Lots of people like to collect things, and this can be anything from trading cards, ornaments, antique silver, or jewellery. Silver is very common to collect as this semi-precious metal is a lot cheaper than gold and can look visually stunning. If you are looking to start or already have a collection of silver items and want to expand on this, here are some tips to help you grow your collection without spending too much of your hard-earned money.
Knowing The Current Price Of Silver
The price of silver changes every day just the same as oil and gold, so to be able to work out an estimate of the value of a silver item, you will need to know what the current price is for scrap silver. You can get the latest silver prices on many websites such as cnn.com, which are also regularly updated.
Know Where To Shop
There are many places where you can purchase antique silver, but you will pay more for certain types of establishments than others. For example, you will most likely end up paying a higher price in an antique store than you will on a market stall, although with some searching you can find some bargains.
An excellent place to pick up a bargain or two is a local antique fair, although you do need to be careful as some markets specialise in specific types of antiques so make sure that they offer what you want before visiting. Here you will find many full time and part time dealers that set up their stall and sell various antiques for sale. The beauty of purchasing at these types of places is that you can haggle over the price and bash out yourself a bargain.
Other excellent places to pick up bargains are car boot sales and flea markets. You will often find all sorts of bric-a-brac at these types of events, and there are usually some excellent bargains to be had. Just as with antique fairs, you can haggle over the price, and one of the benefits of purchasing from these types of places is that the sellers often do not know the real value of some of the items that they are selling. If you have a keen eye, you could end up getting a terrific bargain and walking away paying peanuts for something that is quite rare or valuable.
Shopping Online
You can also find many auction websites online that are good places for people to shop for antique silverware and other antique pieces. Sites such as eBay are a good place to start, and you also get to look at the seller’s reputation to help ensure that you are dealing with someone that is reputable. Many auction dealers also sell items on these types of websites, so sometimes the bargains are few and far between.
Be Careful When Making A Purchase
Before committing to a purchase, you should always know what it is that you are buying. If it is an antique you will want to try and find out the provenance of the item, and always ensure that you know whether it is sterling silver, or silver plated. If something seems to good to be true, it often is, so do not rush into any transaction, take your time and be prepared to walk away if the price is too high. With some digging around and travelling to various auctions and markets, you can find some excellent pieces to help grow your antique silver collection, without having to break the bank to do so.
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