There are a lot of this pattern on Ebay. A 43 piece set is listed for $39.99 as a buy it now price. A 50 piece set in the wood case is listed for $85 to buy it now or make an offer ...

What you show is not "silverware" it's stainless, which mostly always has less value than silver plate or certainly Sterling.
But a matched set surely has value to someone.

When one finds old Rogers silver-plate, it is not at all unusual for it to look very "tarnished". In fact, it is usually a case of the silver having all worn off and all that is left is the base metal.

Hmm....I have been going to auctions and house sales for a little more than 50 years....and have never EVER seen Rogers silver plated flatware with ALL the silver gone.
I do know that some will buy old silverplated ware and remove the silver using an electrolytic process and sell the salvaged silver, but in the past 15 years or so, the spot price of silver has not been high enough to warrant the trouble nor expense.
But I have never seen the flatware, devoid of plating offered up for sale. Very often it's worn at the back of spoons and forks....but never all the silver gone, it can usually be polished up to look somewhat decent.
but what the OP shows is stainless....not old plated ware.

You're probably right, but that which had lost its silver, were thrown out. I used to regularly see worn silver plate at our big monthly flea mkt. Haven't been to one in years - have also seen it at garage sales.

Most likely what you saw where badly tarnished pieces that needed cleaning.

Stuff like that - found in houses I was renovating - went to the local thrift charity store.

I'd guess that someone who wanted that pattern would be thrilled to find it in stainless;

in books & movies, old Southern ladies sit around the mansion polishing the silver, but in real life today, nobody wants to polish silver, be it sterling or plate.

I've polished LOTS of silver in my life and it was worth it. Now, I have a yard man who is brilliant at polishing silver and copper! I have him spend 4 hrs doing it 3-4 times a year. My flatware is used often enough that it is only polished every 1-2 years - it is in a special container lined with silver cloth which prevents tarnish as well. It really depends on how one was raised. If one had lovely things (even if not at all wealthy), then one cared for them and used them and displayed them. Nice things DO require care - lovely linens, fine china - but they are worth the effort to me.

sorry, didn't mean to offend;

I was responding to lindac's comment to the effect that stainless might be of...some value to...someone.

if it's a matched set.

I love the ornate old patterns, Richard Whatever (I? II? III?), Buttercup, uh, it's been so long since I checked that I can't even remember the names.

They have these tiny little depressions or "holes" that are black unless you clean them with a toothpick every time you look at them, no matter how often you use the silver.

so.

For me, stainless is more desirable, & I bet I'm not the only one.

The black in the depressions of the pattern is meant to be there....it is applied when the silver is made using something called "liver of sulfur". If you want your sterling to look like stainless, why then use a dip method to polish....but know that you will be reducing the value by about 1/3 if you ever want to re-sell it.

My point is just that there are people who like stainless.

I've had silver before, & I like good heavy stainless.

& I bet there are other people who like stainless.

You just might like some good heavy sterling...if you ever tried it.

What did I just say?

"I've had silver before, & I like good heavy stainless."

lol