Category Archives: Forum Questions

I have 45 rolls of US War Nickels, which is 1,800 coins. What are these worth? From Nathan in Birmingham, Alabama

Hi Nathan,

Because of the significant amount of copper in War Nickels, the refining process takes quite a bit longer and requires more energy. This makes extraction more expensive and time consuming because the precious metal material has to go through extra treatments for longer periods of time.

We pay 40% of War Nickels’ silver by weight. This percentage is lower than some other coins that do not contain so much copper. Old quarters, dimes and half dollars usually contain more silver and less copper, allowing us to return a higher percentage on these items. Examples of junk silver coins include:

• Mercury Dime (1916-1945)
• Roosevelt Dime (1946-1964)
• Washington Quarter (1932-1964)
• Liberty Half Dollar (1916-1947)
• Franklin Half Dollar (1948-1963)
• Kennedy Half Dollar (1964)
• Kennedy Half Dollar (1965-1970)
• Morgan Dollar (1878-1921)
• Peace Dollar (1921-1935)
• Eisenhower Dollar (1971-1976)

For more information about junk silver coins, visit our website.

I have a sterling silver plated large serving tray and 2 wine goblets. What would the dollar valve be? – From Karen in Southern California

Hi Karen,

I am sorry to tell you that we do not buy plated silver items because the silver is plated too thinly to return any money based on the precious metal content. You would be better off trying to sell these items as a serving tray and goblets.

Silver plating techniques have become very advanced so that the plating manufactures use the smallest amount of silver possible to get the desired silver sheen. Many times the silver plating is so thin that it can be scratched off by hard objects such as a coin or paperclip.

If you have a silver item that you don’t know is plated or silver, we recommend running a strong magnetic over the items. Precious metal is NOT magnetic, so if the magnetic sticks then your items do not have value based on their precious metal content. Find out more about our silver refining services on our website found here: http://www.archenterprises.com/

I have a 12 person set of sterling silver from the late 1800’s. There are roses around the edges with M etched into the pieces and ornate roses on the handle. I have about 10 lbs. of silverware. – From John in Lapeer, Minnesota

Hi John,

Thanks for you inquiry. Though you did not indicate any silver markings, most sterling silver is 925 silver, that is 92.5% silver. In that case, your silverware is ideal for refining because the scrap silver content is valuable. Arch Enterprises can pay you for 75% of your material’s fine silver content by weight.

An important thing to keep in mind for anyone who is selling or refining silverware is that the knives most likely have stainless blades, not silver blades. This would reduce the silver weight of tableware sets. So, it might be a good idea to weigh your materials sans knives to get a more accurate silver value.

Here is an example of how a refiner takes apart sterling silver items including tableware knives on our Arch Enterprises YouTube Channel.

Do you have a facility in TN? Can you evaluate and process large orders? Do you buy and what is the process and how long does this take? – From Roger in Knoxville, Tennessee

Hi Roger,

We have a representative in the Tennessee area but not a facility. Our facility in Missouri can handle large orders. We can take shipments by the ton. With three thermal oxidation processors and three large-scale R4-B rotary furnaces, there is almost no job involving precious metal too large for us to handle.

For large volumes of material we can work with you directly and arrange shipping and/or transportation. For large orders we like to speak with our customers so we both have a better idea about the job we are dealing with. Then we can more accurately estimate how long it will take to process and what the payout will be. Sometimes it is better to send a sample that we can test before refining. Let us know what kind of material you have, and then we can talk about dollar estimates and times.

Visit our website to find out more about our precious metal refining facility.

I have some 10lbs of electrical contacts, some of which are 1inch square X1/8 inch thick. Are these worth refining? From Jesse in Springfield, Missouri

Hi Jesse,

We would offer between $10-$15 per pound of silver-bearing electrical contacts depending on the quality and silver content. Keep in mind that the amount of silver in electrical contacts can vary and we won’t be able to determine an exact amount until they are at our facility, tested and refined.

If they do contain a significant amount of silver, then they would be worth it to send to a silver refiner like Arch Enterprises.