Featured L J Millington silver candlesticks

Car boot at Bowlee was poor this morning. I got there late because they changed the opening time to 6:30 from the 8:00am start last week. Found a RCD Antoinette cake plate but they wanted £200 for it. I walked off laughing. That was about it. Waste of time.

Just popped up to Bury and found a box in a shop with random items in it and a price tag of £3 on it. In it were two candlesticks which looked like silver to me and a load of garbage schmultsy kitchen items.

I went to the checkout and asked if the price was correct. They had a look inside and apologised because a new volunteer had made a mistake. "Theres a lot of stuff in it" Then started to walk off with the box. "Aren't you selling it at all then? I only want the candlesticks". She asked if £1 was okay and I snapped her hand off. "They're not silver are they?" She said. I replied "Mmmmmmm " She seemed to take an hour to till them in and must have picked them up three times to look at them. I was sweating like a sweaty thing.

Seems they aren't too old. 2003 and 'filled silver'. But looking forward to going home and polishing them.. shineeee.

 

never heard of filled silver before, but they should come up splendid. were gonna wanna see um afterwards of course

super buy

 

I think it's a thin rolled layer of silver over a more substantial lump of lumpy stuff inside. A bit thicker than plate maybe. They have to put filled on it so you don't think all the weight is silver. My guess is that the bases are filled to stop them blowing away. Still, silver is silver.

 

I guess they are silver candlesticks with a heavy filling in the base, weighted silver. Which is somewhat like you describe.
Silver candlesticks and bud vases are often weighted to keep them stable.

 

I have a pair of very plain but old family candlesticks with weighted bases. We had friends of my niece stay here with her once and after they left I found the bases pried off and damaged because they must have thought there was something valuable inside.

 

I guess their parents never told them to look but not touch.

 

Wow. Why would anyone even do that. Least of all to someone who is acting as a host.

 

Anyway. All nice and shiny now. They make a nice pair.

 

I just picked up a sterling Birmingham Bon-Bon compote for $4-with a missing bottom plate . Indeed Bev, it's amateur treasure-hunting, but your Niece's friends,ouch !

 

Definitely worth more than £1

 

I might make a profit for once

 

Where I am they'd be called "weighted" instead of filled. Filled means "plated" here. The "filled' means they're what I call "sterling tinfoil", i.e. thin silver over steel and either plaster or wax. They're still worth more than a pound.

 

Yes, you can see the thickness or thinness of the silver in this photo. Less than a mm. They weigh just under 500g in total so if they were solid silver the scrap value alone would be quite considerable. As thin as the silver is, it still allows you to polish them forever and you never wear them out like you would silver plate. It also allows you to call it 'solid silver' and put a hall mark on them. It also makes them more affordable I guess.

 

we have at least 2 members who tear them apart to scrap the silver ...........

Weighted Sterling: Any Good Tips To Estimating The Silver Weight

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Best use for them when I find them here. The tinfoil ones were done in basic, bog standard designs and were a wedding gift everyone got in the 50s and into the 60s. People try to sell them for money here, but all they're really worth is scrap unless it's a special design. There are too many, all alike.

 

The trend is brass right now too.

 

Okay I'll bring gold Fabergé ones next time. I promise.

 

In my experience would be about 1 3/4 to 2 1/2 + or - ounce of silver in them when the silver is peeled off. Have scrapped a bunch like that. btw be careful if you decide to peel them as the silver is very sharp!

 

Thanks but I think I'll get more than the scrap value in their current state.