So you’re thinking to yourself, “How can I get the best price for my sterling silver dinnerware that my mom left me…”? And the answer is geo-political instability. Seriously. You need a pretty good dose of Putin or Assad to make your silver worth more for a brief period, get in, sell it and get out before the diplomats at the United Nations talk everyone back down…here’s why: For decades war and instability have goosed gold and silver prices, causing them to rise in times of economic or geopolitical unrest…and that sort of thing still works. Just not as much as it used to. So much money circulates around the world markets now, war isn’t what it used to be – it doesn’t have the same impact it used to… So in order for you, the seller of mom’s (or grandma’s) silver to get the best prices, we need one of the world’s remaining despots to create a little bit of crazy. Right now, the crowned prince of nutjobs is Vladimir Putin. His blustery international relationships with Crimea and the West have put a strain on just about everyone. The US is sending troops to Poland, ostensibly to conduct pre-scheduled war games…(it’s amazing how whenever there’s a hotspot in the world, somebody with a vested interest in that particular region just happens to have scheduled a military exercise that is completely and totally not a response or provocation but is completely coincidental) Happens all the time. Anyway. So for silver to go up, we need Putin to start trash talking again, a little saber rattling as he threatens Crimea, and for another Ukrainian politician to get ousted. Ousting politicians and massing troops on the borders of country’s is good for gold and silver prices. Your silver will always be worth more at Houston Gold Merchants than at say, Goldwiser or Gold & Silver Buyers because…well, let’s put it this way…we do business in a way that reflects favorably on us and we don’t expect to attract the attention of law enforcement due to fraudulent behavior. So bring in your silver – if you don’t like the price you get for your silverware, you’re under no obligation to sell. There’s no pressure, no effort to make you sell…just someone who’ll help you understand the process and answer your questions. We think that’s a good way to do business. Houston Gold Merchants – we buy silver, too. And occasionally we sell silver as well.