Collecting Silverware, the love of lustre and radiance.
Few can resist the lustre and radiance of a finely crafted piece of silverware. Many collections reflect the practicality as well as the artistry of the silversmiths craft. One of the most interesting factors about silverware, as opposed to other collectables, is the set of hallmarks that, where present, offer information about the date, place of manufacture and the maker, with huge markups being paid for the best examples of famous makers.
Thankfully, nowadays the value of functional and decorative silverware has increased far beyond its value as mere bullion or coinage, and the enormous losses that have occurred in the past because of deliberate melting down and recycling of silver artifacts are much less evident, enabling us to marvel at the last few centuries worth of silver craftsmanship.
