Category Archives: Forum Questions

We get this question a lot and so we have posted it here and also on our FAQ’s page on our website.

Arch is a national precious metal refiner and receives shipments from the contiguous United States at our facility in Mexico, Missouri. We do not work with international shipments on a regular basis.

Arch is headquartered and operates its refining facility in Mexico, Missouri. We also offer onsite pick up for large volumes of X-Ray film in the following states:

• Alabama
• Florida (Northern Counties)
• Illinois
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Missouri
• Oklahoma
• Tennessee

Arch no longer operates a satellite refining office out of Birmingham, Alabama, however as mentioned above it is one of our onsite pick up locations and we can work closely with customers that have large volumes of precious metals.

Please contact us for all your precious metal refining needs.

Q: What can I do with gold teeth and bridges? How much gold is in these items? – From Lily in Houston, TX

Sell Gold Teeth

A: Thank you for your inquiry.  Determining the value of gold teeth and bridges can be very challenging because dental gold is often alloyed with many different metals. Over the years, we have received dental gold that ranged from 5 to 15 karats.  Since the grade of the gold significantly affects the value of the items, we often have to run the items through testing equipment to determine the precious metal content percentages.  It can also be difficult to determine the exact weight of items as they often have parts of the tooth and other dental material still attached to them. Due to these factors and the more challenging refining process associated with dental gold, we usually pay between 80-85% on the fine gold content depending on the amount one sends in to be refined. For smaller shipments the payout percentage may not be as high.

If you have 1.5 ounces or more of dental scrap and would like to send in what you have, we will email you the results of the value and content of gold before processing. Then, with customers consent, we will process and send you your payment.

Thank you for your question. We hope that you will consider Arch for refining your dental scrap.

^{_{* Blog estimates are given on a case by case basis and are not Arch’s final settlement price. Any prices or estimates in blog articles are based on the precious metal prices at the time of the post and can change on a daily basis as the price of precious metals change.}}

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Q: Do you refine platinum from pacemakers? – From John in St. Louis, MO

Medical Device Recycling

A: Hi John!

Unfortunately, pacemakers do not have enough platinum to be cost effective to process and offer a return payment. Medical devices such as EP catheter tips and defibrillator pads contain higher amounts of platinum and are more ideal for refining.

If you have either of these items you can send the pacemakers along with these items. Or if you would like to dispose of the pacemakers in an environmentally secure manner, we can assist you, however, there would be no payment made to you, only the disposal service.

Thank you for your question!

_{* Images displayed are only a representation of the items described in this blog post and may not be true images of the items in question.}

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QUESTION:
Do you work with hospitals for refining EP Catheter Tips?

EP Catheter Recycling

ANSWER:
Thank you for your inquiry. YES! We do work with hospitals and medical offices on a regular basis to refine platinum from medical devices such as EP Catheter Tips. We would be happy to quote you on the processing and recycling of your EP Tips. Our EP Recycling Program leaves zero margins for diminishing returns. When your material is sent to us, you will know the exact precious metal contents within each tip. In order to give you the most accurate estimate, we would need samples of each kind of EP tip your department uses for various procedures (i.e., manufacturer and size of tips). We would also need an approximate amount of how many is used quarterly/monthly.  We can disclose the Platinum yield of each type of tip. This is a factual number.  Once established, we will quote you a program that will leave little error as to how much your return should be quarterly or monthly, depending on how many procedures are performed in your EP Lab.

Follow the following 5 steps to prepare your EP Catheter Tips for platinum refining:

1. Cut the wire 4 inches above the Band furthest from the actual tip and put it in the plastic bag located in our EP dispenser.  It’s highly recommend the dispenser be located for convenience where the device is taken off of the patient.
2. When the bag is filled, close up the bag, secure it with tape and ship it to us for recycling.
3. List the type and amount (how many of each type) of tips you are sending on our packing slip.
4. Call or e-mail stating you are sending your package to our refinery in Missouri.
5. At the time of arrival of your package to our facility, the platinum price of the NY Comex Spot market price and your settlement price will be calculated.  A check will be mailed to your department within 10 business days of receiving your shipment.

We can provide you many excellent references, as well as, any other additional credibility documents that you require.

_{* Images displayed are only a representation of the items described in this blog post and may not be true images of the items in question.}

_{* Read our disclaimer}

QUESTION:
I have 13 avoirdupois pounds of Canadian coins that are dated before 1968. These are all from the Canadian Mint. What can you give me for these? – From Bridget in Maine

ANSWER:
Hi Bridget,

Pre 1968 Canadian Silver Coins

Thank you for your inquiry.  Depending on circulation, for Canadian coins up to the year 1967, the silver content was 80% silver by weight.  During the year 1967, the silver composition of circulating coins was reduced from 80% to 50%.  As such, coins were minted that look identical, but are composed of either 80 or 50 percent silver.  If any of your coins are dated 1967, then the silver content could vary and the estimate quoted below would be different.

Based on the day we receive your shipment at our refinery, we return 80% of the N.Y. Comex Spot market based price of Silver per troy ounce. As of right now, the Spot price of Silver is $17.33, per troy ounce.  There are 14.583 troy ounces to every Avoirdupois Pound. Based on this, here is the process that we use to calculate payment.

FIRST TO FIND THE FIND SILVER CONTENT
13 lbs. x 14.583 troy ounces = 189.579 troy ounces x 80% silver content = 151.66 troy ounces of fine silver content

PAYMENT
151.66 troy ounces x $17.33 Spot = $2,628.27 x .80 = $2,102.62, your return, had we received your coins today at the refinery.

Thank you for your question. Please contact us if you would like to send us your material.

^{* Please keep in mind that we are not a coin dealer and cannot give estimates based on the value of collectable, rare or vintage coins. As a precious metal refiner, we only give estimates based on the weight of items and the amount of precious metal available for recovery.}

^{_{* Blog estimates are given on a case by case basis and are not Arch’s final settlement price. Any prices or estimates in blog articles are based on the precious metal prices at the time of the post and can change on a daily basis as the price of precious metals change.}}

^{_{* Read our disclaimer}}