Category Archives: Forum Questions

Hello, I have been in the rare coin and paper money industry for some time and I have in the past few months started to buy scrap jewelry and other “unwanted” items from people all across Northeastern United States. I was wondering if I could have the scrap gold items melted down by a refining company and receive coins, bars, or a “brick” of the refined metal in return? Thanks so much. – Craig from Hershey, Pennsylvania

Hi Craig,

Because we are a gold refiner and not a gold mint, we typically pay for scrap gold with cash (technically a check…but you get the point). Unfortunately the raw gold generated during the refining process is not marked, stamped or hallmarked.

Given this, we sometimes return payments in the form of silver or gold minted coins or bars instead of cash, but there are additional fees involved. By using minted coins or bars, there will be no questions to the value of your gold or silver and you will be able to hold the items as investments.

I am a jewelry retailer and have about 20+ pounds of outdated styles of sterling silver jewelry that I would like to melt and sell for cash. Can you handle this quantity? Thanks! From Jack in Providence, Rhode Island

Hi Jack,

As one of the largest silver refineries in the United States, we have the capacity to handle truckloads full of material, so 20 pounds will not be an issue. We work with many jewelers who are clearing out tarnished silver and outdated styles to make room for new merchandise. Along with high returns, we send out fast payments, usually within 1 – 2 business days after receiving the material. With that large quantity we can pay you for 80% of the silver value, for less than 20 lbs we will pay 75% of the silver value.

Hope this information helps!

I have about 96 ounces of Gorham brand sterling silver. What is this worth?  From Eli in Rogers, Arkansas

Hi Eli,

Thanks for your inquiry about selling sterling silver flatware. While we are not experts in regards to the collectors or market value of specific brands and styles of sterling silverware, we can help estimate its melt value. First, troy ounce is the measurement used for platinum, gold and silver. Troy ounces are actually heavier than standard ounces. If you have 96 standard ounces you have 87.4999 troy ounces (1 ounce = 0.911458333 troy ounce). Today the market price of silver is $18.73 UDS/troy ounce.* With that being said we can offer 75% of the fine silver content by weight for sterling silver. We would recommend that you use our silver value calculator with the current silver price to determine the silver value.

There are a couple of other items to keep in mind. You did not specify exactly what types of silver flatware you have – I am assuming that you have a set or a mix of forks, spoons, and/or knives. It is important to note that knife blades are sometimes stainless steel, making them more durable for cutting. Also, knife handles are sometimes weighted so they fit more comfortably in a user’s grip. If you have not done so already, we would recommend weighing spoons and forks separately from knives. Though sterling silver knives still have value, it can be significantly less than spoons and forks.

Also, since you have branded silverware I would recommend you checking out this previous blog post about sterling silverware that was also Gorham brand.

*Note: the price of silver changes daily.

We have YEARS worth of X-ray and MRI films that we would like removed and destroyed.  They are all in paper jackets on shelves in a storage room here in our office. Not exactly sure how much film by weight, but have enough to fill 4-5 full size pickups for sure. Please get back to me on how to move and refine this material. From Gene in Tallahassee, Florida

Hi Gene,

We do refine and recycle large amounts of hospital X-ray film like you have described. Since you’re located in Northern Florida, we could arrange these sorting and pickup services for you. This just makes things easier for you because we will bring all the necessary materials such as Gaylord boxes, skids and drums, so you won’t have to figure out how to pack and ship the X-ray film.

All of our medical X-ray refining and disposal procedures are done in a HIPAA compliant manor and we offer Certificates of Destruction and documentation of general liability. We have helped many medical offices, hospitals and laboratories clean out years worth of X-ray film from overstuffed storage rooms.

There is virtually no work on your end because we can take care of everything for you from labor and sorting to disposal. Also, because about one-fifth of the world’s silver is used in X-ray film, recycling these items is optimal for the environment. Hope we can help you out with your crowded X-ray film storage room.

I have about 6 pounds of silver oxide batteries from watches. How much silver is in these? What are they worth? From Jennifer in Atlanta, Georgia

I would like an estimate on about 20 pounds of silver oxide, alkaline and lithium batteries. From Jon in Rapid City, South Dakota

Hi Jennifer and Jon,

Thanks for your submissions about refining silver oxide batteries, also known as silver zinc batteries. These batteries are used in many applications such as watches, hearing aids and other small devices. You will find that most refineries will only take silver oxide batteries if you have hundreds of pounds of this material. Since Arch Enterprises refines so much silver, we offer approximately $10 to $15 per pound depending on the quality and quantity of batteries you have to refine. So you have the peace of mind that these batteries are being recycled and disposed of properly and will receive a cash bonus for your efforts. It’s a win-win!

However Jon — we do not take alkaline or lithium batteries, since there is no precious metal available for us to extract. We would only be able give you a return on the silver oxide batteries. Let us know if you have any more questions!