Do you have a piece of silver that is so tarnished that it is black?  Do you have a top to a sterling silver dresser jar or ink well that is very much dented?  I have two tips for you for increasing or renewing the value of antique silver.

First, tarnish.  There are many products out there like Wenol, Wright's Silver Cream and Mr. Metal that gets the job done in polishing silver.  You do have to work at it sometime but the results are astonishing once you polish a treasured piece.  But sometimes, the tarnish is so stubborn that even if you work hard at it, it still wouldn't shine. 

Please, please, this is an extra tip for you: NEVER DIP YOUR ITEM IN SILVER POLISH TO GET OUT THE TARNISH.  IT WILL GET THE TARNISH OUT BUT IT WILL ALSO TAKE OUT THE PATINA, WHICH IS THE LUSTER UNIQUE TO SILVER, MUCH LIKE IN A PEARL. 

Sorry I screamed that one out at you but it is really important.  To keep the integrity of the age and beauty in the patina of silver do not dip, just polish.

So back to polishing that stubborn tarnish.  What you need to buy is 0000 steel wool (sometimes called four-ought).  This is the finest steel wool ever made available in any hardware store.  Just pinch off a piece like pinching off a piece from a cotton ball, place a bit of polish like Mr. Metal on it and polish the stubborn tarnish lightly.  You will be surprised.  Once the tarnish is gone, get a piece of soft cloth with some polishing liquid and polish some more to get a natural shine without the hairline scratches.  Polish the entire piece uniformly and voila!

The second tip for you is getting small, medium or large dents out of valuable sterling silver pieces like spoons, tops or lids, all-sterling silver jars, frames - all that is basically one or two ply at the most of silver.  To get the dent out, get a stiff wooden or leather implement.  Make sure that the surface of the implement is soft to the touch so that you won't scratch the silver.  Push the dents in or out with your wooden or leather implement slowly.  Work at it evenly and patiently and you will see the dents come out.  Just do it gingerly and you will see the results.  This does take practice so do not do it hard at the beginning or try to repair something small or not very valuable at first.  It often cost $30 to $50 to get some dings and dents out of silver and that's basically all the silversmith does.  So that is my tip.  I am silverstuff1 on eBay and I've sold many items (mostly Victorian sterling silver because I like them very much).

Please note that these are tips.  Do not blame me if you are too aggressive and ruin your items but it has worked for me as I have had much practice with it.