Why Some Decorative Metal Items Contain Both Steel and Silver

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Written By Barry Lenson

Steel is an inexpensive metal. As you know, it isn’t classified as a precious metal.

So why are there antique items out there that contain both steel and silver? The answer to that question is this . . .

Silver is soft and steel is hard . . . so steel can be used in the parts of decorative items that will cut things, saw things, puncture things and do the other “rough duty”

(Note that we are not talking about items that contain an alloy made of steel and silver mixed together. The two metals cannot be mixed together to form an alloy. We are talking about items that are made of silver and steel components that are attached together.)

These hybrid items can be difficult to understand at first glance. After all, silver and steel are both white metals. You look and think at first that the entire item in question is made of silver or steel, without realizing that two different white metals are right before your eyes.

Some examples of items that contain both silver and steel include:

  • Carving knives. These are the most common items you will find that contain both silver and steel. They usually have a decorative silver, or silver-plated, handle that is paired with a long steel knife blade. These knives have been made in vast quantities over the years. If you have a boxed set of cutlery, for example, there is a pretty good chance that one of them is part of it.

  • Decorative ice picks for use in beverage bars. If you find an ice pick with a decorative silver handle, chances are good that the pointy long shaft that chops up ice will be made of steel, for a very simple reason. If the long pointed part of the tool were made of silver, it would quickly grow dull and bend.  

  • Decorative collector knives. You can find fancifully designed folding knives, hunting knives, pocket knives . . . actually, all kinds of knives . . . that pair decorative silver handles with steel blades.

  • Cigarette and cigar lighters. Many lighters have decorative silver cases that house lighter mechanisms that are made of steel. Some of these lighters are pocket-sized, others are meant to be placed atop a table or desk. Larger tabletop lighters are usually silver-plated, but if you are lucky, you might find a big sterling silver model that contains a lot of silver.

And Be on the Lookout for These Other Items that Pair Silver and Steel

  • Gentlemen’s pocket tool kits that have screwdrivers, miniature saws, awls and other steel tools that can be snapped into silver handles.

  • Cigar cutters, pipe tobacco tampers and other smoking tools.

  • Elegant silver walking stick handles, sometimes paired with long knives that are concealed within the shafts of old walking sticks. 

How Much Are Those Items Worth?

It depends on how much silver they contain. Granted, silver is currently trading at about $23.00 on the London Fix. But as we have often noted on this blog, low trading prices do not make it impossible to make a profit in silver, provided you can acquire large quantities of the metal and recycle or sell it for a profit.

So go hunting for silver items, buy them at reasonable prices. Then call our precious metal recycling consultants at 800-426-2344 and let us tell you how to profit from the silver scrap and silver items you have found.

Barry Lenson
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