If it's plate, it would probably be good to have it polished somewhat--that way any wear can be seen. If you want more than a few bucks for it, a collector might be concerned that the tarnish is hiding bald spots. If it's not tarnished enough to hide wear, then I'm not sure. A gentle polishing shouldn't hurt it though.

Whoops, didn't realize this thread had been added to! Karen, I posted about your tray on the other thread but if you want an opinion on the beads please take a pic showing another tray scape. Ya know how we love pics! :-) Kathleen, this is such a coincidence - the blog you posted is one I recently discovered thru another blog. For anyone who loves blogs this is one I recently discovered: http://thepassionatehome.blogspot.com/ Then found this one from there: http://janisgurney.blogspot.com/ Then to the one you posted. These 2 are both Canadian blogs and the first has a shop in a city we occasionally visit so I'll check it out this spring when we travel again. The other blogger makes things from silver objects and sells them in the other blogger's store. Also the lady with the store posted one of my pics I put out on the 'net on her blog!!! Link below. Small world. Thanks Punk! I have lots of other silver things that I'm thinking about using in vignettes and I'll post when I do. I've only recently had my DH paint a silver thing and I like the result but I'll only have him do the ones that are not very good silver. Here is a link that might be useful: my J O Y window 5th down

Up until 12 years ago I worked in the food service industry, so I have lots of silver plate flatware. Once I was in the upper closet of a Sheraton where I worked and found boxes of Oneida Silver Plated Hotel Flatware, asked the GM about it, and he said take it,it was enough for 100 place settings! I have other boxes of sets of 12 or 24 settings that were given to me by GM's when cleaning out closets. I like the hotel silverplate, it's heavy and the knife handles are solid. The spoons get a tad yellow and I just wipe with Wrights Silver Polish. That's is my everyday stuff. As for cleaning in the dishwasher, thinking back I would have to say it takes about 30 years or so to toss the silverplated flatware washed in a dishwasher. Have to admit I am anal about the baskets in the dishwasher, being trained to put the knife blades down so not to poke yourself getting out, separate the spoons, forks and serving and utility in separate baskets. The Sterling set, I hand wash, it's sentimental. When I was a very young girl our family had a contract for vending machine sandwiches. On the bread bags there was a coupon on the side to cut out and redeem for sterling flatware. They would save all the bags for when my Grammie came to visit in the summer and she and I would sit and cut out the coupons. I still remeber bead crumbs and plastic sticking to me, lol. I would have to look but I think we cut enough coupons for a set for 24. Sterling doesn't tarnish as fast as plated, I keep mine is a chest with silver cloth, takes no time at all to shine up. Linda, I think the set you have is the same as what my Mom had, sure looks like it from the pic. I wish my cutlery was as wide as yours.

What's great thread and thanks toTheFoxesPad for the delightful my written story that started it. I am a decision delayer and my recently acquired husband, with whom I do not yet live, is a pre-hoarder. That is, he has pretty good taste but becomes extremely attached to anything he takes in, and he doesn't see why he should stop acquiring things just because he doesn't need more. So if he likes it, he'll get it, but nothing ever goes out. We live about 10 blocks apart and thought we could wait until we retire in about 5 years to live together, because he is extremely allergic to my cats - meds don't help. But now we don't want to wait and are going to fix up his large garage for me and the cats to move into. Only he doesn't want to think about these decisions, and I can't make them. Getting a decorating buddy (design buddy in this case) is an idea I came up with too so glad to see someone else has it! I write a blog with a couple other librarians and just this week I started a series on books about organizing. One of my favorites is The Organizing Sourcebook by KatbyWaddill, partly because she says there's no perfectly organized, just good enough for how you live right now. I think that should be true of decorating, for many of us, too. I have read posts where people are obsessing about exactly the right shade of granite for the counter - but we are such a rest less culture,she's going to be freaking out over the right species of wood for butcher block in5 years. Can it really matter that much? Bronwynsmom, I am completely with you.