Older Vintage/Antique Silver items that are tarnished, Polish or Not?

This is a question that I've had when I see older items that have that blackened look. Does it help the value to polish them or not polish them?

 

when buying....folks don't know they are indeed silver......( Mr N8 excluded..)
when selling.....polish them to a gleam.....................

 

Silver does not have patina. It tarnishes. Your mother would never serve her guests with tarnished silver. So polish away.

The only time you need to be concerned is with old silver plate. Sometimes if the silver is worn through, polishing too hard can actually take some of the plating off. In that case, you need to be careful.

 

Absolutely clean them of their tarnish, gently of course, and preferably with a cream type tarnish-remover/polisher. NEVER use Tarnex or any other "dip" method. No aluminum foil, salt, etc. "home brew" method.

If you can find any marks before you clean and don't know their meaning, show them here first so we can advise.

 

never polish coins...........unless you want to put a hole thru one and wear it around your neck...or on a bracelet......

 

...& that is only after you show the coin here to make sure you are not making a huge ($$$) mistake.