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Today is get through my “This-probably-valuable-but_i-don’t-know-how-to-value-it” Death Pile. No artist markings of any kind. Any thoughts on what I have and how to price?
Dragon Letter Opener – Silver plated. I could not find any marking that credit a manufacturer
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It does not attract a magnet if that helps. The auction description was – “Antique letter opener sterling silver tested! and brass, nickel silver”.
Of course I have no way of verifying their claim.
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If you think you’re going to be buying valuable metals often, I’d buy a tester.
I’m no expert by any means on identifying precious metals.
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Jay you mention testing ‘precious metals”. Does any body know how to test non-precious metals such as bronze, Copper, brass and pewter.
We know that the brass has a little tin in it at times and a strong magnet suspended on a thin thread will sway toward the brass when held very still and close. But on bronze and copper other than color we are always stumped.
Steel, cast iron are all magnetic and attract the magnet right away and strongly.
On some dull pewter vs. dull, cast aluminum it is also hard to tell.
So other than color and feel it sure would be nice to be able to “test” to be sure.
This week we had several buyer requests for verifications. One was on a 3 pc. terra cotta set of shell fish bowls that looks like they are used to cook Jambalaya over an open fire. They are all charred and soot covered from smokey wood burning or being placed over coals. The buyer wanted to know if we had tested the pots for “Lead Content” and we should put that it was or wasn’t tested in our listing. So we discovered there are “Lead” testing swabs and got a pack of 2 yesterday.
The very next day we have a very old hand made trophy cup with deer antlers. It is not brass but said it was either bronze or copper with a heavy patina. The buyer asked which it was because if it was bronze she would buy it at full price, right then and there and if Copper she wasn’t interested. Well how do we “test” for sure?Any help along these lines would be apprciated. We probably will just have to change the listing to say a generic term like “old metal with a great patina” and leave out the type since we can’t be for sure.
Thnaks…
Mike at MDC Galleries and Fine Art
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I have never seen anything like it. If you had not said it was a letter opener, I never would have guessed that. To me, the shape of the blade is not right for a letter opener. I think the long part is a handle and the end with the dragon is the business end.
But for what, I don’t know. Maybe it is to pick up something flat with the bottom wire? The dragon says Asian to me.
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I searched google images on Vintage Chinese Hairpin Silver and found a few that were similar:
https://www.rubylane.com/item/1117255-A1538/Chinese-Vintage-Silver-Hairpin-Kanzashi-Yxedn
maybe if you dig long enough you can find yours, but these give you a good idea of listing prices.
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@mick dog – MIND BLOWN! You are correct its got to be a hair pin. Thank you so much – I never would have go there myself.
@Jay & @Rayanne as always thanks off for providing this marvelous resource to all of us. -
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