Sterling Silver Inlays?

[Top Jaw]

Were inlays on American rifles ever made from sterling silver? If so, in what eras was it used?  (Perhaps silver mounted pistols and or the occasional rifle from the colonial era were cast from Sterling? What I’m looking at is just an inlay or two on a brass mounted gun).   I have a very small supply of Sterling Silver sheet stock in appropriate inlay thickness that I picked up sometime back.  I was thinking of a sterling thumb piece.  Would this be PC?  Or is this a non-traditional use?  I’ve noticed it does seem to tarnish quicker than coin silver does.

[tallbear]

Yes sterling was used and is appropriate.The British Sterling standard (and used in their coinage)in the 18th century was the percentage was .925 silver as it is today.Thats not to say some lower grade (90%)weren't used as in coins from other countries and lower grade scrap but if you used a British coin or British Hallmarks items they would be 92.5%.

Mitch

[Daryl]

I just knew you'd know the answers, Mitch!

[Craig Wilcox]

It's where we got the term "Pounds Sterling" from.  And I wouldn't mind getting a few pounds of sterling silver if that same value was here today - silver is currently more than $30 per ounce!  Sterling a bit lower, of course.

Went through the first two years of school in England when my Dad was stationed in London, 1951-53.  Learned to hate the verdamt pounds. shillings, and pence!  Heck, they even had 1/4 pence!  And learning to multiply and divide in three different bases earned me plenty of bloody knuckles from the teacher is a memory I'll never forget.

12 pence to a Shilling, 20 Shillings to the Pound, but 21 Shillings to the Guinea!  Sheesh!

[T*O*F]

I wouldn't mind getting a few pounds of sterling silver if that same value was here today - silver is currently more than $30 per ounce!

Craig,
The club I used to shoot at gave silver dollars as prizes.  These were modern minted ones.  When they started costing $29 each, the club decided they were giving away more than they were taking in and ceased giving them.  This was at least 12 years ago.  I still have a stack of them.  Don't know their composition, but they are all tarnished from sitting in a basket on my dresser.