Learn German: Würden Sie mir das Silber eigentlich zeigen? - Would you actually show me the silver?

It softens the question and makes it sound more conversational. Without it, Würden Sie mir das Silber zeigen? is a polite but direct request. Adding eigentlich gives it a tone of casual curiosity, similar to adding "by the way" or "actually" in English. It makes the question feel less abrupt.

Why is eigentlich placed exactly where it is in this sentence?

Modal particles like eigentlich usually sit comfortably in the middle of the sentence. The standard rule of thumb is to place them right after the conjugated verb and any pronouns (like Sie and mir), but before the direct object (das Silber). You generally cannot put them at the very beginning or the very end of a question.

Why use Würden instead of Werden at the start of the sentence?

Würden is the Konjunktiv II (subjunctive) form of werden, which we use to make very polite requests ("Would you...?"). If you used the standard future tense Werden, the sentence would mean "Will you show me the silver?" which sounds much more direct and demanding.

Why does mir come before das Silber?