The surge in silver prices is no longer just a chart story. As silver trades at record highs, dealers across multiple countries are seeing a rush to liquidate physical silver by melting down antiques, heirlooms, and household stockpiles to capture today's prices. "I've never known it so busy," Brighton-based dealer Michael Bloomstein said to trade publication Antiques Trade Gazette. Silver prices in the U.S. surged above $117 per ounce in late January, extending a year-to-date rally of more than 60%. Historically, large waves of physical metal liquidation tend to show up after prices have already moved higher, when certainty about today's value outweighs conviction about tomorrow's.