What will happen to precious metal prices if a trade war causes a number of countries, including the U.S., to charge heftier tariffs on imported goods?

We recently spent a few hours in the company of an expert jeweler, looking through a batch of old jewelry scrap. It was amazing to watch him work. He seemed to have a kind of sixth sense about what he was looking at. He picked up a small chain and said, “This is solid gold.” Then he looked at an old watch and said, “The case is gold plated, not worth much.” Then he looked at a ring and said that although it looked like platinum, it was base metal that had a thin level of chrome or other bright-metal plating applied to it. Again, not worth more than a few cents.

You know what to look for when you are hunting for platinum and platinum scrap, right? You’re looking for platinum engagement and wedding rings, right? Or you might focus on floor and bench sweepings from factories where platinum jewelry was manufactured.

We love the convenient shipping that Amazon and other online retailers are offering these days. You place an order and before you know it - sometimes on the same day - a box lands at your door. It’s great, but is the convenience making us overlook the security issues?

If you do some searching online for “best places to hide precious metals,” you will find dozens of articles that offer advice on the smartest places to hide precious metals in your residence.

Do you have gold, silver and other precious metals that you would like to store safely away? If so, what are your most secure and loss-proof options?

In today’s post, we’ll discuss some of the popular storage places people choose for precious metals and explore what is good and bad about them.

“Dollar in Danger of Weakening for Six Years,” an article that appeared on Bloomberg.com on November 16, sounds these alarms that all investors should heed . . .

What effect will the new tax law have on the value of your precious metals?

The answer is that nobody knows the answer to that question, even though plenty of people are writing their opinions on the topic.

“EPA Allows Mine Company to Pursue Permits Near Alaska Bay,” an article that Becky Bohrer wrote for the Associated Press on May 12, reports that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is on the verge of approving a permit for a new copper and gold mine in the Bristol Bay area of Alaska...

It might interest you to know that the Greek philosopher Plato made some philosophical inquiries into precious metals. You remember Plato. He lived from about 428-348 B.C., studied with Socrates, and taught Aristotle how to think. In his famous book The Republic, Plato wrote that human beings, just like precious metals, come from the earth. He also wrote that human beings, like minerals, can be made of three different metals…

Will your gold, silver, platinum and other precious metals increase in value in the coming months and years? Will the demand for recyclable precious metals increase in 2017? There is no way to predict with absolute certainty. But here are some trends to watch.

We have previously written on this blog about all kinds of collectibles that can contain gold, silver, platinum and other precious metals. We’ve explored canes and walking sticks, barware, smoker’s accessories, buttons and medals, and lots more. Today, we’d like to direct your attention to another investment that should be on your radar... Boxes that contain precious metals.

Today’s post is a bit different from others that you have read on this blog in the past. We’re not going to focus on precious metal investments that you can make today. Instead, we’re going to take a long-term look at trends in space exploration and aeronautics that you should be aware of – trends that could reshape the world of precious metals in the future.

Yes, the deadline for filing your 2015 tax return has come and gone. But before you take a deep breath and move on, why not take stock of tax lessons you learned last month, talk about them with your tax preparer or attorney, and make some decisions right now about how you are going to deal with your precious metals holdings when next April rolls around?

For several years now, the most common comment we’ve been hearing about investing in gold has been, “Gold prices are so low… stay away from it as an investment.” That’s the common wisdom. It might be common. But it is wise? Not really.

Last year we published a list of the most popular blog posts that we ran in 2014 – the ones that had been viewed by the most people and that had generated the greatest number of comments. We’ve created a different list of best posts this year. They are posts that contain the kind of useful information that can quickly put a lot of money in your pocket – maybe even in time for the holidays. 

Frankly, we are not going to answer that question on today’s post, because it is a question that only your financial advisor or tax preparer can answer for you. There are many variables to consider – your tax bracket, your other investment gains or losses – and we are not in a position to offer that kind of advice. What we can do, however, is answer the following question . . .