Category Archives: Forum Questions

I have 84 1971-76 Eisenhower dollars From Dee in Camden, AR

Hi Dee,

Eisenhower or “Ike” silver dollars are tricky because there were two versions made between 1971 and 1976.

The first is the Eisenhower silver dollars that were made NOT for circulation. These were meant for purchase by collectors, were in special packaging and not released for circulation. These coins are composed of 60% copper and 40% silver. These coins will have an S marking on them indicating that they contain silver. In mint condition, an Ike Dollar will have 0.3162 ounces of silver.

The second, more common type of Ike dollar was also made between 1971 and 1978 and was the first dollar coin released for general circulation NOT made of silver. These are made of mostly copper and DO NOT contain any silver and also referred to as clad coins.

Besides the S marking, you can tell the difference between these two types of Ike dollars by their weight. Because they are composed of different metals, they have different weights.

The copper-nickel (clad) version weighs 22.68 grams (may be less due to wear)

The copper-silver (silver) version weighs 24.59 grams (may be less due to wear)

Our advice is to go through all of your Ike dollars and separate out the ones with silver. Those would be the only ones that we could offer you a return on your silver. Visit our website about other silver coins to sell for refining.

Hope that helps!

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.

Hello, do you buy sterling silver flatware or do you just refine? If you buy how do you pay and how long does the process take? From Richard in Tucson, AZ

Hi Richard,

Good question. There are so many different gold and silver buyers out there that it is hard to know which ones are middle men or the actual end refiners.

Arch Enterprises buys gold and silver AND refines it. You will find that many refineries will not work with individuals with precious metals. They will only work with businesses and/or large industrial companies to refine. We have found that is it profitable for both parties to accept lots of silver and gold from households. Because of the energy that goes into refining precious metals, we do have some minimums in place. For example, it would not be worth sending in one silver spoon to a refinery.

OUR PROCESS

1. We would recommend either calling or filling out our Request an Estimate form so both parties have a better idea about how much the material is worth and how much we can return.
2. Complete a packing slip to ship with your materials and request the “delivery signature required” option.
3. We will review your material and mail a payment to you in 3-5 business days or less after the material is received.

You can read more about our process on our website. Thanks!

*Images displayed is 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.

What is 14 milligrams (mg) of gold worth? I am considering purchasing some Buffalo tribute coins that are clad in 14 mgs of pure 24 kt. Gold and want to know what this gold is worth. – Thanks from Julie in Chicago, Illinois.

Hi Julie,

Gold is measured in troy ounces. When you see the daily price of gold, you are mostly likely seeing the price per troy ounce. This can be confusing when you are working with other units of measurement.

Here are some quick conversions to give you an idea about how much a troy ounce is in comparison to other units of measurement.

1 gram = 0.0321507466 troy ounces
1 milligram = 0.001 grams
1 milligram = 0.0000321507465686 troy ounces

14 milligrams = .0004494 troy ounces

Now that we have done the correct conversion, let’s talk money! Today (8-3-2011) the price of gold is at $1,637.50 USD per troy ounce.*

1 troy ounce of pure gold = $1,637.50 USD*
1 gram of pure gold = $52.65*
1 milligram of pure gold = $0.05*

14 milligrams of pure gold = $0.74*

As you can tell, 14 milligrams of gold is small. Plus these coins are clad (or covered) in gold and not made from solid gold, so it is not like we could even refine this small amout of gold from these tribute coins.

See more information on the Gold Buffalo Nickel Tribute Proof.

*Prices given reflect the price of gold when this blog post was written. Gold price may or may not be the actual current price of gold.

What is the value of the Gold Buffalo Nickel Proof by National Collector’s Mint? From Dan in St. Louis

In order to comment on your questions, we reviewed the company’s commercial on their website and uses some terminology that is confusing people.

Please read our translation of this TV advertisement. You have to “read between the lines” of the commercial and catch all of the important bits of information.

The bottom line is that these tribute gold buffalo coins that you see advertised on TV have no gold value. People wishing to invest in gold should not buy these coins. Think of them more like commemorative spoons or plates.

How much can i sell my 18 karat gold bracelet with the stamp 750 that weighs 52 grams for? Thanks! — From Cory in Seattle, WA

Hi Cory,

This is a great question to plug into our gold conversion calculator. This is because there are a few calculations that you have to do before knowing what your gold is worth.

You first have to convert the weight of gold jewelry into troy ounces without any other gems or stones. That is the unit of measurement used for precious metals.

Then you have to use the current price of gold and multiply it to how much actual gold you have. With your bracelet being 18 Karat, your piece is 74.88% gold. The stamp on your bracelet 750 indicates that it is 18 Karat gold that is about 75% pure gold.

Your 52 grams converts into 1.67183 troy ounces. According to our payout schedule we would offer you about 85% of the pure gold value. For larger lots we can sometimes offer over 90% of the gold value.

Note that the calculator provides an approximate value for the amount of fine (or pure) gold or in your item. It does not factor in intrinsic value that may apply to rare collectibles and coins or branded jewelry.

*Price of gold used in this calculation may not reflect the current price of gold as it changes daily.

Thanks for your question. Here are some other blog posts that might help you in finding the value of your gold bracelet.

• What Are My 14k Gold Wedding Rings Worth?

• What Is The Value Of 14k Gold Jewelry?

*Image displayed is only a representation of the items described in this blog post and may not be true images of the items in question.