Let’s say you walk into a pawnshop to check out whether there are any gold, silver or platinum items there for sale – items that you can buy for low prices. Or you walk into a coin dealer to see what’s on display.

Let’s also say that you find what seems to be a good deal. It’s a South African Kruggerand that contains 1 Troy Ounce of gold. When you ask the dealer the price, he replies, “$1,505.00, because we sell at current trading prices.” So you go online, check trading prices, and decide that you will be getting a fair deal if you buy that Kruggerand for the asking price. So you go back to the pawnshop or coin dealer, pay asking price, and assume that everything has gone well.

A customer called recently and asked us, “How much gold is in platinum?” And then he added, “I guess that is a pretty silly question, right?”

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.

“I just got a beautiful piece of silver-plated jewelry,” says a man in New York. “Is there any chance that the silver is plated over gold?”

That’s a logical question

Would you like to make $100 or more today by sitting at your kitchen table snipping gold contacts? If you would, here’s what you need to know.

Have you heard about the new alloy of platinum and gold that is said to be the most indestructible metal ever made . . . one that is as hard as diamonds and virtually abrasion-proof? We have heard about it too. It sounds like a hoax. After all, gold is a very soft metal. Platinum can easily be scratched, as owners of platinum engagement rings have discovered. So how can it be that combining these two not-so-durable metals could result in a super-metal that is virtually indestructible?

What is the difference between an item that is gold filled and one that is gold plated?

That question confuses many people. But after you read today’s post, you will know the difference and be a smarter gold investor. Please read on.

In the past, we have written about all the places where gold can be found in cars. Just for a quick review, it can be found in onboard computers and other electronic devices that have been used to monitor and control . . .

We have to say, the U.S. Mint is selling an especially attractive lineup of gold commemorative coins these days. If you visit the U.S. Mint’s website, here’s a selection of what you can buy . . .

The answer may surprise you

Today, everybody you see seems to be staring at a mobile phone. About 15 years ago, every adult you saw was poking away at a Blackberry and every kid you saw was listening to music on an iPad or other portable music player.

We were in an electronics store recently, where we saw a small electronic device lying next to a cash register. We asked a salesman, “What is that thing that looks like a tiny cellphone?”

We have written before on this blog about good places to hunt for undiscovered precious metals – places like old jewelry factories, wells, drain pipes, and even graveyards.

Today, we would like to add one more place to look for old gold, silver, and platinum items that you can recycle profitably . . .

A client of ours recently found an interesting piece of gold jewelry. It was a brooch, probably more than 100 years old, that he found in an estate sale. He bought it for $40.00, took it home, and tested it using a gold testing kit.

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.

Yes, there is! It’s called Specialty Metals Smelters and Refiners. And although we are located in Connecticut, we are as close to you as your local Post Office, FedEx or UPS shipping office.

We have watched stories about it on Fox News and other news channels. We have read about it in the Los Angeles Times and other newspapers. 

What are we talking about? We are talking about the fact that flooding in California has exposed veins of gold that have been hidden for decades. Some of these hidden deposits of gold were apparently not discovered during the famous gold rush of 1849. And now, a lot of prospectors who have heard the news about a new gold rush are heading to the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains to pan for gold in streams. Some of them are reportedly using more than pans to look for gold; they are bringing in sophisticated equipment to look for it.

“My grandfather was a master jeweler and jewelry repairman,” a caller told us recently. “Unfortunately, he recently passed away, and now we have the job of emptying his workshop. Can you give me some advice on what we should be looking for?”

When you go looking for gold, you will usually find items that contain very small quantities of it. You might find a picture frame that is covered with gold leaf, a printed circuit board that has gold-covered contact pins, or a pair of gold-plated eyeglass frames.

We have written in the past about the importance of thoroughly inspecting old pieces of furniture before you sell them or toss them away.

A recent news story from England serves as an important reminder of how valid that advice is.

Last year, we visited the remarkable rare book collection at Saint Bonaventure University in Olean, New York. During that visit, we were privileged to get a close look at some extremely rare old books and manuscripts.