FLATWARE Daily use makes vintage silver glow

Old silver often is less expensive than new stainless and has more personality.
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Ever since "Upstairs, Downstairs" and all the highbrow BBC soaps that followed it, the very word silver conjures images of servants laboring over gigantic tea services with polishing cloths.
But you can enjoy genuine silver at the table every day without Jeeves. In fact, silversmiths say if you use silver every day, it hardly ever needs polishing. Handling and normal washing provide sufficient rubbing to keep tarnish at bay.
You don't have to pay a king's ransom to dine with sterling, either. Vintage flatware and serving pieces cost far less than new silver, and they are often of higher quality. In fact, old silver can be cheaper than new stainless tableware.
Useful pleasure
But perhaps the biggest reason some people are moving the heirloom silver out of the velvet-lined chest and into the silverware drawer is pure pleasure.
"It's a little treat that's easy and doesn't cost anything," says Dee Barwick of Kansas City, Kan. Barwick has been using her wedding silver every day since the '80s when her everyday silverware got misplaced in a move. She got used to using her Rose Solitaire pieces by Towle.
Daily use hasn't harmed the silver, either. "If anything, it probably looks nicer," Barwick says.
Silver dealers say frequent use does improve the look of flatware.
"If you use it every day, it doesn't have time to tarnish," says Bill Hiles, owner of Hiles Plating & amp; Silversmithing in Kansas City. In addition, silver that is handled for many years acquires a patina, or warm glow, that is impossible to replicate in new or infrequently handled silver.
Normal use causes tiny scratches and marks on the business end of utensils, but most collectors say those do not detract from a piece's value or desirability.
What's collectible
Prices for antique and vintage silver have been on a downward slope for the past few years, says dealer Rob Veramay of Albion, Mich. But the collectibility of sterling and silver plate is up. Thank eBay for both developments.
"EBay has flooded the market with hard-to-find patterns and pieces," Veramay says, "so there are few items that are truly 'rare.' Silver collectors have it good right now."
Veramay and Hiles say art deco designs, including many by Reed & amp; Barton, are popular. Hiles says his customers have shifted away from collecting tea sets and trays. More popular are candelabras and small pieces, such as creamers, sugar bowls, napkin rings and unusual items such as pickle castors with glass or china inserts or bowl holders that fit a bride's basket.
Ron Zoglin, owner of an antique shop in Kansas City and co-author of "Antiquing for Dummies" (IDG Books, 1999), says his customers mix and match silver patterns at the table. Zoglin says mixing works best if you stick to either very ornate or very simple patterns.
Silver plate quality
A common misconception is that silver plate is an inferior product. While it will never have the same silver content as sterling, dealers and silversmiths say many manufacturers made very high-quality silver plate. Hiles says many people don't realize that Tiffany made silver plate.
Other names to look for when shopping for vintage silver plate include: 1847 Rogers Bros.; Gorham; Alvin; Holmes and Edwards; Derby; Meriden; Poole; and Reed & amp; Barton. If a piece is marked quadruple plate, Hiles says, that tells you it was plated quite heavily.
When buying old silver plate, condition is the key, Veramay says. Heel wear is a term used to describe thinning of the silver plate to areas of a utensil where it comes in contact with the table, creating a visible area -- often gold or gray -- where the metal underneath shows through.
A greenish tinge is another indication that plate has worn through to the underlying metal. A way to detect damage to the metal is with your fingers; tiny rough edges and pits usually cannot be repaired.
On the other hand, dents can be repaired and broken handles reattached fairly easily, says Kansas City silversmith Scott VerLee.