While we were working online just the other day, an ad popped up urging us to buy a collectible U.S. coin from a company that was not affiliated with the U.S. Government. A few days later when we were watching TV, a similar ad appeared, also pitching collectible coins that were supposed to increase dramatically in value.

We are not accusing the companies that were behind those products of outright dishonesty. In our country, after all, any company is free to manufacture and sell any products it likes, provided the organization is not engaging in outright fraud. In the end, it is up to the buyer to beware and make an intelligent decision about whether to buy what is being offered.

Canada is the fifth largest producer of mined gold in the world, following behind China, Russia, Australia, and the United States. A trip to Canada to look for gold in streams could be a good idea or, at the very least, a profitable and fun adventure.

Here’s some information that will add to your adventure and possibly your profits too.

When you consider making any kind of investment, you need to balance several important considerations. You might not realize you are balancing these factors, but you are.

Potential ROI (Return on Investment) – If you invest in something that offers high potential ROI, there is a chance that you can double, triple the money you invested, or maybe do even better. If you are investing in something that promises a lower potential ROI, you are willing to accept a lower potential profit from the money you invested.

When you are making any investment – in gold, silver, platinum, or anything else – will you be able to sell it? And will you be able to sell it for the most money possible?

Your ability to sell an investment and to sell it for a good price are defined as liquidity.

Here are two stories that show that liquidity is a more critical consideration than you might realize.

Don’t Forget to Check Out Pawn Shops!

On this blog, we have often advised our readers to go hunting for jewelry and precious metal scrap at factories, in jewelry stores, and at estate sales. Today, we would like to discuss another source that might not be on your radar . . .

Here at Specialty Metals, we are big fans of precious metals. Why? Because we have had the privilege of helping customers realize remarkable profits by reclaiming gold, silver, and platinum from precious metal scrap of all kinds.

Yes, we are enthusiastic about investing in precious metals. But our enthusiasm stops short when we hear from clients who have gotten carried away and bought precious metal items and scrap that they shouldn’t have.

Here are some categories of precious metal items that are unwise investments because they promise very little, if any, return on the dollars invested.

A recent article in Metals Focus points out that demand for platinum, palladium and rhodium (all platinum group metals) grew 5% in 2021 and is expected to hit a record 11% increase in 2022 alone.

What is causing the surge?

Metals Focus points to these two trends:

With Hispanic Heritage Month taking place now, it seems like a good time to ask how much gold has been mined in Latin America over the past centuries.

To be sure, there is a long, fabled and strong historical link between gold and Latin America. Back in the 16th Century, Spanish monarchs became obsessed with the idea that there were as many as seven cities in South America that were made of gold. They even believed that there was an emperor named El Dorado, who was clothed with golden garments and ruled these cities. So in 1540, Spain sent an explorer named Francisco Vázquez de Coronado to the New World, where he searched in vain for these golden cities.

At Specialty Metals Smelters and Refiners, we are in the business of making it as easy as possible for you to determine the value of precious metals and precious metal jewelry, be it karat gold, silver, platinum and even palladium and rhodium. If you send any item made of precious metals to us, our lab technicians can quickly determine what it is made of and tell you its value at current trading prices.

If you’re about to fly across international borders and go through customs when you land, how much gold can you carry with you?

Fake gold bullion bars and coins look like the real things. Because they are covered with real gold, they can pass tests done with gold testing kits, and can fool experts. And according to a growing number of news reports, more and more people are being conned into buying them.

Some recent news . . .

If you’ve been reading the Specialty Metals Blog over the last year, you know that we have been monitoring the increasing acceptance of hydrogen fuel cell cars, which promise to create greater demand for platinum. (Why? Because platinum is used to convert hydrogen to electricity that is used to power the cars.)

If you have been reading our posts, you also know that up until now, you have only been able to buy fuel cell cars in Hawaii and California, the only states where it is possible to buy hydrogen at a filling station.

What is the most powerful small metal detecting tool you can carry in your pocket? It’s your smartphone.

Only five or six years ago, we would have advised you to carry a small digital camera with you on your prospecting adventures. Now that is no longer necessary, thanks to the powerful cameras that are now built into phones.

But there are many more apps you should install on your phone, if you haven’t already, including:

What is the safest and most profitable way to profit from investing in precious metals?

It is to invest in scrap and have us extract the gold, platinum and silver it contains. Why is this the safest and most reliable way to make money in precious metals?

Let’s review some of the reasons . . .

. . . But Here’s Why You Should Carry One Anyway

Gold, platinum, and silver are the three precious metals that we write about most often on this blog. And as you know, a magnet will not be attracted to them. Why? Because they do not contain iron, which attracts a magnet. That’s another way of saying, gold, platinum, and silver are non-ferrous metals. (“Ferrous” means that they contain iron.)

There is a story behind every business that closes and liquidates its fixtures, equipment, supplies and assets. Sometimes the story is sad because a business failed. Sometimes it was in an industry that was no longer profitable. Sometimes the owner retired, and that is not a sad story.

When someone mentions devices that clean exhaust gas, chances are you think, “I know what they are . . . they’re catalytic converters that are installed on cars.”

But there are other kinds of exhaust gas purifiers that can be recycled profitably – varieties that you might not know about. They too can contain platinum, rhodium, and even palladium. We’ll give you a quick course on what these other kinds of exhaust gas purifiers are and how you can make money reclaiming them by having us recycle them for you.

Multilayer Ceramic Capacitors (MLCCs or MLCC chips), which are small electronic components made of alternating ceramic and metallic layers, can be found in many applications today.

When an armored delivery truck was robbed near Los Angeles on July 11, 2022, thieves got away with jewelry that was estimated to be worth more than $10 million. The truck was on its way to an event in Pasadena and somehow, thieves got the jump on the driver.

According to news reports, the jewelry was owned by a number of businesses and individuals. Brinks, the operator of the armored car that was robbed, has promised to repay all the owners. And given the excellent reputation that Brinks enjoys, we are sure the company will.

Industrial catalysts are substances – often metallic powders or screens that are used in industry to speed up, start, or facilitate chemical reactions. Catalysts also are sometimes used to lower the amount of energy that is consumed by chemical processes.

Absorbent materials are another form catalysts can take. They are chemicals that are used to absorb and remove certain chemicals from compounds where they are found. For example, BASF makes a variety of products that absorb and remove impurities from natural gas before it is distributed to consumers. They are catalysts of a special kind.