Today, lots of older flat screen TVs are appearing in dumpsters at the dump too. That shouldn’t come as a surprise, since flat screens have been the televisions of choice for more than a decade now. They’re already breaking down and wearing out. Plus, consumers are tossing old flat screens that still work pretty well so they can upgrade to smart TVs, bigger TVs, higher-definition TVs, and lots of other new products.

There has been so much hoopla about VW’s diesel crisis that it’s easy to overlook the chance that even more carmakers could be affected. We don’t have a crystal ball and we’re not saying that more car manufacturers have engaged in emissions deception. But let’s review who else is selling diesel-powered cars and light trucks in America right now... 

Did you know that some thermocouples contain gold and gold alloys? They are highly specialized, not the kind of thermocouples or thermocouple wire that you can pull out of old stoves or air conditioners. They are usually used in laboratory settings to measure low to moderate temperatures. If you acquire even a small quantity of them...

Recycling precious metals often involves analyzing and refining big messy batches of mixed materials. People who own these mixed lots of material know that gold or silver or platinum is “in there” somewhere, but don’t know where it is, what it is, or how much of it is present. 

We’ve written before on this blog about how to make money recycling gold class rings. Today, let’s take a look at how you can profitably recycle older class rings that contain palladium and platinum. 

We don’t have a crystal ball that lets us see what precious metals you now own – either in bullion, in materials that you haven’t yet recycled or elsewhere - but we’re willing to guess that most of your metals investments fall into the mid-term category that FINRA defines: you’re going to have them for between three and 10 years, so they should be investments that offer stable long-term growth.

If you forgot to do any spring cleaning, these energizing autumn days can be a good time to get going. If you do, there is a pretty good chance that you’ll discover some items that will provide you with a bigger payback than you realize. Here are some items that are lying around my house. Odds are pretty good that they can be recycled very profitably by a top precious metals refinery like Specialty Metals Smelters and Refiners. 

Although we don’t know for certain where gold is headed, we do know one thing, which is that it’s a good idea to keep tabs on trading prices. And here’s an easy way to do it . . . Bookmark our home page and check it often, because we update and post current trading prices from the London Fix every day.

Be aware that if you find even one spoon or fork from one of these prestigious makers, your discovery could be worth a lot of money to silver dealers, individuals whose sets are missing the item that you found, or as sterling silver that we can recycle for you.

We are in the business of recycling gold from a number of sources. We work with gold scrap, electrical devices, old jewelry and even ore and sand.  What is our best advice about what you should do today if you have recyclable gold-bearing materials – perhaps materials that you have been holding until gold prices increase?

Silver might not be worth a lot of money per ounce – it is trading for a little less than $15.00 right now. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t make a lot of money trading it. The key is to collect large quantities of the metal at below-market prices and then call Specialty Metals Smelters and Refiners at 800-426-2344 to discuss your recycling options.

It’s overwhelming. How are you going to figure out what you have and what it is worth? How will you know when the right time comes to sell it? Should you wait until prices hit the right levels, and how will you know when that happens? And while you’re trying to answer those questions, you do nothing.

If you’re interested in collecting and recycling catalytic converters for a profit, the arrival of all these high-tech vehicles can get confusing. Which of them contain cat converters, and which don’t?

Experienced silver-hunters tell us that they find much more silver at home sales than they find in antique malls, where everything has been picked over by antique dealers or estate sale specialists. If you’re lucky, you may stumble onto entire boxed sets of sterling silver tableware – you might even find an heirloom set of Old English silver.

If you have been waiting to recycle or sell silver until trading prices rise, we invite you to consider a Specialty Metals Smelters and Refiners Pool Account.  Our Pool Account offers significant benefits, including the ability to sell your silver when prices rise in the future.

On Monday, July 20, 2015, the financial markets got a jolt when the trading price of gold in Asia suddenly plummeted to a five-year low. The impact was felt globally. Half the world away in London, the price fell 2% on news of the Asian price drop. One celebrity investment expert, CNBC’s Jim Cramer, got on air only hours later and advised people to buy gold at its low price, as a “hedge against inflation.” That’s traditional wisdom about buying gold and other precious metals – investors should buy and hold as a hedge against inflation. It’s good advice, but it makes us wonder why so few investment experts are recommending buying gold at low prices and then selling it when prices rise.

Gold makes different people smile for different reasons. It’s making Rouhani grin because he’ll use gold to cushion his country from recessions, depressions and other economic calamities. And do you know what? Gold can give you a similar level of security too.

If you have been waiting to recycle or sell your gold until trading prices rise, we invite you to consider a Specialty Metals Smelters and Refiners Pool Account.  Our Pool Account offers significant benefits, including the ability to sell your gold when prices rise in the future.

You have probably seen niello without knowing what it was. It looks like black enamel that has been painted into the indentations around geometric patterns on the surface of decorative silver belt buckles, goblets, candlesticks and other objects. But niello isn’t paint. It is actually a compound made of silver, sulphur and other chemicals.

Although platinum doesn’t rust or oxidize, it can discolor after it is exposed to high heat in laboratories. That bluish patina can be deceiving. You look at a discolored piece of thermocouple wire or a testing crucible or a stand that was used in the lab and think, “this discolored stuff can’t possibly be platinum.” The discolorations that affect used platinum mesh or sponge can be even more deceiving. They can be reduced to a blackish powder that you’d be tempted to sweep up and toss away.