I just want to tell you what happen. to me I bought a ring on ebay and it was stamped 925 Mexico on it I had it tested and it was fake so be careful with. silver from Mexico even if it is stamped but great finds
Yesterday I went silver hunting went to two Good wills and one St Francis thrift store. At 1st Goodwill found a butter knife. The handle was tarnished but not the blade. It said handle sterling and blade stainless steel. I made the sacrifice and plunked down 19 whole cents! At St Francis I sat down with my loupe with containers of flatware to go through! LOl I got some odd looks. Found 3 items that interested me. But St Francis is expensive 2 forks and a fancy butter knife for $2.98 Almost gave birth when I saw a broken HEAVY silver chafing dish! $4.99 I thought why would they charge so much for this trash! Hmmm, bought it. At the other Goodwill, I found nothing. Went home and did my tests. I used this acid, a magnet a known piece of silver and a stone. Verdict? I did not give birth as the trash was indeed trash. Groan. The forks were crapola but the 2 knives were both sterling silver. I got about 2 Troy ounces out of the deal. Today's price is worth $38.88 i made a profit. So people I am PUMPED!! And to be honest, it was fun.
Depending on brand, I wouldn't just chalk up those two sterling knives to just their weight in silver... Its actually quite frustrating hearing so many people/pickers just throwing all their silver they have to smelt value. The sterling just ADDS to the price of the item, but brand, history, and uses all can dramatically change that price as well...
I was recently came into possession a box full of spoons, knives, forks..etc. They are quite heavy and some are very light. The heavy ones say Courtship Sterling International. The butter knives of the same design say International Stainless
Maria Dryna Hello Maria, Spoons and forks which are Sterling, are all sterling. Knives are almost always Sterling on the handle, and the blade is stainless. Sometime Butter Knives are all sterling.
I would never give away my secrets to people. It’s kinda like putting a sign in your front yard that says, “Spare house key under the knome in the garden.” I feel like people who make videos like these are only making it harder to find stuff(because everybody wants to go find silver now) while also driving up the prices.
Lol. I know what u are sayin, BUT there were many who were doing these types of videos so I thought should i be one of them and make money off the ad revenue, every month , for the rest of my life? OR, should i wait for more sterling Silver items, which could be months or even years in between? And that only sell for $12-$14 an OZ for scrap anyway...? These thrift stores were gonna watch all the others, so.. I decided to get paid every month, for the rest of time, provided TH-cam doesnt go under. And this one is one of my most popular videos in my TH-cam career. So what would u do? Hopefully now u can see why i made these type of videos. Thanks for watchin and commenting. You're not the first to say what u said. I totally get it.
Thanks for sharing.Curious are your planning on melting down the silver or selling the pieces? It will be a shame if all the old pieces are gone due to melting them down
Probably bc you have a LINK for DONATIONS in your description??? Like what lol, screams tacky and desperate if you ask me. What exactly are they donating money for in relation to the videos you put out on TH-cam? I think Goodwill has infected you lol...
Well considering he is making money off the views on the video alone.. I consider that getting without even having to ask. Then adding on top of that his videos are about items that people can buy incredibly cheap, and flip for a profit... which is his entire career platform basically as a picker. And to ask for donations on top of that? Lol c'mon, really now? Its not like his videos are entirely special or groundbreaking with the info they provide either. Its just another regurgitated video of finding antique silver at a thrift store. I don't know about your screen but on mine - every single video in the up next section to the right is exactly the same. You would literally learn nothing you likely wouldn't already know if you've done any amount of silver picking & research, even if you watched every single video listed there. Trust me - I have lol.
Anyone donating to him might as well be donating to Goodwill. They are literally a thrift store chain that gets donated items (aka absolutely FREE) and turns around and sells them in their sloppy store. Then they boast about how buying from them is helping the community because they use that money to create better job opportunities and training for people who need it.. aka THE JOBS THEIR STORES PROVIDE THAT SELL THE DONATED GOODS. They basically are just patting themselves on the back for "creating jobs" with their thrift stores that make money on other peoples shit! (Psssst! Every other store who pays TAXES does that too Goodwill!!!) They even have the nerve to create ebays for each area they occupy, have amazon accounts selling the donated books, and creating their very own auction website called shopgoodwill where items that are truly worth something almost always sell for the actual retail price of an actual store. So then they pay their employees and pocket the rest. Goodwill is a joke! But they got killer prices at their actual stores when the employees are clueless so aye, deals are deals. Shoppers gonna shop. Pickers gonna pick. Including me .
That silver plate bowl is reticulated. It was hammered out in it's design. Event though some pieces are not sterling they are still worth a good amount because of quality and antiquity! Don't underestimate silver plate!
In Russian it says P.V.F. Perhaps someone's initials? I recognized it because I have been studying Russian for over a year. But thinking about it for a few minutes, it could also be Greek. In Greek it could be a College Sorority............ Pi Beta Phi. This is probably more likely, don't ya think.
+Hattie Harriger Hi, I would not clean that bracelet. I dont think its meant to have a shiney finish. But silver cleaner works fine for other examples. . Use gloves. Dont let it touch your skin and wash after words.
So his video must not be working out to well for him if he needs to ask for donations through PayPal. Not to put dampers on anyone's ambitions in going out to the donation centers to hunt for Silver or other precious metals, But your search for them is going to be a tad harder now from when silver hit its last peak price a few years back. I remember the silver rush very well, as i watched the silver markets like a hawk back then. It didn't take me long to figure out where the stockpiles of silver items where waiting to be be purchased. I made a listing of all Goodwill's and St. Vincent De Pauls donation centers and outlets within a 100 mile radius. I was literally going to the cashiers having my shopping carts topped off with silverware,silver trays,silver candle holders,jewelry,everything made of silver i could find for pennies what silver was worth..even finding a good trove of gold items i found in the zip lock bags they labeled as costume jewelry. It wasn't long before i started to have competition in the isles, where there was some real tug of Waring going on. The donation centers were a little to late to figure out why people were buying silver stuff, but within a month the donation centers had figured it out,pulled what remained of the silver off their shelves and adjusted the prices their prices accordingly. Even though you may come back at me with a real nice find you recently just made,.silver is going to be real hard to find now at these places. I suggest going to garage and estate sales. And for all the revenue agents trolling around the internet looking for your cut..i paid more then my hefty share of taxes at all local,city,state and federal levels(enough taxation). After all it was more of the same in looting America's wealth.
Hi,i bought some silverware Chaffin dishes to display in a candy buffet table for my daughters sweet sixteen.most of the say english silver/leonard silver Something like that lol it has the face of a man on its side..i was cleaning my basement and threw it in a trash bag but had a change of heart and kept them all.They are tarnish and i don't know how to clean them properly.is there a liquid i can buy to clean it?
how do you clean that silver? I'd be afraid to put that bracelet in sterling silver cleaner that you dip jewelry in.. lest the stones be damaged by the cleaner.
I wouldnt clean the bracelet. Never. The patina looks good that way. I would only clean flatware and eating / serving vessels.. Also never clean copper or bronze. Never. Thanks for watching. Check out my other videos. Happy New Year Cat. Keep on Pickin!
Judy Spizler Hi, Sterling Silver is usually marked STERLING and /or 925 . another words 92.5 % out of 100% (.999) , which is pure. Sterling is light and will bend. They wouldnt make the silver very thick cuz its expensive. If u pick up a heavy piece of silver, its most likely silver plated.
at about the one minute mark you say that you can tell it's pure silver because it is light, and it would feel heavier if it was actually bronze or copper or some other metal plated with silver?! the molar mass of silver is greater than nickel, copper , iron, and is heavier than bronze too. And silver has a higher density than all those metals too. Am I missing something here?
+thooke222 the one thing nature has done for prospectors generally speaking. pretty much all the precious metals out weigh the non precious metals. gold, silver, platinum, will out weight just about all other metals including lead.
Hi, the thing is, Sterling Silver is usually much thinner than a plated metal, which has thicker body of Copper or Bronze. Thanks for your question / comment!
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Don't forget to think about selling it as a item, you can almost always make twice as much selling it as a serving dish. People collect silver patterns to complete their sets. I have paid $80 dollars for a set of salt shakers that matched my set. I hate when it gets melted down and the history is lost forever.
Dear 'Pickins: The candy dish is marked with the Greek letters Pi Beta Phi. This is a rather old and prestigious "fraternity for women" (or as is more likely but less accurately to be said today, a sorority.) Pi Beta Phi reports that they were founded in 1867 at Monmouth College in Illinois. They claim to be the first Greek style fraternity/sorority - sometimes referred to as a 'secret society' - to have been founded by and for women. And this at a time when few women went to university and few universities admitted women. Incidentily, actress Faye Dunaway is reported to be a member. This dish might be of more than just melt value to a 'Pi-Phi', especially if you could establish the provenance of the dish, regards, F.W.K. Hall
+Frank Kirwin-Hall Thank U. Great info! Much appreciated.
I invest in silver and usually buy junk silver coins. Decided to check out goodwills and resale shops to see if I could find any sterling. After going through silver plate stuff a certain item caught my attention. I left with a 6 inch serving tray marked sterling and It cost me a buck. Made my day.
+max cadey A BUCK?!?! WOW! The GoodWills in my state would have sold a 6 inch serving tray (sterling or plated) for 7 to 8 Bucks! Great Find!
I took it to my coin guy a few days after I got it and he wieghed it. It was worth $33 in silver
max cadey Amazing! I want to live in Your State! Hahaha! Great finds man! Thanks so much for sharing!
+max cadey
Nice find! I love silver made items, be it jewelry or anything else. Silver has so many industrial uses that it will always not just retain its value, but increase in value as it becomes more and more scarce. It's also possible to make great finds like yours, whereas a gold find is incredibly rare. But it's still rare enough to make a silver find exciting. Good luck in your further silver pursuits.
max cadey the letters on the candy dish are Greek, pig beta phi, a sorority
I find sterling in the bins at the outlets. No often, but it's usually a "part" like the bottom of a trinket box(missing top), or broken jewelry.
Note for future reference: those plastic gloves do nothing to protect you from nitric acid. It will stop HCl (muriatic acid), but nitric acid will seep through that incredibly quickly. It would actually be better in this case to not wear gloves at all. Only butyl rubber gloves will protect you from nitric acid, nitrile, vinyl, latex, and normal plastics (PET, etc.) will not do anything other than trap the acid fumes inside the gloves and give you a false sense of security.
Silver is a fairly heavy metal. It's only about 10% lighter than lead. It's heavier than steel, zinc, brass, nickel, Copper or bronze. And they do not plate bronze. Mostly it's copper, brass, zinc, steel or an alloy of nickel, copper and zinc which is called silvernicklel that does not contain silver. Just the plating. Specific gravity of steel is 7.8, zinc is 7.13 brass is 8.5, nickel 8.90, copper is 8.96 and silver is 10.49.
unfortunately with all the pickers with their cells scanning everything on the shelves GW in my town has significantly raised their prices even on the junk
Agree . . .GWill is out f sight. THe clerks all are armed with cell phones and checking prices on everything. Prices are crazy.
Our goodwill is too. Lines out the door on the first day they bring out the winter clothing. Carts stacked 6ft high and a 50 dollar price tag on a Columbia coat. Just really hard to win now. The greed is rampant. People that take all and leave none.
The GoodWill Stores in Oregon are extremely expensive! I would never get such items for so low cost! Good for you! Great finds!
Thank U !
They're way pricey here in NW Florida too. I went by looking for some cheap jeans and walked out empty handed when I saw their used jeans were something like 80% as much as brand new.
I doubt the local Goodwill would have any silver, excepting maybe silver plate. But, I may have to investigate. My eyesight is so lousy I'd have to check it out with my loupe though, and that would earn my looking undesirable attention.
BTW Godschildyes, coastal Oregon is by far my favorite place on Earth.
@@gavinalderman4941 Yes, exactly! Hahaha! You know what I'm talking about! 😆😂
@@Vector_Ze Out Goodwills used to have gold and silver and fine antiques all the time, but they got in the habit of picking everything that comes in with a fine tooth comb. Then they turn around and sell it on their online site! Thanks to shows like Oprah's Favorite Things and Antiques Roadshow where people revealed that they got their valuable treasures at Goodwill or thrift stores, EVERYTHING has changed and the thrift stores have never been the same.
Thanks! Yes These Oregon coastlines are very beautiful and have a nice flavor to them.
Sorry for my incredibly late reply. 😁
Take it easy friend and I hope you and all yours are well.
Just found English sterling silver today for 4 bucks at a goodwill in Oregon. It happens.
Excellent picking. I would keep the bracelet, that is a Mexican heirloom. It's special. The last time I sold silver jewelry, they included the gem weight. The other 2 pieces are amazing too. If you sell them, let us know how you made out. 😉
just picked up some sterling jewelry yesterday in the goodwill showcase. 2 sterling rings from tiffany and a necklase. found them in the 1.99 jewelry tray. picked up those three for 6 bucks.
Nice find, man! better even than my find! I found a webster sterling baby cup, and a gorham sterling silver milk pitcher/sugar bowl set, all for 5.00 CDN each at the local mother millie's garage sale, about 2 years back.
Silver is 17% more dense than copper. 8.96 g/cm3 vs. 10.49 g/cm3
Best find so far was 50c for 18k gold earrings. Couldn't find stamp or other markings, but the detail was far beyond costume jewelry so took my chance.. bought it and the stamp was under the earring backing. And the gold tester I have confirmed
Good job on finding the silver at second hand stores, I do the same thing and put the pieces on eBay. With silver I always look for makers marks, that's where the big money is, like David Yurman, you really pay big for designer items. Good job.
Super interesting. I'm going to attempt this at the thrifststores in the rural areas where I live. I dare to bet people here don't know that much about precious metals.
Nice finds! When checking your weights though dont forget that your scale is not weighing in Troy.
The - silver shell ashtray is very nice.
Goodwill needs people that know how to recognize valuable items, last week I bought a sterling silver bracelet and its going on EBay between $40.00 and $50.00 and I only paid $7.00 ! I also got two Tiffany & Co jewelry pouches a d they are going on EBay between for $20.00 $30.00. You can find all kinds of treasures at Goodwill and Savers if you know what to look for. I'm also a silver stacker so anything sterling/925 I add to my stack. I love treasure hunting with my metal detector and I also love finding treasures at Goodwill. Do you go to garage sales or flea markets or church sales ? I do because those are great places to find silver or what ever you are into. Thanks for the video and happy treasure hunting !
I do the same......but I give the profit to the charity.
I don't feel it's fair to take advantage of their lack of knowledge.
Their not loosing anything, they where gonna sell it sooner or later it just so happens you know how to resell it. I do appreciate what you do actually do with the money though.
I used to work for the Salvation Army And they are dirty and money hungry. They take advantage of their employees and their so called beneficiaries as well as people who donate. Corporate pockets and sells the valuable stuff in secret filling their own pockets by using others. No one is taking advantage of them!
why would you want to alert anyone about this? what kind of narc are you?
they get it for free so who really cares, you are correct they lose nothing
Really appreciate the quality of this video. A lot of people do vids like this but your's is one of the better. Really dig that clam shell piece. The candy dish is great too. I think you're probably spot on regarding the agates in the bracelet & the bowl is simply incredible! Not finished watching yet but really great video. Thanks for sharing.
Thank U. Its those type of support comments that keep me going! I'm glad u are enjoying my vids.
I found a heart pendent, the type you open and it has a picture of a loved one in it, and I took it to a silver buyer. He offered less than $1. It has 925 stamped on it. Kinda sucked.
Hi ! just saw your video, thanks for sharing! I learned that I should spend more time at thrift stores and yard sales! Also the test with the acid was fascinating, i never knew that! Thank you for doing this!
Might be a good idea to neutralize the acid with some baking soda if you want to keep the item looking nice. Thanks for the vid. :)
I honestly don’t know what’s more impressive. The finds or you getting that bracelet on with one hand…
Today I bought a very nice 2 pound silver bowl for $5.00 at a yard sale its stamped marked English silver, but doesn't have a purity amount its definitely solid and not silver plated . I'm thinking of having it processed into silver a bar . I spent a total of $15.00 and walked away with a brand new looking running and complete portable rotary electric sewing machine and case made around 1920 and a solid brass serving bowl with heating stand . Priced out my haul on eBay and the net and its looking like my $15.00 will get me around $600.00 depending on the silver purity . I never go to yard sales but my daughter begged me to , maybe I need to start.
I bought a nut/mint tray set at a local thrift store, for 3.99. I know w a lot of silver marks after reselling for 30 years now. But this was too easy. Gorham Sterling. One fair sized tray and 12 small matching trays. And I mean small. I resold them for 269.00.
@ 5:00 They are NOT filler metals. They have a purpose. They only serve to harden the silver. Otherwise the silver wears and scratches way to easy...
Thanks I love the bracelet and would wear it right now nice pics...I enjoyed this video ...
Thanks for watching!
Thank you for a great video! So informative and your sterling silver finds are beautiful
Dear Drew, I once bought a menorah for $30 ... it weighed 31oz......killer find......
Nice Anthony! Like 2 LBS!
No silver at goodwill thanks to you letting them know.
You are so welcome!
Drew. The candy dish you got from goodwill, the initial on it are Greek. Its Pi Beta Phi, an honor society for Engineering students. No russian to it.
Thank U !
No, college sorority.
11:12 It's probably nitric acid. You need to neutralize it with sodium bicarbonate (aka baking soda), then wash it with water.
hi, very interesting video.. how would you know if an item is real silver??..a lot of silver items isn't marked..and a lot of non silver is marked as silver..i make silver jewelry and I bought my little tool to stamp my made jewelry, but you see, I saw a lot of medical kids, the ones they come to you at the beach selling silver jewelry..a couple times in the past I bought little pieces with marks on them..but they weren't silver!! but also I bought some very nice pieces that it was silver, and I got it for bargain price. but I go looking for treasures like in good will..maybe only once I scored..but then I stopped looking!! it's great video any way!!
Love the silver shell. I would use that for my rings.
Great haul, thanks for the info. Drew!
Thank Lori !
I’m sorry to say I’m British and In britain for the past 20 years, British charity shops (US goodwill) have kept back ANYTHING old or possible silver or gold jewellery and the shop managers get in a ‘expert’ to value the items- then the antique dealer either promptly BUYS the good items and leaves the rubbish. So- and this is ALL OVER BRITAIN you can go into ANY goodwill store and you will NEVER find ANYTHING worth buying. It’s such a sad situation. I knew a shop that changed ‘manager’ overnight and that was it. No more bargains. This lady manager was a crook who sold the good items to the antiques dealer and kept the cash for herself. She was taking holidays abroad on the free cash she was raking in. It’s happening in every goodwill shop in britain. It’s never been looked into but they are ALL on the take.
i know what u mean. This was from several years ago when it was still good. Now its all expensive crap.
@@CaliforniaPickin so it’s the same in the US at goodwill now? It’s sad. All the managers are getting the good stuff for free and selling it and keeping the money and putting the rubbish in glass cases to pretend it’s rare with high prices.
I like your profile pic! I got his autograph , in person when i was young. Still have it today!
@@CaliforniaPickin wow that’s so cool! You’re lucky to have such a great memory of The Greatest!💥🥊
@@TheGreatest1974 I also have orig program magazines from Ali/Frasier 1 & 2 and ALI/ Forman !
CaliforniaPickin Lucky you !! Nice finds. I go pay my phone bill by a "good will store" here in NYC. I will take a look day after tomorrow and see what I find. Being NYC, I expect lumps of garbage at a high price. NICE VIDEO !! ;)
Thanks for sharing... They're pretty tricky to find the real ones. I have learn something new. I appreciated.
So pretty much all items with a 925 or stirling, mark are silver!
Hi Drew, I have sterling fever as well. I love goodwill! I'm wondering if that bracelet you found is green turquoise! beautiful piece and I love the large bowl, gorgeous! thanks for sharing
Thanks Susan, Im kinda leaning toward green Onyx on the bracelet.
The letters on the dish are Greek , from a sorority.
I'd market that bracelet as Steam Punk style. Very cool. I bet a bead shop could tell you what the stones are.
Markings are Greek letters, probably a sorority piece
Funny how they think Ralph Lauren Polo shirts are worth $19.99 around here but sterling platters are only worth $5.99 each
I agree Andrew. Hope "THEY" are not watching. Lol. Happy New Year to U. See ya next year.
jajjaajaj-true
Picking Profits g
@@CaliforniaPickin they were watching and now ship all the goods to thier e-commerce and over charge
@@Pandagurl218 Im aware but i make money from the video so...They were gonna see others videos so I figured its open season. I still find good stuff there tho.
that Mexican silver bracelet is pretty obvious to my eye that its plated brass
How To Price Sterling
Weight x Silver Spot Price x 0.925 = Worth
The Bracelet As Of 2022 With Stone Weight
2.67 x 24.41 x 0.925 = $60.29
Astray = $17.16
Bowl = $56.90
But No One Will Give This Price Only Scrap Price.
Hi, Thx, I sold them a while ago for double and triple of those prices, but thx for the breakdown.
@@CaliforniaPickin Sweeeet
not anymore. Goodwill sends anything valuable to their auction
The symbols are all Greek, a capital Pi, a capital Beta and a capital Phi. Probably some fraternity.
+Wanda Burns Pi Beta Phi. Google says it's a sorority.
Well that was the other option. :)
Love your avatar! I have a decal on my car with a dinosaur eating a Jesus fish. :)
the three letters are also cyrrilic (russian): p, v and F
SORORITY
only found plate stuff here. still waiting to find my sterling silver item
Keep looking. It might happen.
The bowl is PI BETA PHI, a sorority for women.
good find I am sure you no what you are doing. but I just want to tell you what happen. to me I bought a ring on ebay and it was stamped 925 Mexico on it I had it tested and it was fake so be careful with. silver from Mexico even if it is stamped but great finds
Thanks, I test all my silver.
CaliforniaPickin I figured you did God bless you
brianj123458 correct and I had an item not stamped and was silver
Yesterday I went silver hunting went to two Good wills and one St Francis thrift store. At 1st Goodwill found a butter knife. The handle was tarnished but not the blade. It said handle sterling and blade stainless steel. I made the sacrifice and plunked down 19 whole cents! At St Francis I sat down with my loupe with containers of flatware to go through! LOl I got some odd looks. Found 3 items that interested me. But St Francis is expensive 2 forks and a fancy butter knife for $2.98 Almost gave birth when I saw a broken HEAVY silver chafing dish! $4.99 I thought why would they charge so much for this trash! Hmmm, bought it. At the other Goodwill, I found nothing. Went home and did my tests. I used this acid, a magnet a known piece of silver and a stone. Verdict? I did not give birth as the trash was indeed trash. Groan. The forks were crapola but the 2 knives were both sterling silver. I got about 2 Troy ounces out of the deal. Today's price is worth $38.88 i made a profit. So people I am PUMPED!! And to be honest, it was fun.
Finding precious metals is always fun! Thanks for your story!
Depending on brand, I wouldn't just chalk up those two sterling knives to just their weight in silver... Its actually quite frustrating hearing so many people/pickers just throwing all their silver they have to smelt value. The sterling just ADDS to the price of the item, but brand, history, and uses all can dramatically change that price as well...
I was recently came into possession a box full of spoons, knives, forks..etc. They are quite heavy and some are very light. The heavy ones say Courtship Sterling International. The butter knives of the same design say International Stainless
Maria Dryna Hello Maria, Spoons and forks which are Sterling, are all sterling. Knives are almost always Sterling on the handle, and the blade is stainless. Sometime Butter Knives are all sterling.
So if you sell your silver and gold where do you take it to get it Authenticated and a good price for it
It's funny how a 5 year old video on TH-cam looks 30 years old in video quality compared to what we expect today.
Lol. Ur a funny guy.
I would never give away my secrets to people.
It’s kinda like putting a sign in your front yard that says, “Spare house key under the knome in the garden.”
I feel like people who make videos like these are only making it harder to find stuff(because everybody wants to go find silver now) while also driving up the prices.
Lol. I know what u are sayin, BUT there were many who were doing these types of videos so I thought should i be one of them and make money off the ad revenue, every month , for the rest of my life? OR, should i wait for more sterling Silver items, which could be months or even years in between? And that only sell for $12-$14 an OZ for scrap anyway...? These thrift stores were gonna watch all the others, so.. I decided to get paid every month, for the rest of time, provided TH-cam doesnt go under. And this one is one of my most popular videos in my TH-cam career. So what would u do? Hopefully now u can see why i made these type of videos. Thanks for watchin and commenting. You're not the first to say what u said. I totally get it.
i believe the section shell thing is soap holder.
too small. Ash tray would be my guess. Thanks for watchin!
Thanks for sharing.Curious are your planning on melting down the silver or selling the pieces? It will be a shame if all the old pieces are gone due to melting them down
Arlene RounceHoarding silver for now. We'll see down the road. I do know what u are saying tho. Thanks for watchin.
I would melt it
killuminate peacefulness same
its russian pre revolution ,very spetial kind of count or countesses etc good stuff !
why would anyone DISLIKE this video? Are they jealous or haters? I dont get it?
Probably bc you have a LINK for DONATIONS in your description??? Like what lol, screams tacky and desperate if you ask me. What exactly are they donating money for in relation to the videos you put out on TH-cam? I think Goodwill has infected you lol...
Well considering he is making money off the views on the video alone.. I consider that getting without even having to ask. Then adding on top of that his videos are about items that people can buy incredibly cheap, and flip for a profit... which is his entire career platform basically as a picker. And to ask for donations on top of that? Lol c'mon, really now?
Its not like his videos are entirely special or groundbreaking with the info they provide either. Its just another regurgitated video of finding antique silver at a thrift store. I don't know about your screen but on mine - every single video in the up next section to the right is exactly the same. You would literally learn nothing you likely wouldn't already know if you've done any amount of silver picking & research, even if you watched every single video listed there. Trust me - I have lol.
Anyone donating to him might as well be donating to Goodwill. They are literally a thrift store chain that gets donated items (aka absolutely FREE) and turns around and sells them in their sloppy store. Then they boast about how buying from them is helping the community because they use that money to create better job opportunities and training for people who need it.. aka THE JOBS THEIR STORES PROVIDE THAT SELL THE DONATED GOODS. They basically are just patting themselves on the back for "creating jobs" with their thrift stores that make money on other peoples shit! (Psssst! Every other store who pays TAXES does that too Goodwill!!!) They even have the nerve to create ebays for each area they occupy, have amazon accounts selling the donated books, and creating their very own auction website called shopgoodwill where items that are truly worth something almost always sell for the actual retail price of an actual store. So then they pay their employees and pocket the rest. Goodwill is a joke!
But they got killer prices at their actual stores when the employees are clueless so aye, deals are deals. Shoppers gonna shop. Pickers gonna pick. Including me .
Why so many ads/commercials? I don't pay internet fees to watch alot of ads! Please consider no ads during video viewing 😷😷
What do you do with the silver items? Melt it down? or clean up and resell the items?
Monogram are Russian letters. Looks like 19th century silver dish. Awesome find.
Thank Drew I Wasatch it over I wanted to learn how to clean silver.love the video.
That letter at the end is Greek. It is the capital letter PHI.
I MILLION VIEWS GUYS!!!! THIS VID helped me get there! Thank U !
Silver is heavier than copper or brass.. I work with those metals.
What a gaudy Wilma Flintstone bracelet.
Thank you for the video, I love to learn new things! My question is...how do we turn a prophet?
Buy Low... Sell High! Lol. Watch my OLDER vids and u will see how to do that. Thanks for watchin.
Looks great on your hairy wrist! Ja Ja
Fraternity or sorority Greek letters, last one is phi.
I believe your stones in the bracelet are turquoise. Green comes from Arizona and Mexico
+Les Jolley They are green Onyx. . Thanks.
That silver plate bowl is reticulated. It was hammered out in it's design. Event though some pieces are not sterling they are still worth a good amount because of quality and antiquity! Don't underestimate silver plate!
In Russian it says P.V.F. Perhaps someone's initials? I recognized it because I have been studying Russian for over a year.
But thinking about it for a few minutes, it could also be Greek. In Greek it could be a College Sorority............ Pi Beta Phi. This is probably more likely, don't ya think.
I think several ppl thought it was Greek Sorority.
CaliforniaPickin I did not bother reading comments. My bad.
It's not a Greek it is Macedonian letter and symbols ☺
Inglelook Give me a break. It was owned and tossed by a bunch of girls in a college sorority, in Texas.
Hey CP, great clip. Please tell me how do you clean the silver on a bracelet like that? Thanks!
+Hattie Harriger Hi, I would not clean that bracelet. I dont think its meant to have a shiney finish. But silver cleaner works fine for other examples. . Use gloves. Dont let it touch your skin and wash after words.
the lettering is a fraternity mark Pi beta phi
Thank U . Others said the same
So his video must not be working out to well for him if he needs to ask for donations through PayPal.
Not to put dampers on anyone's ambitions in going out to the donation centers to hunt for Silver or other precious metals, But your search for them is going to be a tad harder now from when silver hit its last peak price a few years back. I remember the silver rush very well, as i watched the silver markets like a hawk back then. It didn't take me long to figure out where the stockpiles of silver items where waiting to be be purchased.
I made a listing of all Goodwill's and St. Vincent De Pauls donation centers and outlets within a 100 mile radius. I was literally going to the cashiers having my shopping carts topped off with silverware,silver trays,silver candle holders,jewelry,everything made of silver i could find for pennies what silver was worth..even finding a good trove of gold items i found in the zip lock bags they labeled as costume jewelry. It wasn't long before i started to have competition in the isles, where there was some real tug of Waring going on. The donation centers were a little to late to figure out why people were buying silver stuff, but within a month the donation centers had figured it out,pulled what remained of the silver off their shelves and adjusted the prices their prices accordingly. Even though you may come back at me with a real nice find you recently just made,.silver is going to be real hard to find now at these places. I suggest going to garage and estate sales. And for all the revenue agents trolling around the internet looking for your cut..i paid more then my hefty share of taxes at all local,city,state and federal levels(enough taxation). After all it was more of the same in looting America's wealth.
LOL Pi Beta Phi sorotity monogram in small sterling bowl.
Yes Pi Beta Phi - ΠΒΦ...
why are people pouring acid on the silver.. going out buying acid,.. just throw an ice cube on it
merely ice cubes are not that accurate. It has to be combined with a whole bunch of other tests
I assume you do like many of us treasure hunters and resell. I would be interested to know what you ended up selling the bracelet for. If you did :)
Deb A
Greek letters for fraternity sorority or professional org.
thanks Robin. Others said that also.
in what world is silver lighter than copper?
Sorry, Silver plated items are heavier cuz the body is thicker made of copper. Thats what I meant.
Troy ounces=31.1. Grams
Ounces =~28 grams
those are Greek letters likely for a frat or sorority. Pi Beta Phi
Thx.
M and m s would look very nice in that
Hi,i bought some silverware Chaffin dishes to display in a candy buffet table for my daughters sweet sixteen.most of the say english silver/leonard silver Something like that lol it has the face of a man on its side..i was cleaning my basement and threw it in a trash bag but had a change of heart and kept them all.They are tarnish and i don't know how to clean them properly.is there a liquid i can buy to clean it?
IN SOUTH AMERICA , THEY POUND OUT A LARGE SILVER DISK WHEN HAND POUND IT OVER A HALF ROUND FOURM .........
mexico is 900 0r 910 most of the time same as coin silver nothing wrong with coin silver
WOW That bracelet is at least worth $7.99, WOW Again WOW!!!!!!
sold for $60
so where do you sell them at
They are either kept or melted for it's silver content I would assume.
how do you clean that silver? I'd be afraid to put that bracelet in sterling silver cleaner that you dip jewelry in.. lest the stones be damaged by the cleaner.
I wouldnt clean the bracelet. Never. The patina looks good that way. I would only clean flatware and eating / serving vessels.. Also never clean copper or bronze. Never. Thanks for watching. Check out my other videos. Happy New Year Cat. Keep on Pickin!
I would like to find out more about how to tell silver or not while still in the thrift shop. Thanks.
Judy Spizler Hi, Sterling Silver is usually marked STERLING and /or 925 . another words 92.5 % out of 100% (.999) , which is pure. Sterling is light and will bend. They wouldnt make the silver very thick cuz its expensive. If u pick up a heavy piece of silver, its most likely silver plated.
at about the one minute mark you say that you can tell it's pure silver because it is light, and it would feel heavier if it was actually bronze or copper or some other metal plated with silver?! the molar mass of silver is greater than nickel, copper , iron, and is heavier than bronze too. And silver has a higher density than all those metals too. Am I missing something here?
+thooke222 the one thing nature has done for prospectors generally speaking. pretty much all the precious metals out weigh the non precious metals. gold, silver, platinum, will out weight just about all other metals including lead.
Hi, the thing is, Sterling Silver is usually much thinner than a plated metal, which has thicker body of Copper or Bronze. Thanks for your question / comment!
They just tend to make silver items like this with very thin metal. Lots of pieces like this you find are bent,dinged etc.
"How to find silver at Goodwill" Look for items marked Sterling. Wow, never would have thought of that!
I 💖💖💖 the shell & the bracelet. Do you still have them?
Hasn'"t Goodwill Canada gone out of business?
I see what looks like a seam line on the 4th item at 7:31 and especially at 7:34.
Farkas1111 I think that's a scratch
Sweet! I'm going to GoodWIll!
the lettering is Pi Beta Phi. a sorority, Greek letters
Real Sterling Silver.