# Gift Cards and Silverware



## Pigzfly (Dec 2, 2010)

Hi Folks,

I'm looking for a sterling silver pattern that my partner and I both like, as if we don't get it for a wedding present, neither of us will ever be able to lay out that kind of cash. I've been looking online, ebay, craigslist etc. and was reminded about how much money can be saved by looking for resales on gift cards. Looking at some major center craigslist listings, there are lots of Birks gift certs or store credits available at 20-30% off retail!


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## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

I'm not sure what the attendees for your wedding will be like in terms of presents. However, I know few people that registered for their weddings, and did what you did by picking something that you wouldn't be able to afford otherwise. What happened was, they got a few people that bought parts of what they wanted, and they ended having only a partial set, and needed to buy the rest themselves anyways.


Keep in mind, many people do not buy off the registeries, and even the ones who do, may feel odd to by one fork or knife, if it's really that expensive. 

For one of my friends that really wanted a specific set, that was the ONLY thing they put on the registery, and made sure people knew that's really what they wanted.


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## sprocket1200 (Aug 21, 2009)

so, u get silverware and nothing else? sounds like quite the opportunity cost...


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## humble_pie (Jun 7, 2009)

really ? people are still buying sterling silver ??

you won't believe how many gently used sets of real sterling are crashing around the environs. Just a decade ago you couldn't give them away. Brides all wanted stainless steel. And you, are you sure you'll be up to the frequent polishing.

there's nothing like silver on a table, though. And i think you're right to go for sterling & ignore plate. You'll have a family heirloom with sterling. Today's plate is so thinly plated that it's tomorrow's wornout landfill (cost of replating is too high.)

i wouldn't buy any silver new from birks of all places. The old silversmiths were far better. If you have time before your weddng, try to find the surviving scion or grande dame of a family with the same initial as your maiden family name, or your future husband's family name. In a pinch, your own mother's maiden surname initial could do as well. The usual style was to have a single initial representing the family surname, like a monogram. Fortunately for your potential search, one never finds double initials.

make sure from the mark on the back that the set is sterling. OTTOMY you should be able to buy a full set for a small fraction of the cost of Birks new. Perhaps 1/5 the cost, or possibly even less. The workmanship will be better, and the old pieces will have developed the famous silver patina that a new piece can never have. Sets dating back to world war I or earlier could be on the expensive side. Once you get back to the reign of queen victoria you're heading into true antique territory, and prices rise accordingly.

qualitywise, anything made between ww I & ww II will be fine. Birks itself, in its original incarnation as fine jewellers & silversmiths, made & sold countless sets of beautiful sterling during those decades, and those are the sets that are now going 2nd hand, begging for an owner.

it would also be a good idea to tell antique dealers that you're looking for a set of sterling flatware with particular initials. That way they'll keep an eye out for you. One hears that vintage sterling sets go for very little at auction houses, and the antique dealers haunt those auctions. You could also attend an auction or two, or check out their catalogs online.

as for owning vintage silver, the fact that a piece has a history of ownership only adds to its lustre for me.


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## Pigzfly (Dec 2, 2010)

Yes, been looking online, etc, estate auction shop in Toronto is on the radar. I am looking all over, would prefer second hand as the prices are a fraction. The current predicament is finding patterns that we both like. 

I should probably clarify a bit. We can financially purchase silverware, but we're too frugal to do so on our own volition, so we figure that we should go ahead and get a kick start via the registry.

Registry will consist of china and silverware. We already own basically everything else we want/need. Hoping to find a sweet deal on a set and have the word passed around that cash towards the sweet deal on silverware would be greatly appreciated. Also planning to spread the word that we live in a small apartment, so cannot really store any other gifts. 

The jist of what I was saying is that there are lots and lots of gift certificates available for purchase, at a fraction of the face value. Even for places like future shop, the bay, etc.


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## Pigzfly (Dec 2, 2010)

Sorry, forgot to say thank you for the info on silverware! Much appreciated.

Patterns that look okay to me/us so far in the search, based on internet pictures:

Hampton Court - Reed & Barton
Augustea - Ricci
Triumph - Tuttle
French Provincial - ??
Americana - IS


Re polishing - not too keen, but there is a lady in town who loves to do it and has extremely reasonable rates. Does all of a relatives stuff for very little, every year before Christmas. Relatives' have silverware + serving + candles, etc. 

There have been a few things I've found on ebay and craigslist with initials, however they haven't even been remotely close to any letters we could justify. It's a shame, really, as the cost absolutely plummets when there's monograms!


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## humble_pie (Jun 7, 2009)

hi (it's hard to address a pretty bride as pigszfly) the patterns you've selected are all lovely & traditional. They are the kind of thing that birks & other silversmiths pumped out by the millions throughout the past century.

i looked at birks current sterling flatware offerings after posting to you & i have to admit i gasped at today's prices. Dinner forks at $250 each. Who knew. A set can often run to 80-100 pieces, so this would put the price for a brand-new set somewhere up around 12-18k. This seems pretty insane to me, since surely a gently-used 2nd hand set would cost somewhere between 3-5k. I could be way out to lunch on the 2nd hand prices, though.

a classic & popular birks pattern that's very close to your hampton court is pompadour. Birks sold this pattern as long ago as the 1920s. It hasn't changed. There must be hundreds of thousands of gently-used pompadour silver sets floating around canada, including many sets engraved with your initials on each piece. Surely one of these sets is already earmarked with your destiny. It's just a question now of liberating that set.

what about your silver polishing lady. She should know who owns a fair amount of this stuff in your city, and she might know families that are interested in selling.


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## MoneyGal (Apr 24, 2009)

I use plate for everyday and sterling for company meals, Sunday dinner, and other special meals. I actually really like polishing silver and if you use your pieces frequently enough, the polishing required at any one time is minimal. But what can I say, it is part of the ritual of preparing for dinner. 

I was going to suggest Etsy as a potential source of sterling cutlery, but I don't get enough good hits. I actually know (well, online) a woman who does custom estate and antique shopping (in California) - you might contact her at http://apronthriftgirl.typepad.com/apron_thrift_girl/ to see if she can help.


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