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Today's Boot Fair Bargains


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Just remember sterling silver is around 36p a gram. I usually carry around an old silver jubilee coin. I know it weighs 28g so if it was silver it would be worth about a tenner. Then I can see if a possible buy weighs more or less than my coin, so I know if its worth more or less than a tenner. Gives me a rough idea about values. 

Good tip i have one of those coins somewhere.

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I have just realised I have two boxes of silver from around 10 years ago stuck in the attic.

 

I used to take the eldest granddaughter every weekend and buy her something much to here parents dismay (more dolls!!).

 

But I bought loads of forks spoons etc. My favourite were the salt and pepper pots I have a really nice pair shaped like a pagoda.

 

When I get back I will dig them out and take some pics hope fully they are not all duds.

 

We will see.

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With today's weather washing out most of the bootfairs, and me wanting to save my cash for some big silver orders, I decided to head the opposite way to my normal haunts. I didn't want to be tempted to drop into my gold dealer and blow all the cash I've put by for silver on those half sovs yet.

 

So I decided to head for an antiques centre I'd spotted in Dorset when I was picking up some stuff for work a few months ago, but I'd never got round to having a good look in. 

 

When I got there it turned out be not only an antiques centre but on Sundays the car park and the building next to it is full of boot fair / flea market / amateur antique type stalls. So I thought ok, lets half a quick look before I have a look at what the antiques centre has to offer.

 

Tucked in a corner under a ramp of the multi storey carpark was this old guy selling a few old tools and fishing rods etc, and on his table he had a little cabinet. He saw me looking in it, "that's real gold in there" he said. And among the couple of chains and rings there was a George V half Sov. I did my little act of not knowing much about sovs. "is that a gold sovereign?". "It's a half sovereign" he said. "how much?" I replied, thinking he'll come out with the usual £120-£130 mark that I usually hear.

 

"it's £90".

 

Hiding my immediate interest, I replied "oh right. What's the best price you can do". Well God loves a trier I'm told. "it's £90 can't do any lower as it's not my stuff, selling it for a friend", and he pulled out a crumpled bit of paper with a bunch of prices for the stuff in the cabinet, the paper said £92 for the 1/2 Sov. "Would you take £85" I said. Nothing ventured I thought :) . But he still wouldn't budge. So I said reluctantly "Ok, £90 it is"

 

So I'm now the owner of a 1911 George V half sovereign bought for 2% UNDER spot :)

 

Had a look around the rest of the place, nothing much of interest, but to be honest I was more than happy with the bargain I picked up. See, it can be done. Just need to be in the right place at the right time ;)  

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Thats mad mate! I go there sometimes:) never found much really..*wonders if I have ever unknowingly walked past you* lol

Not unless you were there today. It was the first time I'd been there. It's an hour away from me, but I do go to Wimbourne occasionally to pick up stuff for work. 

 

There were some silver spoons there that looked well priced, and probably worth a punt on, but as I said I need to save some cash for a silver coin purchase. I might check them out when I'm next down that way

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I've got to work tomorrow, (Sunday), so boot fairs are out for me this weekend, so instead I looked online to see if there were any Saturday Antique fairs, and I found one in Exeter. So off I trundled, saw lots of dealers that I'd seen before, (all must be doing the same rounds), so nothing spectacular. Searched through the big dealers in the main hall, saw lots of nice silver, but as usual, silly prices and no-one selling anything. But who am I to tell people their business.

 

Went outside to what was essentially a flea market type of stalls, and found a guy with a mix of antiques, war stuff, old coins and some tatty bits of silver. Saw three large silver desert spoons, but it was hard to gauge their weight, all I knew is they were a bit bigger than the spoon I bought last week, and that one was 28.5g .

 

Asked the price, and got told "£20 each". So as usual the sparring began. I ummed and arred, "What's your best price for all three". He ummmed and arrrred, "£55" . I really didn't want to pay much more than £50, because that is what I'd calculated in my mind the weight to todays spot price. I ummed and arrrrred again. "Would you take £50". More ummming and arrrring. "Split the difference with you £52"

 

So we settled on £52.

 

I wasn't sure if I'd done the right thing, as I wasn't sure of the weight, so it was a bit nervy driving home before I could weigh them.

 

Got home, and it turned out I have three sterling silver spoons, weighing, 42.3g, 40.9g and 49.5g. A total of 132.7g, which is 3.94 oz t. Which equates to £13.20 an oz.. So a little over spot, (so my mental estimation of weight and price wasn't far off)  but not much and although they are plain they are in very good nick and the hallmarks are not worn a single bit and as clear as you will ever find. So the chances are I'll be able to shift them for well over spot when I decided to sell them.

 

Checking the hallmarks, I have  ...

 

42.3g  London 1841  William Eaton

49.5g  London 1854  John James Whiting

40.9g  London 1855  Samuel Hayne & Dudley Cater.

 

They cleaned up really nice using Her Maj's silver polish.

 

post-140-0-97489000-1408204432.jpg

 

 

 

Update. It seems this type of spoon is called a "fiddle pattern" spoon, and looking at ebay, they are going for around £20-£30 each :)

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they look really clean mate:)

 

No silver for me today:( but did pick up a ww1 era helmet for £3, 3 very large artillery shells for £16 (these things are beasts and worth near that in scrap, 2kg of brass vintage banister ends for £2.50. 

 

Brass can be good bread and butter if its under scrap i reckon, im just saving up 100kg odd then going to weigh it in.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Today was my last day for a while to trawl the fairs and markets for bargains, as for the next few months I'll be working every weekend. So I decided I have to go out with something special, especially in light of the bargains the forum members have been coming up with, such as cheap Britannia Mules and mega cheap sovereigns.

 

So off I went to my normal haunt, the bootfair/flea market, firstly to pick up my six half sovs for £95 a pop. Four Edward VII's 1902, 1905, 1906 and 1910, and two George V 1912 and 1913

 

post-140-0-06983800-1409498436.jpg

 

(Gawd knows why the coins look silver in the pic, but that's my expensive samsung smart phone for you) 

 

Unfortunately in spending £570, this left me only £30 to play with, and although there were some Antique fairs in the area, I wasn't going to bother paying an entrance fee only to spend about £25, so I just wandered around the bootfair to see if I could find anything of interest. I spotted one of the regular stall holders, you know the type, cheap costume jewellery with a few bits of plain sterling silver stuff, well I heard here shout out "everything cheap, selling everything". Listening in to her talking to a customer, It turns out she was fed up getting up early every week and was giving up and selling all her stuff off half price. My ears burnt and eyes lit up on hearing this, and casually picked up a solid sterling silver bangle, originally £12 down to £6. She saw me looking at it and said, "everything going cheap". Letting the battle begin, I looked at her with my "uninterested" look, and she said "I'll do it for £5", and before I had a chance to answer she said "£4". Well I came out with a spur of the moment comment, "yeah but I've got three daughters", I havn't, I've got one, "If I buy one I'll have to buy three of them or they'll all moan". I'd seen she had three silver bangles on the table, and thought I'd take a punt on them. "what would you do for the three of them?"   "Oh go on, a tenner for the three".

 

So I walked away with three modern silver .925 bangles for £10. 

 

I carried on looking around and spotted another stall with a chunky silver bangle with some lovey dovey inscription, and it felt about 25g in weight. I asked the price, "£5". "Would you take £4?".  "No, I'm selling it for someone else". So I left it. Out of principle I won't pay any asking price, but I intended to give it 10 minutes and go back and try again. The problem was by the time I'd gone back, she'd packed up and left. Buggerit, I should have spent a fiver. Oh well. So I carried on walking past the last row of tables, and on the very last table right on the edge I spotted a pretty dirty bangle, looking at it I could make out 925 and the words TACO and a date possibly 1937. I didn't have me glasses on, so I couldn't see it properly but saw enough for me to ask the price. It felt quite hefty, possibly about 30g, so imagine my surprise when she said "£3"......."Would you take £2" , well I do have my principles, she said "ok"

 

So another bangle this time for £2.

 

Job well done. So I got home and got them weighed. The three for £10 weighed in at 26.7g, 22.5g and 14.8g. A total of 64g for £10 or 56% UNDER Spot.   ;)

 

The one I got for £2 weighed in at a whopping 32.1g. Or 82% UNDER Spot. Another  :D

 

post-140-0-26635300-1409499766.jpg

 

Ah but it doesn't end there. On cleaning the 32g bangle and getting a good look of it with my loupe, I saw that what I thought was TACO, was in fact T&Co, and on the inside of the bangle was those internationally famous words "1997 Tiffany & Co .925". Yep, that £2 bargain has turned out to be an even bigger bargain because it turns out I am now the owner of a Tiffany one ounce silver bangle. Having a quick look on ebay, the exact same bangle has gone for £98 this month.

 

 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AUTHENTIC-TIFFANY-CO-STERLING-SILVER-925-BANGLE-BRACELET-1837-1997-/171403734964?pt=UK_Jewellery_Watches_FineJewellery_CA&hash=item27e8756fb4

 

So a mega result, and a good way to finish off the bootfair seaon

 

I'm probably going to sell it straightaway, but before I chuck it on ebay, if anyone wants to make me an offer of cash or a trade of silver coins or a half sov, (Well Xmas will be on us soon and I'm sure a loved one would like a genuine Tiffany bangle) just pm me.

 

A good day I think today.

 

post-140-0-07206600-1409500510.jpgpost-140-0-91231100-1409500536.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...

That was a excellent haul there HH! don't know how

I missed that post!

 

Today's Update from me comes in video format :D

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9CtIZolIE8&feature=youtu.be 

Pretty good day by the looks of it. You certainly know your semi precious stones. I wouldn't have a clue   :rolleyes:

 

Nice Vid mate. Great opening title credit. Well done. 

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That was a excellent haul there HH! don't know how

I missed that post!

 

Today's Update from me comes in video format :D

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9CtIZolIE8&feature=youtu.be 

 

oh wtf, you have your own professional intro, upping your game there, I will have to make one 

Help thread for members new to silver/gold stacking/collecting

The Money Printing Myth the Fed can't and don't money print - Deflation ahead, not inflation 

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Lol I cheated :P paid five bucks for it on fiverr, I'm crap with graphics and that..

 

I was actually just looking on fiverr lol. 

 

I used to have adobe after effects (what all these things are done on) and create some bits and bobs, never did get fully comfortable with it though. 

Help thread for members new to silver/gold stacking/collecting

The Money Printing Myth the Fed can't and don't money print - Deflation ahead, not inflation 

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I think it would be cool to have a completely individual one :) But I liked that one.

 

Great site actually, some quite interesting services for 5$!

 I know, someone just had to check didn't they. and it had to be me.... :rolleyes:

 

https://www.fiverr.com/search/gigs?utf8=%E2%9C%93&search_in=everywhere&query=sex&page=1&layout=auto

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