posted on March 12, 2007 02:10:42 PM
I've come across an antique/vintage sterling silver tea strainer with drip bowl. It's marked "sterling" and has the letter "N" and a small logo. I've searched Google but sites I've found require you to join/pay a fee. I don't have that much silver to warrant the cost so hope someone can help me out as to maker/origin/etc. Thanks...
Next obvious question...when I list, do I polish this up or leave "as is"...Thanks for any help.
[ edited by blueyes29 on Mar 12, 2007 02:58 PM ]
posted on March 13, 2007 05:31:31 AM
blueeyes... I would polish it to perfection. People that spend good money on serious things... in my opinion and experience, want it to look good and they will pay more. Its the dealer and customer looking for a bargain that don't mind the polish... LIKE ME! Nice piece... do find the flatware pattern that is a good listing keyword.
posted on March 13, 2007 08:01:18 AM
Sensible antique dealers manage to overcome any compulsion they might have to make old things look shiny new. This usually happens right after they find out how much money they lost by "cleaning" it.
Your casual knows-nothing-about-antiques buyer isn't going to care for this piece, anyway. It's not pretty or cutesy.
posted on March 13, 2007 07:31:10 AM
Sensible and not polishing is the best advice for copper, brass, bronze, especially pewter, but not necessarily for silver. In my experience anyway (and I do bow to Fluff's expertise on silver), even savvy buyers do want to see silver polished, but as with everything else, your mileage may vary. In this case, the bottom looks a bit pitted -- something tarnish would hide.
