Category Archives: Forum Questions

I have around 10 pounds of pure silver powder I would like to sell. How much do you think its worth? From Robin in Cape Girardeau, Missouri

Hi Robin,

To determine the value of your silver powder, you would first need to know how pure the silver is.  For instance, fine silver is 99.9% silver, but if your silver powder contains other ingredients, then it would not be as valuable, assuming the other ingredients are not some other highly precious metal like gold or platinum.

If your silver powder is marked 999 silver anywhere on the container or label, then it is most likely 99.9 % fine silver and you can estimate its value by converting your 10 pounds into 145.833 troy ounces.  (Please note that Silver commodity prices are measured in Troy ounces and not the standard avoirdupois ounces that most Americans think of when they see the word ounce.  Many people mistakenly estimate silver value by multiplying standard avoirdupois ounces by the price per ounce and get a higher value.)

Once you have your weight converted into troy ounces, you can multiply this number by the silver exchange rate published on sites like CNN Money http://money.cnn.com/data/commodities/index.html. For the purpose of this discussion, let’s assume that the price was $18 per troy ounce.  Given this, the market value of your silver would be about $2,625.

Of course, this price fluctuates and as a refiner, we still would need to process the silver and find a buyer for this particular material so we typically pay 75% of the silver value by weight but could pay up 90% depending on the fine silver content of your powder. If it has no markings, we will have to run additional analytical tests to determine how much silver material is available to extract. Not only will this require more time to refine, but the silver may a much lower purity than the 99.9% used in our example.

We would advise that you send us a small sample of the silver powder so that we can measure its purity and provide a more accurate estimate.

Hi, I would like to sell silver coins minted before 1964. Most are Morgan Dollars. I have about 300 + ounces of coins. How much do you pay on these silver coins? From Alberto in San Diego, California

Hi Alberto,

Thanks for your question about selling silver US Morgan Dollars. Morgan Dollars were minted from 1878 to 1904 and again for one more year in 1921. While most of your Morgan Dollars would be considered “junk silver,” meaning they do not have numismatic or collection value, you might want to look up if there were any special editions made that you could have in your stash. If these are in decent condition, you may receive more money from a coin collector than from a refiner like us. Below is an example of the US Morgan Dollar.

A Morgan Dollar can contain up to 0.7735 troy ounces of silver in mint condition. So using the spot price of silver today at $17.29 UDS/troy ounce,* one Morgan Dollar at market price can be worth up to $13.37. We can typically pay about 90% of the fine silver content by weight on these coins after refining and converting into a pure form.

Please weigh your coins before you ship them. If you only look up how much silver is in a mint condition Morgan Dollar, your estimate could be off slightly. Due to significant wear from years in circulation, coins often experience a slight drop in silver weight, around 1-2 percent.

*Note: the price of silver changes daily.

I have laboratory electrode wire and mesh to recycle. Most of it should be 97% platinum and 3% rhodium. Mesh may be 100% platinum. I have about 38 grams combined.  What is the value of these items? From Ken in Omaha, Nebraska

Hi Ken,

We can refine the platinum from the electrode wire and mesh that you have described. We will analyze the material with our testing equipment and can typically return 70% of the fine platinum value back to you based on the that days market price of platinum.

Indicate on your packing slip if you would like us to call you after we have evaluated the platinum. These items are perfect for refining because they are so platinum rich. Other laboratory items that may contain precious metals that we can refine include the following:

• Evaporation Dishes
• Vacuum Bags
• Air Filters
• Polishing Residue
• Casting Sprues and Buttons
• Gauzes
• Electrodes
• Crucibles

Let us know if you have any of these items you would like recycled. You can also visit our website and learn more about our platinum refining.

I have approximately 250 pieces of sterling silver flatware. My grandmother collected it over 50 years, not from one set, but from everywhere!  There may be closer to 300 pieces. From Greg in Farmington, Missouri

Hi Greg,

Thanks for your inquiry. We always recommend weighing silverware first before you ship. If you are sure that all the flatware from your grandmother is sterling, then we would recommend separating the knives from the batch and weighing those separately from forks and spoons. We tell people to do this because many times knife blades are stainless steel, not silver. Also, knife handles are sometimes filled with another metal. This is done to add weight to a utensil so that it sits better is a user’s hand.

If you do not know for sure if all your pieces are sterling, we would recommend trying to separate your pieces into one pile where you can find a marking indicating sterling and another “unidentified” group. We would recommend looking for markings or hallmarks at the base of the handle or back of the utensil. The following markings indicate sterling:

• Sterling
• .925
• 925/1000
• .800
• 800/1000
• .900
• 900/1000
• S
• SS

It would be helpful if you kept your piles separated during shipment, in bags work fine. We pay 75% of the fine silver content by weight on 925 silver. Let us know if you have any questions. We can take all your silverware, but we can only pay returns on sterling silver.

Watch a video about sterling silver flatware and see a refiner take apart some silver pieces.

Hi, I have about one pound of electrophysiology platinum tips for sale. Could you let me know how much you pay for this type of material and what the best method to ship is? Thanks From Neil in St. Louis, Missouri

Hi Neil,

We can refine the platinum out of medical devices such as electrophysiology catheter tips. We typically pay about 70 % of the platinum content by weight. Depending on the type of electrophoresis electrodes you have. Factors such as number of electrodes, diameter, weight, and platinum content on electrodes will vary.

To cut down on your shipping costs you can cut off the end with the electrodes and trim close to the electrodes. This is not necessary, but it can help you save on postage. We recommend sending in your items in a padded mailer or double plastic bags with zips inside your shipping box. UPS flat rate shipping works great, but you may use the carrier of your choice. Please choose the “Delivery Signature Required” option.  Please sterilize the tips prior to shipping with the method your hospital recommends.

Visit our website for more information about our medical device recycling programs.