I pulled out my great-aunt's silverware that i'm planning to use for Thanksgiving. It's stainless, Oneida, Tudor Plate (whatever that is) and the box it came in says anti-tarnish. The silverware has a faint yellowish tinge to it, not greyish silver like my regular tableware. It's at least 50 years old and it's not tarnished looking, but there are white spots on some of it that look like water spots, but they don't wash off? Also one of the knives has a rust looking spot. How do I get these off? Should i use silver polish?

try baking soda on a damp cloth or with vinegar....usually works great.

Good luck

Have you tried the foil trick? I watched Martha do it once...

http://doityourself.com/clean/silver.htm

I've used Martha's method...it works great!!!

That is very true Cake Princess.
This sounds like it is stainless with a silver plate. It is likely the box that is treated to be anti-tarnish, usually there is a cloth that is treated to deter tarnishing and this is what the box is lined with or it has a cloth part that covers the silverplate.
Silverplate has a thin coating of silver applied to another metal or combination of metals. Sterling silver is purer and made differently. Some of the spots may be where the silver has worn off, sometimes it is worth having silver re-plated.
Normally silverplate is not finished with a lacquer or anti-tarnish coating except for certain serving dishes, but the cutlery normally doesn't have this applied. This may be the exception. But if when you wash it in soapy water, the spots don't come off and if it is indeed coated, that means some of the coating has worn off or pitted and the spots you see are where the silver is no longer protected from the air and these are tarnish spots.
Personally I would go to a jewellry store of good store that sells a fine quality silver polish, like Haggerty's or other makes and polish it. Do not use anything abrasive, that can scratch your silver as can any of the cleanser style silver polishes. You need a cream or a silver polishing cloth or a foam.
It is best to find out what you are dealing with first before applying anything to your silverware.
Hugs Squirrelly

You guys are the best!!!!!! I never thought to look up the pattern before! It wasn't on those sites that Cake Princess mentioned, but I finally found it - it's called "together" by Oneida Community 1956 - so I was right about it being 50 years old (I knew they didnt' have that kind of money to buy silverware in the Depression when they got married!)

Squirelly, I think you're right about the box being treated b/c some of the serving pieces in the bottom drawer without the same lining are black with tarnish.

I will look for some good silver polish today. I hope I can find some in this little town, LOL!

Thank you all so much!!!

If you have a good jewelrey store of gift store that sells fine silverplate or sterling, they will be able to recommend a good make of silver polish. Just stay away from those powdered cleanser type silver polishes, they will scratch your silver permanently. And make sure you cloth is very soft because even a rough cloth can scratch silver. Lucky you, that is a pretty pattern! I love old silver, it gets a fine patina with age and looks so pretty.
The fact that this silverplate is old and a good make means that it has a nice thick layer of plating on it, not like what has been produced in the period of after about the '70's.
Hugs Squirrelly

once you have it all cleaned and polished, store it with a piece of chalk in the box to prevent further tarnishing. You may have to replace the chalk in a few months, but it's a cheap way to maintain heirloom pieces.

Thanks lilscakes! I've never heard of that before! I just polished it all and it worked like a charm! A few pieces have pits in it w/ rust - I guess i'll just replace those eventually!