Hi, I work in a pet hospital and would like an estimate to recycle about 400 pounds of X-ray films. Can your firm help me?  From Donna in Knoxville, Tennessee

Hi Donna,

Thanks for your inquiry. Arch Enterprises is one of the largest x-ray film recycling companies in the U.S. and we not only have the capability to recycle X-ray film, but we recover the silver content from them so instead of paying for the items to be recycled, you may actually get paid for your film (depending on the volume of actual X-ray film you have and the transportation costs). Your area in Tennessee also falls within our range of locations where we offer X-ray film pickup services so this is beneficial.

Before we make freight arrangements, there is some helpful information that you can provide so we know what we are dealing with. First, are the X-rays in paper sleeves or just alone in a container? And do you have a loading dock available at your facility? Also, are your X-rays are on a pallet? If not, what are the box dimensions and how many boxes you have? This information will give us a better idea of how long the pickup and X-ray refining process will take and what kind of loading equipment we will need onsite.

Find out more about our X-ray film pickup and refining services on our website.

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.