Silver-American, in the context of antique, may refer to American silverware which are mainly in the form of forks, knives, and spoons used for eating and serving food. They are generally objects made from silver that are used typically at meals. Sterling silver and coin silver are two terms that one links with American Silverware. Though similar in appearance, sterling and coin silver vary on the basis of their purity, i.e., sterling silver contains more pure silver. The U.S. silversmiths in 18th century used silver from melted foreign coins to make silverware and for this reason it was popularly known as coin silver.