Hobbies And Interests
Instructions
Gain some knowledge about antique silver plate. Visit a local bookstore and you will find several books available on antique silver plate identification and collection. You can also research antique silver plate online.
Choose a style of silver plate to collect. If your home decor is done in antiques from a particular era you might wish to collect silver plate from the same time period. Is there a particular manufacturer that you are interested in collecting pieces from?
Decide if you want to collect all one pattern or if you would prefer a collection of complimentary patterns.
Buy a reprint of a manufacturer catalog that features the silver plate you wish to collect. You can find these for sale on the Internet. This is particularly important if your goal is to get all pieces that were originally manufactured in a particular pattern.
Scour local antique stores, flea markets and second hand shops to find pieces for your collection. Pay close attention to condition when buying silver plate especially if the piece is tarnished. The tarnish will clean off easy enough, but it could conceal damage.
Search online for those hard to find pieces to complete your collection. Check online auction sites as well as private websites that sell antique silver plate and flatware.
Store your antique silver plate in a dry environment to cut down on tarnish. You can also purchase anti-tarnish bags and boxes for storage.