Sterling silver is not pure. It is 92.5% pure silver, so when you look up the value of silver you need to take in consideration this slight difference in sterling.

To calculate the value of sterling silver use this formula

Silver Value x .925 x Weight In Ounces

For example, today silver's value is at $17.95 per ounce. If you want to know the value of 1 ounce of sterling silver plugin the numbers to the formula:

17.95 x .925 x 1 =16.60

So, $16.60 would be the value of sterling silver for that day.

For an easier way to figure out the value of sterling silver, you can use a silver per ounce calculator. This Silver Value Calculator makes it effortless to find the value of any weight of silver in either grams or ounces. This site also displays the current value of silver according to the markets so you can get an accurate portrayal of the value of your sterling silver.

So there you have it. Using a silver value calculator or using math you can figure out the value of your sterling scrap and maximize the return you receive on selling your scrap, or get a better deal when purchasing your .925 silver.

10 OUNCE BAR STERLING SILVER ZACHARY TAYLOR 12th PRES    US $199.00

Sterling Silver Dead soft Wire 30 gauge Round 1 Ounce    US $39.37

Sterling Silver Dead soft Wire 32 gauge Round 1 Ounce    US $49.49

Sterling Silver Dead soft Wire 34 gauge Round 1 Ounce    US $48.59

sterling silver bracelets over 1 troy ounce scrap    US $10.00

Sterling Silver Dead soft Wire 28 gauge Round 1 Ounce    US $42.68

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It's not a scam, as some would have you think. It's business: buy low, sell high. People get sucked in because they don't know where else to go to maximize their money. But with a little digging and an internet connection, you are here now, and I am going to tell you how to sell your sterling silver at probably the highest amount of money you can.

First, here's who to avoid: the tv ads "Cash 4 Gold" or any offering you large sums of money for your precious metals. Second, pawn shops. Pawn shops are known to be one of the worst places to sell anything because they prey upon desperate people, and usually lower income people, who are more desperate to get cash even at a lower amount. And most pawn shops will try to convince you that your silver, especially sterling, is worthless or next to worthless.

There are two ways: auctions and online auctions. I have found that offline auctions are usually, but not always a good place to sell sterling silver. Sometimes, however, an item will go below what you expected. Its the risk of the auction when there is no set price. Here are tips for a better experience. Get your items in early to the auctioneer, that way they can promote and advertise your product in their inserts. Learn their fees, and discover their popularity. See if they have a website, and a professional appearance. See that they do advertise: the more advertising the do, the more people will turn out and the higher your commission on an item sold will be.

The next option is online auctions. More specifically eBay. eBay is an online marketplace, marketed worldwide where you can sell sterling silver, along with anything else you can think of. The great thing about eBay, is the marketplace reflects the real market value people are willing to spend on an item, and 925 sterling silver is usually reflected in at least its melt value, and often includes intrinsic value for coins and other items.

Tips when selling on ebay include: The more pictures the better! Be as honest and as thorough in your description. Layout terms such as shipping and return policies. Be courteous and reply to bidders questions.

Selling in on and offline auctions will provide a rewarding experience and a greater cash price for your sterling silver. Below are current listings right now on eBay:

Vintage SCRAP STERLING SILVER JEWELRY LOT 114 GRAMS    US $53.00

65G LOT Of Taxco Mexico 925 Sterling Silver NOT SCRAP    US $40.00

Sterling Silver scrap jewelry lot 66 grams scrap 925    US $26.00

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It came to me to look for sterling silver items local to the region that are more plentiful in supply, thus reduces the demand value, making the item cheaper to purchase.

I live in southeastern Idaho along what is called "The Beehive Belt" or "The Bible Belt" which stretches from Southern Utah to Southeast Idaho, and it is in reference to the strong residency of the Church Of Latter Day Saints - better known as the Mormons - who make up the 75%-90% of the population in most areas along this route.

Other Christian religions have the WWJD or "What Would Jesus Do?" rings, t-shirts, and merchandise to help its members to keep their beliefs in mind  in all aspects of life.  The Mormons have a similiar item called CTR or "Choose The Right", and the most important item related to this is rings, which range from free OSFA rings to rings as nice as High School Class Rings.  I'm sure where you can see where I am going.

I can go to any thrift store on any given day and find a dozen CTR rings for next to nothing.  And many of them are made of sterling silver or better, sometimes even gold.  Because of the supply of them, I have got rings worth hundreds of dollars for less than a buck.

To summarize, if you can identify regionalized silver items in your area, such as religious rings, sport event medals, custom watches, etc. that are local to your area, you will be able to find silver scrap values where others won't be looking.

Sterling Silver Ear Cuff Raised Ctr SEE ALL MY CUFFS    US $6.25

Sterling Silver Mormon CTR Choose the Right Charm    US $8.99

sterling silver CHOOSE THE RIGHT CTR charm pendant    US $3.84

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What do you do then?  Experience will teach you that you will not always win with your buys.  You may overpay on something, find plated silver when you thought it was better, or leave something because you are unsure of its value.  The best answer I can give you is EXPERIENCE.  With experience you will learn when a find truly is a find.  It's no secret you will find bunk silver, and you will find treasure silver for next to nothing.

Just recently, and I am an experienced silver scrap finder, still got tricked into paying $8 for a silver belt buckle that happened to be silver plated.  It is basically worthless.  Where did I go wrong?  I didn't.  It said "Silver" on the back, and made in Mexico, which is a good sign for belt buckles.  Taking home, further research found that it was plated.  On the same day however, I got a similar buckle with the same markings that cost $8 also, but it was pure sterling silver and weighed 3 ounces.  I resold it for $45!  That made up for the other buckle I bought and became worthless.

In conclusion, your wins will negate your losses, and let the 80-20 rule be your guide -- 20% of your silver finds will make up 80% of your silver wealth.

Vintage SCRAP STERLING SILVER JEWELRY LOT 114 GRAMS    US $53.00

65G LOT Of Taxco Mexico 925 Sterling Silver NOT SCRAP    US $40.00

Sterling Silver scrap jewelry lot 66 grams scrap 925    US $26.00

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Silver Per Ounce - The best calculator to figure out the value of your silver based on current market prices.  Calculate by the ounce, by the gram or both, and calculate both 999 pure silver or 925 sterling silver

Numismaster.com - Great news resource for coin collecting

Coinflation.com - Another silver coin site, it provides a great resource to know the exact value of your silver coins

SilverSeek.com - Great silver news and blog

KitcoSilver.com - A good place to buy silver and learn the current goings on in the financial market.  Graphs also.

Looking at the picture I hope you notice the stamp has three identifying factors: 1. Mexico - since  Mexico is the number one maker of these type of belt buckles it is a good clue it is silver, but this is not always the case, 2. - "Silver" - It's stamped silver which means it is at least plated, and 3. - "925" - The best clue of all, this represents the item is pure 92.5% silver.  This means you have a real keeper as most belt buckles will weigh in at 1 - 3 ounces, meaning $16 - 50 worth of silver according to current market prices.

Many of these belt buckles will also have 24 kt gold plating around the edges.  Doesn't add a whole bunch of value since it is plating, it is an upsell you can mention when you go to sell it, as to some people this increases the value.

Happy silver hunting!

Mid 20th Century Hopi mens belt buckle sterling silver    US $75.00

Navajo Indian Turquoise And Sterling Silver Belt Buckle    US $154.95

Vintage Sterling Silver Belt Buckle Justina Ranger    US $26.99

STERLING SILVER NATIVE AMERICAN MADE BELT BUCKLE    US $206.00

TOMMY SINGER STERLING SILVER TURQUOISE BELT BUCKLE    US $373.00

VINTAGE 14K GOLD ON STERLING SILVER BELT BUCKLE BELT    US $35.00

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The first thing you need to learn how to do is identify silver. Most often scrap silver will be in the form of sterling silver. Rarely you will find pure silver because of its pliability, but it still can be found in high quality jewelry. Sterling silver is simply 92.5% pure silver and is most often used in common items that later become scrap.

To identify the silver you need to learn the marks, learn the silver makers, and learn silver qualities.  Marks include stamps that state its sterling or silver or 925.  Watch out for ep, ppp, plated as this is just a thin layer of silver.  Learn silver makers such as Whiting, Gorham Straus, Lacroix, and more.  Do your research.

Learn the silver qualities such as the whiter color of silver or the oxidized blues and brown of aged silver.  Drop a real silver item to hear its "clang" as it sounds different than other metals.  Oxidation happens from silver's exposure to air, and is a patina blue or brown.

Next, where do you buy this scrap silver?  Offline, hit up thrift stores, garage sales, auctions and antique stores.  Often sellers don't really know what they have.  Check pawn shops also.  Recently, a friend found a Lacroix silver and gold and diamond bracelet at a thrift store for $8.  The value of it was $5000!  He would have passed if he didn't know what to identify.

Online you can look on Craigslist or eBay, the online marketplace.  This method usually results in buying at or near spot value(the current market price), but is good to consider if you want to buy and hold rather than buy and resell.  You can also buy regular silver in coin or bar form from eBay again, goldline, bullion direct, or a host of other places.

Lastly, how do you cash out?  Again your best bet is to resell online, probably on eBay, because it values are closest to market values, and are what people are currently willing to pay.  Avoid pawn shops, or cash 4 gold places you see on the tv or online as they want to profit off you and will give you significantly below the silver's value.

Using these steps will help launch your scrap silver investment career.  Here are examples below of real scrap silver.

Vintage SCRAP STERLING SILVER JEWELRY LOT 114 GRAMS    US $53.00

65G LOT Of Taxco Mexico 925 Sterling Silver NOT SCRAP    US $40.00

Sterling Silver scrap jewelry lot 66 grams scrap 925    US $26.00

Rogers Amston Manchester Sterling Silver Dish Lot Scrap    US $207.28

Antique Sterling Silver Gorham Forks 5 Scrap 82oz    US $121.16

10oz Gold Graphite Ingot Mold 7oz Silver Bar Loaf Scrap    US $34.95

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Sterling silver is simply a metal made of 92.5% silver, and 7.5% other metals such as tin, steel, or nickel. Sterling silver is still considered valuable because of the silver in it, although it has more practical uses than pure silver because it is used in items such as silverware and jewelry.

Vintage SCRAP STERLING SILVER JEWELRY LOT 114 GRAMS    US $53.00

65G LOT Of Taxco Mexico 925 Sterling Silver NOT SCRAP    US $40.00

Sterling Silver scrap jewelry lot 66 grams scrap 925    US $26.00

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First thing new silver investors should know is the different silvers. Essentially there is only one silver, just in different purities. Purity is how much silver content is present in the metal. When silver is mined, there are different contaminants and metals that are taken in with the silver. Also, when items are made they are made with different contents of silver mixed with different metals to save money, or to make different qualities of the silver such as to make it stronger, or look shinier.

The most common silver contents are 999 pure, 925 sterling silver, and 900 silver. What this means is for every one ounce of gold contains a percentage of silver. Pure is 99.9% percent silver, Sterling is 92.5% silver, and .900 is 90% silver.

So the most desirable silver is almost pure. This however is really only seen in minted coins, and bullion bars, which means sellers know its true value. This silver is meant mostly as investment value.

Next, is 90% silver which most older circulated coins were made of. This includes Morgan and Peace dollars, Kennedy and half dollars, mercury dimes, etc. These also have intrinsic value, so are worth more than the actual silver because of their collector value and ease to sell.

Lastly, sterling is more valuable than 900 silver, but less valuable than 999 silver. Sterling is used most commonly in jewelry, silverware, and flatware. It has more metals in it to make it stronger. Sterling is harder than pure silver, so has more uses. It is worthwhile to find, because it often can be picked up cheaper than the above silvers, and it can be bought, invested in, and resold, just as easy as the other silvers.

So, real silver is the more valuable, but often sterling is the better buy. Below are some examples of sterling silver in its various forms.

Vintage SCRAP STERLING SILVER JEWELRY LOT 114 GRAMS    US $53.00

65G LOT Of Taxco Mexico 925 Sterling Silver NOT SCRAP    US $40.00

Sterling Silver scrap jewelry lot 66 grams scrap 925    US $26.00

Rogers Amston Manchester Sterling Silver Dish Lot Scrap    US $207.28

Antique Sterling Silver Gorham Forks 5 Scrap 82oz    US $121.16

STERLING SILVER Misc Scrap Jewelry Lot 4628g    US $239.50

10K and Sterling buckle 999 silver bar lot not scrap    US $34.00

Not Scrap OLD Sterling Silver Charms Bracelet 214g    US $6.50

JS Co Sterling Silver Compote Dish Not Scrap 116 oz    US $148.39

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