Silverware was everywhere in the 1980s. If you were worth your salt as a host, you had a velvet-lined case of sterling utensils and some silver-plated trays in your China cabinet. Silver serving sets that helped you plate cake and cut cheese were commonplace, and silver champagne buckets were aplenty. People would either register for them for their weddings, inherit them from family members, or invest in them for more important parties and family events.