Reed and Barton Sterling Silver Trays

Sterling silver serving trays make a statement whether you're hosting an elegant New Year's Eve party or a Sunday afternoon football get together. The Reed and Barton shell sandwich tray will hold lots of sandwiches. It measures a generous 11-7/8 inches by 10-3/8 inches. What really makes it pop is that it has three 2-inch feet that are designed like grape clusters. Don't just use this for sandwiches. If you've got an elegant foyer with a crystal chandelier, then add this to your foyer side table. Quite frankly I'd use it as a place to toss our keys. When you need it to serve sandwiches, give it a good wash and you're good to go.

When you're buying an antique silver tray on ebay or anywhere else for that matter, always consider its condition. Are there any dents or dings. Most ebay sellers are more than honest because they want to keep their Positive Feedback Rating perfect. But if you've got any questions, by all means ask. You should also note whether or not it's been recently cleaned and polished. Cleaning dirty sterling silver can be time consuming and costly.

I know at my holiday family dinners, the bread rolls are always what everyone grabs for first. So they get to see the antique sterling silver tray underneath really fast. I did buy mine on ebay. Sometimes I pick up antique silver serving pieces at estate sales. You should always check to see if antique pieces have been monogrammed. It doesn't bother me, but it does a lot of people. If you're buying sterling silver trays for a potential investment, it could lower the resale value. I always look at the monograms or loving inscriptions on my antique silver and wonder about the woman who used these before me. In my imagination, they are always in pearls and sweater sets with tweed skirts. The family is always civilized and makes pleasant conversation. The men go to the library after dinner for cigars and drinks served from a beautiful liquor cabinet. Then back to the reality of my rollicking large Italian-Irish-Yankee family. One of our favorite stories is how my Uncle Carlo carried the my mother's wedding cake home on his head on a silver tray. Yes he did live near the reception hall, but still... Sadly it was a time before iPhones and YouTube videos.

Matthew Barton teaches you the best way to care for your sterling silver. The first tip is my favorite - don't clean your sterling silver too often. It's a soft metal and you can actually rub it away. This is actually important when it comes to the marks engraved on the piece that verifies who made it and when. So you can see why this would be a disaster for a sterling silver tray's value. Following on this sage advice, is the tip not to use abrasives. Just take some silver polish and a soft cotton cloth and gently rub it.