Are you kidding me? These days it's ALL stainless. It ain't goin' nowhere - even the cheap stuff. You need something cheap? I'd go to my local thrift shop, and sort through what's there. Just get something heavier weight. The Sam's Club idea sounds like a possible winner.

We've got some silver plate serving spoons from my Grandma. They never get used, for obvious reasons. My son, now adult, got entranced by "old stuff" somewhere along the way. He's picked up a fair supply of old silverplate - but none of it likely predates my childhood. Some has got the brass showing through. I have very clear childhood memories of having to polish the silver. Not fond memories, either. Nobody really cares about what the flatware looks like anymore.

I can't even understand why anyone would WANT a complete flatware set these days. Unless you were planning on "entertaining" - but in that case I'd worry more about the quality and presentation of the FOOD. Make that amazing, and nobody's gonna notice what the forks look like.