A famous American politician was recently indicted on charges of taking bribes in exchange for doing political favors. We certainly have no comment on this case or on the innocence or guilt of the accused man, but what interested us was the fact that when his home was searched by FBI agents, they reportedly found gold bars that were worth about $100,000. They reportedly also found about $480,000 in cash.

If you look in your fridge at this time of year, chances are you will find some leftovers. Maybe there is a little wad of stuffing in a plastic storage box that’s left over from Thanksgiving, or a few slices of a roast from a big meal you served at Chanukah or Christmas. Well, it’s time to toss them.

But what about leftovers from the precious metal scrap you have collected and recycled over the last year? Don’t toss them! If you have been collecting and investing in precious metals, you just might have enough leftover materials to profit from.

The question that we used for the headline of today’s post – “Should You Be Looking for Gold Refineries that Buy from the Public?” – is an interesting one to consider.

It is interesting because, in fact, you should not be looking for a gold refinery that buys your scrap, for a very simple reason . . .

The meaning of the term “floor sweepings” is pretty obvious, right? You go into an area of a factory where gold, platinum or silver jewelry or other products were manufactured, you sweep them up, and send them to a precious metals refinery like Specialty Metals Smelters and Refiners, correct?

Reclaiming Precious Platinum and Gold . . .

If you make money finding and recycling precious metals, you are familiar with The Needle in the Haystack Problem. It happens when you find a vast quantity of sand, dust, sawdust, gravel or other “stuff” that has a valuable amount of gold, platinum or another precious metal hiding in it.

What is the most powerful tool for finding gold, platinum, silver and other precious metals?

When you think about that question, chances are you think about using a metal detector. And yes, a metal detector can be a great device to use when you are looking for precious metals in outdoor areas like the beach or open fields. There are other good tools too, like camera-equipped drones.

The idea is simplicity itself. You take a pile of stuff that contains precious metals and reduce it to ash by burning it, then process the ash with a strong chemical that removes everything but the metal. Wow, you just turned a pile of worthless-looking stuff into a small quantity of bright precious metal.

A gold ETF (Exchange Traded Fund) is a gold-based investment you can buy as though it were a stock or mutual fund. And like those investments, you can monitor how well your ETFs are performing, and what prices they are trading for. The companies that create and sell gold ETFs buy a quantity of gold bullion and allow investors like you and me to invest in partial ownership of them. Gold ETFs offer convenience – you can call your financial consultant at Fidelity or another investment company – and say, “Buy me some shares in a gold ETF,” and you are off and running with your gold investments. And because their performance is tied to gold trading prices, it is easy to keep an eye on how well your investment is performing.

Gold is a heavy element. A chunk of gold is, in fact, more than seven times heavier than a piece of marble or even granite of the same size. And when gold is in a natural setting, it can be more than 25 times heavier than the sand or soil that surrounds it.

In the early days of 3-D printing, it took several steps to “print” a metal part. If you wanted to print a gold ring, for example, you had to follow these steps . . .

It seems likely that prices are trending up, and could continue to do so for months, or even for several years. If that is the case, what are your best gold investment strategies? If you believe that gold prices will continue to rise, here are two to consider…

On our blog today, we're featuring a fantastic video that shows all the work that a company called Baron Rings put into designing and manufacturing the championship rings that were awarded to the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers. It is inspiring to see a company create something so beautiful. The video reminds us of two important considerations about reclaiming precious metals from older commemorative and class rings…