Category Archives: Forum Questions

I have 12 pounds of raw silver beads. What are they worth? From Jody in Little Rock, Arkansas

Hi Jody,

First you will need to determine if the raw silver beads you have are 925 sterling silver, meaning 92.5% silver or another concentration? For 925 silver we pay for 75% of the fine silver content by weight. It is very difficult to determine the concentration of raw materials like the ones you describe without the proper testing equipment. If you don’t know the concentration of your silver beads, we can test your material with our analytical equipment. We just need a few of your beads beforehand so you don’t have to send in your full shipment.

If your silver beads are plated silver then we will not be able to offer you a return for them. Without the correct testing equipment it can be difficult to determine the silver concentration of your material. Here is a video showing how we test silver material that comes to our refinery.

Question: What does 555 stamped on a sterling silver tea set mean? From Terry in Chicago, IL

Hi Terry,

Because there are so many different stamps for silver items such as tea sets, serving dishes and silverware, identifying what all these mean can be difficult. You have to consider that silver has been produced for centuries in several different countries. Also, these items are always alloyed with another type of metal, so the trick becomes determining how much actual silver your items contain compared to other non-precious, alloy metals such as copper and nickel.

From our experience as precious metal refiners (not antique dealers or silverware experts) a stamp of “555” does not indicate sterling. Instead we usually look for a “925” to indicate sterling silver. Our best advice would be to do the following:

1. Check if you items are in fact sterling silver. This will probably influence the value of your items the most, especially if you are going to sell to a refiner for the silver value.
2. Check to see if your items have any collectable value or value as antiques. Sometimes pieces can have value beyond the precious metal value.
3. Based on the answers you find in 1 and 2, decide what the right place is to sell your items. As precious metal refiners, we cannot give returns on silverware that is plated.

*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.

While we are happy to give estimates on precious metal items, we are NOT antiques dealers, researchers, or retail sellers. As a precious metal refiner, we only consider the weight and amount of precious metal available to extract during the smelting and refining process.

Question: Is all silver plated flatware brass underneath? From Estella in Grand Rapids, MI

Hi Estella,

Thanks for your question. Not all silver plated flatware is brass underneath. Silver plated flatware will usually be copper based (like brass) or nickel based. Usually flatware is not a pure copper base, as copper is too weak. Brass is actually an alloy of copper and zinc. Most often scrap metal yards will purchase brass plated flatware for the copper.

Flatware made with nickel is worth more than flatware made with copper. Pure nickel under silver plate is an older plating method and rarely used anymore. If you have pure nickel plated flatware, we would guess that you have older flatware that may be worth more as antiques than for the scrap nickel value. Nickel is magnetic, whereas sterling silver, copper brass and cupronickel (below) are not.

There is also cupronickel which is an alloy of copper and nickel. There are different grades or alloys of cupronickel. If you have a high percentage of nickel compared to the copper, try to sell to a scrap dealer for the nickel value. Some may just give you the brass price.

Scrap Metal Junkie is a website that we found that comments about scrap metal like we do about precious metals. If you think that your items could be sterling silver (not plated), then a precious metal refiner could be the right fit for you.

*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.

While we are happy to give estimates on precious metal items, we are NOT antiques dealers, researchers, or retail sellers. As a precious metal refiner, we only consider the weight and amount of precious metal available to extract during the smelting and refining process.

I have .52576 oz Yellow Dental Gold And .73968 oz of Hi Noble Dental Gold. How much can I receive for this material? –From a dentist in Chicago, Illinois.

Thank you for your question. Because dental gold is usually not marked, it can be difficult to determine the gold purity without the right testing equipment. That is why selling this type of gold at a pawn shop or gold party may not yield the highest or more accurate returns.
Most dental gold is 16k gold which is 66.66% gold. However, we find dental gold to be as high as 85% gold while other dental gold items have been as low as 15%. We run tests with an XRF analytical machine to determine how much gold is available to refine.

With the amount of dental gold you have, we would estimate that we could offer about 85% of the gold value back to you. As the price of gold changes daily, we use the price of the day that your shipment arrives at our facility.

Find all of our blog postings about selling dental gold on our dental refining category.

*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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EVERYONE HAVE A SAFE AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!

We will see you in 2012 and be here answering more questions about your precious metal items. Don’t hesitate to ask us about your gold and silver and request an estimate!

Do you know of a place to sell silver from dental x-rays? From Denny in Panama City, Florida

Hi Denny!

You have come to the right place! We have the capabilities to handle large shipments of x-ray film here at our refining facility in Mexico, Missouri including those from dental offices.

Here are the bullet point things to keep in mind. And we have also included some of our past blog articles about selling x-ray film:

• Quantity: You will need to send at least 300-400 pounds of X-ray film, removed from the paper jackets, to receive a payment and recover the shipping cost.
• Shipping: We would recommend filling one or two 50 gallon drums of X-ray film and then shipping the film in the drums.
• Sorting: We can help sort and purge x-rays in eight states including Alabama, Northern Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Tennessee. Which would include Panama City if you have enough material to need the service.

We currently work with eight of the top 100 hospital groups in the country and are able to process large amounts of film with quick turnaround time. Please inquire further either by phone or on our contact forms as to the amount of x-rays you have and needed services dealing with selling dental x-ray film.

Check out these blog articles:

How Much Is Silver In X-Ray Film Worth?

Recycling X-Ray Film

How To Sell Medical X-Rays