Go check your attic. That dusty wooden box of tarnished forks and spoons from your grandmother might be worth more than your first car. With silver prices hitting record highs of $60/oz, household silver is being melted down at a furious pace to feed the booming demand for solar panels.

The Great Melt of 2025

Refineries are overwhelmed. They aren’t just processing ore from mines; they are melting down history. Why? Because the industrial appetite for silver is insatiable.

• The Math: A standard 8-place setting of sterling silver contains roughly 30 ounces of pure silver.
• The Value: At $60/oz, that set is worth $1,800 just for the metal content. That’s excluding any antique value.

For many families, this is a financial lifeline. “I sold a tea set I never used and paid off my credit card,” says Sarah Jenkins, a nurse from Ohio.

How to Identify Treasure in Your Drawer

Not all silver-colored metal is valuable. Here is how to spot the real deal:

1. Look for the Mark: Real silver will be stamped with “Sterling” or “.925”. This means it is 92.5% pure silver.
2. Avoid “IS” or “Plate”: If you see “EPNS” (Electro-Plated Nickel Silver) or “IS”, it is silver-plated. It has almost zero melt value.
3. Use a Magnet: Silver is non-magnetic. If a magnet sticks to your fork, it’s steel.

The Solar Connection

It’s ironic, but your grandmother’s Victorian-era spoons are likely destined to become part of a futuristic solar farm in Arizona. The silver is extracted, refined to .999 purity, and turned into conductive paste for photovoltaic cells.

Action Plan

If you have old silver you don’t use:
1. Weigh it (kitchen scale works).
2. Check the spot price (Kitco.com).
3. Get 3 quotes from local coin shops or refineries. Never take the first offer.

Don’t let a fortune gather dust. In 2025, your old silverware is liquid cash.