Miniature Antique Silver Wine Cooler

Miniature Antique Silver Wine Cooler

We have had antique silver in my family for generations. It does not all come from one source. Some families seem to inherit all their jewelry from some ancient ancestor who was extremely successful, lucky, or crooked. In my family, however, it seems like we add to the collection generation after generation. There is antique silver from my grandmother, my great-grandmother, and relatives that no one can name any more. Some of it is gorgeous antique sterling silver jewelry, while some has been considerably damaged by the years. In general, we try to take good care of it, but apparently this wasn't always the rule. Some of the oldest antique jewelry, in fact, is so tarnished as to be barely recognizable. I decided that it was time to do something about this. I decided to take it in to get it fixed up.


I had never really worried very much about the value of the antique silver jewelry. No one in my family had ever sold off any of the silver jewelry antiques, and I assumed that no one ever would. Value didn't matter – to us they were priceless. Nonetheless, while I was taking it in to the store, I decided to have it appraised. After all, I had always been a little bit curious about it, and I figured there was no harm in finding out. I had already had the antique silverware valued a few years back when we were fixing that up, so why not?

What I found out shocked me. The antique silver was worth a fortune! It is hard to admit this now, but at the time I was convinced that I needed to sell it. After all, the temptation was almost too much. I am glad that I came to my senses before I did just that. With the antique international Silver market being what it is, I could have unloaded that stuff very quickly, cashed in on a priceless family treasure, and never had time to look back until it was all done. Maybe that would have been the practical thing to do, but it wouldn't have been right. After all, it is my daughter's birth rate as much as it was mine. Still, it is good to know that if things ever get dire, we have a little nest egg for emergencies. No matter what happens, the family heirloom jewelry will only continue to get more valuable.