Recently, I found myself in possession of a great deal of silver. Primarily, I had random flatware pieces. There were some other items mixed in as well. I was very excited to have come across all this because I knew that sterling typically sold very well on eBay. There was, however, a side of me that was a bit apprehensive. There is so much to know about silver. The myriad of questions running through my mind was summited by the following 4 questions:

1. How do I clean silver?
2. How do I date silver?
3. How do I determine the maker of a given item?
4. How do I know if a particular piece is sterling or plated?

Now, I am still no expert when it comes to silver. Like so many other things you will sell on eBay, there can be as many questions as there are varying items in a given category. However, I did learn a few things that I am going to impart to you here.

Cleaning Silver-

• The one thing that became abundantly clear to me almost immediately is that cleaning silver is all together different from polishing silver. I realized that preparing my silver for my purpose was to be a two-step process. First there is the cleaning (dipping and scrubbing) and second there is the polishing (applying and rubbing).
• I tried a variety of products before I found a company that I really like. I found Weiman Silver Cleaner and Weiman Silver Polish at my local grocery store. Yes, they are two different products. But, when used in sequence, they will make any silver look like new. It is a very time consuming process (we had a LOT of silver) but, as it turned out, well worth the effort. easy to follow instructions are on the bottles.

Questions 2 - 4 -

• I am going to answer all 3 of these question together because I found all the answers to these questions by visiting two Web sites. Rather than plagiarize, which is not only unethical but illegal, I will refer you to the two sites. I found that when I used them in conjunction with one another, they opened up a world of information to me. This is not to say that you should not do some research of your own, it is just to say that they are great sites from which to spring.
• Online Encyclopedia of Silver Marks, Hallmarks, & Maker's Marks is a very extensive site. If you spend some time there, you can really become quite informed. Their Web address is 925-1000.com/index.html.
• The Online Encyclopedia of American Silver Marks is a great source for American made silver and compliments the aforemention site nicely. Their Web address is silvercollecting.com/index.html.

It is always a good idea to do research. eBay is a great source of information. Beyond that, the internet is invaluable. There are book stores or libraries. I guess your purpose will determine how in depth you really need to go. At any rate, this information should help you on your way.

Good Luck!