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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;mit26chell, post: 1216181, member: 27402&quot;]Went thrift store hunting for the first time mid-last week, and as I was leaving a small, skinny silver colored vase caught my eye amongst the shelf of brass pieces. Upon picking it up I noticed it&#039;s heavy weight, much heavier than I would expect a tin/aluminum or other silver colored, cheap metal to weigh. I noticed some light brown toning around some of the creases near the handle of the vase, as well as inside of the mouth of the vase. I checked the whole thing for any markings, and there were none. The only thing on the vase was a sticker that said &#039;Made in China&#039; and it was stuck to the green felt bottom. I assumed this vase was either heavily silver plated (it had the silver ding to it when I flicked it) over a cheaper metal, or maybe even nickel. </p><p><br /></p><p>Took it up to the register and inquired about the price. $1.95. I bought it. </p><p><br /></p><p>Got it home, ripped the felt bottom off of it, which revealed that the inside of the bottom round portion of the vase is actually hollow, and that even on the inside all the way through to the top mouth of the vase it was all the same silver color as the outside. Examined it with a magnifier, found absolutely zero markings. Did the magnet test - no attraction whatsoever (I know this can&#039;t conclusively determine silver, but it does rule out some common metals). Took a pair of heavy duty wire cutters and punctured the inside hollow part of the base pretty deep, only to reveal deeper layers of beautiful, shiny silver. </p><p><br /></p><p>I don&#039;t have any chemical for an acid test, so I took the vase to Shane Co. Jewelers near my place. I asked one of the salesmen on the floor if he could help me out. He inspected the piece with his magnifying glass inside and out, concluded at the least it had a nice silver coating on it. He told me to wait because he wanted the jeweler to check it out. Had the showroom assistant take it back to them to look at. I waited out front in the lobby so nervous for several minutes, then the girl brought it back out and said &#039;Yes, our jeweler said it&#039;s solid sterling.&#039; </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>This is probably one of the luckiest things that&#039;s ever happened to me. The vase weighs 9 Troy Ounces, and again - I paid $1.95. This just proves that there are silver treasures to be found at thrift shops and garage sales in your area, so don&#039;t ever assume there aren&#039;t (I def won&#039;t anymore)! Here&#039;s a photo:<p style="text-align: center">[ATTACH]128975.vB[/ATTACH]</p> <p style="text-align: center"><br /></p><p>[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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