Posted 10 years ago
MsTracy
(1 item)
Hi, my name is Tracy and I have gotten myself into a pickle. Today I purchased a silver serving tray with wooden handles from an estate sale. It measures 17 x 21.5 inches. One of the wooden handles is missing the screw and 2 silver posts. There are no markings on the bottom of the tray which is creating a problem for parts and repair. Has anyone ever seen this tray before, or know the manufacturer? I need HELP!
Tracy, pickles are a healthy, no-calorie food so no need to be upset. We have all made mistakes and hopefully this was a nominal cost one.
Considering my opinions below, I would not invest any money for repairs since the value of the tray does not warrant any additional expense.
There is no good way to tell you that your tray is not silver, but silver plate. Did they represent it to be "silver," which to me would mean "sterling"? It would be stamped "sterling" or ".925" if it were. My many years of experience can see from the photo that it's plated. Also, in my opinion, the tray was not born with those handles and were added later. One can see in the photo that first, there is no tarnish on the handles and second, they appear to be a different metal.
If the estate sale owner represented it to be silver/sterling, and you paid accordingly, then I would not hesitate to go back there and nicely ask for them to point out the "sterling" stamp. Since I doubt that they can, a reputable estate sale dealer should immediately refund your money. Did the price label state "as is" which means there is some damage? If not, try to take it back.
Sorry to be the bearer of not great news but it's just a "thing" and we all learn from our mistakes. Hope it works out for you and don't let this hinder your hunt for items you like and collect.