Want to Make Money by Recycling Gold Scrap?
Don’t Overlook Gold-Plated Items
When most of us go looking for gold items to recycle, we look first for solid gold items, and with good reason. Even very small items made of karat gold can contain enough gold to make them worth a lot more than they appear – small items like stud earrings, tuxedo studs, lapel pins, tie tacks, and religious and commemorative medals.
It’s only natural to go looking for items that are made of karat gold. They provide a lot of “bang for the buck” for people like you and me who really enjoy hunting for undervalued gold items and turning them around for profit.
But while you are looking for items made of gold in different karat classifications, don’t forget this important fact . . .
Gold-plated and gold-filled items can be great investments too
One reason is that there are plenty of gold-filled and gold-plated items out there waiting to be bought. This is just a rough estimate, but it seems that for every karat gold tuxedo stud that is for sale at antique stores and online, there are probably several hundred gold-filled items up for sale – items you can often buy at rock-bottom prices.
So here is a question for you. Instead of waiting for those pure gold items that come along every year or so, why not buy large quantities of gold-filled items, which you can snap up just about any time you want at estate sales, antique malls, or online?
Remember, gold-filled items generally contain more gold than gold-plated items do. Why? Because gold-filled items were mostly made before about 40 years ago, when the companies that made them applied thicker layers of gold. More recently, modern electroplating techniques have made it possible to apply extremely thin layers of gold to items like eyeglass frames and various items of costume jewelry. They still look like they are richly plated with gold. But the fact is, they contain extremely small quantities of the precious metal, usually not enough to recycle.
But you can still find plenty of gold-filled items and have us recycle them for you, often for a good profit.
Gold-Filled Items to Look for and Buy
Here’s a selection of gold-filled items from the “golden age” when thick layers of gold were being applied to a wide variety of items. Note that in many cases, these items will be stamped with words like, “18 karat gold plated” or simply “gold plated.”
Eyeglass frames, including those on old non-prescription sunglasses.
Small items of men’s jewelry and accessories, including tie bars, tie pins, lapel pins, key chains, watch fobs and other personal items.
Gold-filled religious medals and other items, including Jewish (Stars of David, Chai symbols) and Christian (crosses, crucifixes, Saint’s medals) and other items of jewelry.
Gold-filled charms and charm bracelets.
Bracelets and chains.
Gold-filled findings that jewelers use in making jewelry, including clasps and pins.
Find Them, Buy Them . . . Then Call Specialty Metals to Find Out What They’re Worth
We are standing by to test and recycle the gold-filled items you collect! Our consultants are ready to answer all your questions. Call us today at 800-426-2344 to learn more.