New here, I'd like to introduce myself

Hi folks, I’m Vic Roy (my crazy boat friends call me Uncle Vic) in Baton Rouge, La. USA. I’m a private silver collector, my wife & I just like silver as a hobby. I saw mention of this site in this week’s Antique Week and am glad to see a site devoted to antique silver.

We collect mostly American silver from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. My favorite is Mauser, a company started by Frank Mauser in Mass. in about 1887 and moved to New York in about 1890. The company was merged with Mt. Vernon Silver Co. in 1903 and the company was assorbed by Gorham in 1913. The Mauser mark is a unicorn. Very nice stuff they made.

I personally got hooked on the histroy and beauty of silver on a visit to London about 15 years ago when my wife dragged my through the London Silver Vaults and I spoke to some of the dealers there. History is something I always liked, and never realized how much history there is with silver. Anyway, we bought a stunning four arm epergne there that graces our dining room to this day. I actually enjoy polishing our silver, just love the warmth of it in my hands. I can tell real sterling from silverplate just by looking at it,and holding it, and my all time test is the “smell test”. Just rub the surface with your thumb a few times and smell the silver. Sterling has almost no smell, plate has an acrid smell. Foolproof.

Thanks for starting this site, and I’ll visit often.

Uncle Vic

Hi Vic,
Thanks for joining us on silver-collector.com, its always nice to hear from people interested in antique silver. The London Silver Vaults are a great place to visit, and the dealers down there have a great knowledge of all silver, both antique and modern.

I have never heard of the ‘smell test’ but I will start using it now!

We look forward to hearing from you again.
Daniel and Jonathan Franks

Hi everyone, I’m Nigel and I haven’t had a drink in…oh hang on, this isn’t that sort of place :wink:

I too love all things hall marked.

As you may or may not be able to tell from my handle of Dingo_aus that I’m from Australia.

Hi Dingo. Welcome to the forum!

silver-collector.com is not even two months old yet but we’re already finding some really enthusiastic new users!

If you get the chance, tell your friends about us and help the forum grow!

I look forward to seeing you around the forum!

Regards / Jonathan Franks