Posted 13 years ago
garshields
(1 item)
This tray came from my wifes family in the Long Island, NY area...goes back 3 generations. I was recently told that even though the platter is stamped Gorham, Sterling it is in fact plated....I don't believe that..how do I go about finding out...WC
WC, your beautiful Gorham tray is without a doubt STERLING. I have seen thousands of Gorham marks and there is no reason to doubt the one on your tray is authentic.
I will not speculate the reason someone would tell you otherwise. However, I have seen people furnish false information in order to buy something for nothing that they know is worth a great deal more.
The "18 in" is often seen to denote size, so just a quick guess is that your tray weighs at least 40 troy ounces. Based on today's silver price of $32.60 per troy ounce, the "melt" value would be $1,206.00. Gorham is highly sought after and a large sterling tray like yours would fetch much more than melt.
Take the tray to an antiques mall and find a dealer specializing in silver. I can assure you that a simple physical examination will confirm it is sterling. There is no need to have it "tested," which would leave a deep scratch.
Enjoy your beautiful family heirloom.
Thank you for the info...GS
Actually this is a matching set...14" and 18"...I sold them to a guy from MN for less than the melt price, at the time. He says he had them acid tested and that they are fake...he was in a big rush to get them and in a big rush to send them back. He claims to be a collector, but I think he was looking for a quick turn over and when the price of silver dropped he changed his mind. Total weight on these is a little over 104 troy ozs....Thanks, GS
Good Evening, We have a 15" Gorham Sterling Silver Platter what was given to us by my husbands Aunt..She passed at age 89 last month. On the back is "Gorham EP YC1334".
Please help me determine the year or any available information you might provide.
Thank you.