Help Wanted - Any Silver Collectors?

**BEEDEE** · 26th March 07, 03:15 PM

So I successfully bid on this good looking kilt pin on eBay and received it today.

The description said

Vintage sterling silver Man in Kilt pin. This is a charming pin measuring a total of 3 and 5/8 inches long. It has a safety lock style pin back. The pin is marked on the back of the bottom part, but I cannot make out what it says. The little man on top is fully detailed on the back

Cleaned it up and looked at the marks on the back. Turns out to be Edinburg silver with full assay marks for 1873. My problem is the maker's mark. It looks like T.L with the period raised and in the middle between the two letters. In my internet search I could not find an Edinburg maker with this mark.

Any of our UK members able to shed any light on this?

Brian

**Chef** · 26th March 07, 05:55 PM

I can look it up tomorrow if you don't get it before.

**Skweres** · 27th March 07, 06:53 AM

idk, but it looks freakin awesome

**Sciuropterus** · 27th March 07, 08:04 AM

Any "cleaning up" you do can lower the value- be careful!

**BEEDEE** · 27th March 07, 01:30 PM

Originally Posted by Sciuropterus

Any "cleaning up" you do can lower the value- be careful!

Just a light polish with a tarnish remover - no abrasives.

Brian

**Seaforth Piper** · 27th March 07, 01:48 PM

I used to use a product called "Silveron", which either actually reversed the oxidation or was silver held in solution - wipe it on, let it dry, gently buff with a clean soft cotton flannel cloth. We used it on plate-silver trophies that had been scoured down to the copper by over-zealous individuals and it appeared to 'replate' the metal. I don't know if that was what was actually happening, but I still swear by the stuff.

I knew a jeweler who recommended just washing silver gently in soap and water.

But why polish it at all? You're not 'on parade' and the oxide will gently buff off with wear.

**An t-Ileach** · 27th March 07, 02:41 PM

Do you have some stuff called Solvol Autosol in the USA? It's actually a chrome cleaner for vehicles, but is used by antiques dealers (and, I'm told, by the British Museum) to clean silver without stripping a layer off (the meths based cleaners like Brasso, Silvo, etc take some of the metal off when you use them).

**Nanook** · 27th March 07, 03:02 PM

Originally Posted by An t-Ileach

Do you have some stuff called Solvol Autosol in the USA?

Autosol contains abrasives. Its mineral spirits, some oil and I think a bit of Cerium Oxide.

**turpin** · 27th March 07, 03:07 PM

How about
Tarn-X (As Seen On TV!)

(then turpin ducked behind a chair as they all started to all pile on)

**orangehaggis** · 30th March 07, 08:27 PM

The best way is to use a silver polishing cloth from a reputable jeweller. I don't believe its possible to polish sterling without removing a thin layer of metal ... I've read that the only metal polish that doesn't work in this way is gold polish because gold is so inert that it doesn't tarnish.

I only use the silver polishing cloths (infrequently) on my sterling jewellery, as well as the sterling tuning pins on my pipes. Avoid dipping it in any tarnish remover or similar product as you have far less control over how much metal is removed than with the cloth.

Mark O - Ohio