posted on May 5, 2001 03:10:25 AM
Rise and shine all. I have a question for all of you collectors of old silver and pewter. I found some great old pieces at an auction - silver plated Reed and Barton, Wallace, Wm Rogers, Cornwall, as well as pewter Lenox salt and peppers - that are looking a little worse for the wear. What I want to know is, should I clean them or photograph them and put them up for auction the way they are and let the new owners do the shining? I'm always in a quandry about this sort of thing. I'm not a full time ebayer and after almost a year still learning. What are your suggestions? Thanks for any help you can give.
posted on May 5, 2001 03:42:37 AM
I cannot give any advice or comment on pewter, but I will pass on the advice I got on this board regarding silver plate.
Do not use any polish, just buff it with a clean cloth. In your description note how you have cleaned it and leave the deep cleaning to the buyer.
I followed this advice and my silver plate did very well. The buyer appreciated that I had not removed any of the patina in the pattern that she wanted to keep.
posted on May 5, 2001 03:57:06 AM
I have sold old silverplate on ebay for over 4 1/2 years. I always polish silverplate before selling. The primary purpose of this is to reveal what's under the tarnish. Many sellers do not polish because they are aware that there is much plate loss and wear underneath that will not be visible until the item is polished. This is rather deceptive on their part. I don't like my buyers to have surprises. Second, clean, shining silver is likely to receive higher bids than tarnished silver. Third, I have had many comments from buyers thanking me for having polished the silver first and complaining about other silver they have purchased that was dirty and tarnished. BUT -if you don't know how to polish silver properly (never use that "dip" stuff), then leave it alone and state in your description that you are not experienced in polishing silver, etc. Good luck.
posted on May 5, 2001 07:00:28 AM
without seeing the items, if you think there is a market for the items with the current patina, you could list them as is, and offer to polish/clean on request only from the current buyer. If it doesn't sell, you could clean it and then relist.
I've only had two people complain about the state of the silver, one complained that I had cleaned it up/polished in order to get the photograph to come out properly, the second one complained that we hadn't polished it up. Evenly divided in the complaint dept.
posted on May 5, 2001 08:09:53 AM
I agree with antiquefreak. I buy quite a bit of silver. I doubt I will purchase any pieces off ebay again if they are not polished. Each time I have, the pieces have arrived with hardly any plating left on them. I agree also that one must be careful about the way they polish it. One lady "polished" with steel wool and scratched the piece really bad.
When pieces are polished it is easy to see the actual condition and if there are worn spots or damage. If I am able to actually handle an unpolished piece I can usually tell the condition but from an auction picture it is very difficult.
Be careful about purchasing silver that has been polished and then wrapped in plastic. The plastic wrap seems to put a chemical onto the silver and it is almost impossible to remove it ever again.
How do you get decent photographs of your polished silver? I can't seem to get a clear picture of anything shiny without the glare that simply ruins the pics... The only worthwhile shots I'm able to get are the closeups of the marks...
posted on May 6, 2001 05:25:12 PM
<b>PaladinLvs</b>
Funny... I just emailed "Toke" in response to photographing silver and, voila, here's another request. Here's what I said: First, never photograph using a flash! That is usually someone's fatal error. Second, I try to take photos of silver outside on an overcast day - they will come out best then. Try taking at somewhat of an angle which will reduce glare. I don't have as much problem with glare on the silver as I do with reflections IN the silver - i.e. my face! LOL If not an overcast day, simply take pics in the shade. Taking photos of silver inside is more difficult. The bright light that you will need for a non-flash photo, often creates much glare. Again, photographing at an angle (either you or the item) will usually work. I still recommend outdoor photos and try to do most of my work outside. Assuming you are using a digital camera, you may have to take more than one photo - in fact, I recommend it. Then simply pick the best one!
posted on May 6, 2001 05:32:28 PM
I don't know about this stuff, but don't ever clean silver coins. More nice coins have been ruined by cleaning than everything else put together.
posted on May 6, 2001 06:32:50 PM
I have much better luck photographing shiny items (chrome, nickel, silver, etc.) in natural light, even if it's just sunlight coming in the window. Indoor light and the camera flash don't do it justice, not with my camera anyway.
posted on May 6, 2001 06:40:34 PM
How do you pack your silver for shipping. If you are not to wrap it in plastic what do you wrap around if for shipping???
Sorry I didn't make myself clear about the plastic wrap. I have had customers bring in silver to sell to me and they have polished it and then stored it in plastic and it has ruined it.
To ship it, I wrap it first in tissue paper and then in bubblewrap and that works okay.
To take pictures I find that it works best to angle the pieces slightly and at times I have my helper hold up a sheet of foil which reflects back onto the silver so I don't get reflections of myself or the objects in the room in the silver piece. It is best to experiment with natural lighting from different directions depending on the time of day.
When I get glare in my pictures from the flash, I either go outside, or I brighten up the lights, and cover the flash with a piece of paper. Sometimes I have to experiment, but if I cover 1/4 or 1/2 or 3/4 or 7/8th of the flash, I will find a level that seems to take decent indoor pictures of Glass, or Chrome or Stainless Steel.
Also, antiquefreak's suggestion of shooting at an angle is a very good one. Never shoot head on to a reflective surface with a flash unless you are well away from it (Farther away than you want to take eBay pics unless you are selling a boat )
The only worthwhile shots I'm able to get are the closeups of the marks... 
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