Although the economy was in complete ruins, people were able to earn money from their precious metals because gold, silver and platinum’s value has little to nothing to do with the economic status of any region.

Their value is strong enough that it can stabilize and rise even during the worst of times.

If an individual is seeking a way to earn extra cash in order to sustain during a rough financial period, the answer may be laying in a jewelry box or dresser draw of their home.

Taking the Necessary Steps in Selling Precious Metals

The process of selling precious metals should not be entered into without taking the necessary steps and doing the diligent research to receive the highest price possible.

When devising and following a well thought out plan, it puts the seller in the driver seat as they seek to increase their monetary supply.

Step One: Separation

This is the easiest of all steps. A seller simply wants to do two acts of separation.

First be sure to separate the gold, silver and platinum metals.

Next decide which precious metals will be sold and which will be kept.

The seller should use careful consideration before putting metals up for sale to avoid any form of regret. Consider what was paid for each item to be certain whether or not the item is worth selling at the particular time.

Step Two: Research the Prices Being Paid for the Different Metals

Precious metals are sold by the ounce. Be sure that diligent research is done to learn what prices are being paid for gold, silver and platinum.

Live scrap metal price charts will give the seller a clear indication of when is the best time to sell their metals.

Step Three: Decision Time

When the value of gold, silver and platinum is high, this is the best time to sell to buyers. A large part of the decision will depend on how much the seller paid for each particular item (as seen in Step One).

However the seller must keep in mind that the market is not considering what individuals paid for items.

In other words, it may be best to base your decision to sell mainly (not totally) on what the market is saying the best value is- and with a little less emphasis on how much was paid.

Another important decision the seller has to make is who to sell to.

Sellers may want to seek online buyers because history shows they are willing to pay more than buyers who have walk-in facilities. Online buyers are willing to pay more because they do not have the burden of paying overhead in order to operate their business- which leaves more money for the seller.

Before selling to an online company, be sure to seek ratings and reviews from the BBB.

Also, sellers should use sound judgment about the business itself. They should ask themselves questions such as:

• How transparent is the business?
• Does the business have live price charts to show exactly what money they will pay for scrap precious metals?
• How long has this business been in operation?

If the seller can answer these questions to their satisfaction regarding a particular online buyer, then the seller should proceed to receive the most for their items as they possibly can.

Follow these steps and individuals should experience success in the selling of their precious metals.

The silver bullion coin was first released in 2008 by the Austrian Mint following on from the very popular Gold Philharmonic coin that had begun production 20 years earlier.

The Austrian Mint dates from at least 1397 if not earlier. The Mint struck the coinage that was used to pay the ransom for Richard the Lionheart, King Richard I of England. The ransom coinage was struck from silver by the Mint.

Selling Silver Coins?
view our prices!The Philharmonic 1oz coin, which has a face value of 1.5 Euros, is struck from one Troy ounce of silver with a purity of 99.9 percent (pure triple-nine silver). The coin has a diameter of 37mm and has a thickness of 32mm. The edge of the coin itself is plain.

The Philharmonic 1oz Silver Coin gets its name from the design by Thomas Pesendorfer and which celebrates Austria’s internationally famous Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.

On the obverse, or front, of the coin is an image depicting the Great Organ from Vienna’s Golden Hall. It also has the wording, ‘Republik Österreich’ (Republic of Austria) with ‘silber’ underneath in smaller lettering.

The orchestra regularly performs at the Wiener Musikverein, which contains the Golden Hall and the Great Organ. The Musikverein was opened in 1870. However, the Great Organ was not installed until 1907.

The reverse, or rear, of the stunning silver bullion coin has images of classical instruments which are frequently used by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. In the foreground violins and cellos surround a string bass. Behind these are a Vienna horn, harp and bassoon. The wording on the reverse is ‘Weiner Philharmoniker’ (Vienna Philharmonic). It also includes details of the face value, year and purity of the coin.

The historic Austrian Mint produces many coins, one of the most popular being the Philharmonic 1oz Silver Coin. The 1oz Silver Philharmonic is actually one of four weights produced annually by the Mint. The coin is so popular that its production has increases annually from just under 8 million in 2008 to almost 18 million in 2012.

Step One: Separate your gold and silver pieces, saving anything that you don’t want to sell.

Whether you are selling silver or gold, you should further separate them by metal content, style, whether they are scrap, or a re-sellable item (List of Gold and Silver items we buy).

Gold comes in a variety of weights, with the most common being ten karat, 14 karat, and 24 karat gold. Each weight has its own price in worth.

Although there seems to be an abundance of silver, there is scrutiny over its integrity. Many coins in circulation are a mixed base. Pure silver demand has risen over time and today more investors are collecting silver rather than the traditional paper USD Treasury notes.

Step Two: Estimate the value of what you have by first weighing your items.

Prices of precious metals rise and fall, its always good to keep a watch on the prices to determine the best time for you to sell gold and silver.

Turning the valuable silver and gold into cash can be done through local dealerships and private contractors, and with today’s technologies, even online. A reputable online precious metal buyer may offer higher rates than a local buyer.

Step Three: Sell your wares.

Buyers are free to buy your silver and gold when you are ready to sell; you should track the prices to know when the best time to sell to recognize pricing patterns and keep up with the timing.

Step Four: As a precaution and to ensure the silver and gold buyer is credible with honorable business practices, check the Better Business Bureau.

If you are looking for higher prices versus cash in hand, consider selling gold and silver to an online buyer. Either way, do your research before you start and you can’t go wrong.

Real estate is nowhere near the height it once was and many people are still either unemployed or under employed- because the job market is not creating steady employment opportunities for citizens.

The average American must seek ways to bolster their financial situation in order to provide some type of stability that extra cash now or reliable financial investments can bring.

People seeking ways to make extra cash during this uncertain and unstable economic time should consider buying and selling scrap gold, silver and platinum in order to begin to see positive results in their financial status.

Buying Scrap Precious Metals

Financial investments are a great way to obtain financial security for your future and the future of your loved ones. The problem is that during these rough economic times, it is not safe to invest money in the usual investment areas such as real estate and the stock market.

So many people lost major money on their real estate investment during the economic crash. The same can be said for the stock market. However gold, silver, and platinum are well known for holding value no matter the state of the economy.

In fact the value of gold, silver and platinum INCREASED during this latest economic recession. So while all other investment avenues were falling, precious metals stood strong and grew.

Buying scrap precious metals is the best form of investment a person can trust because of the history of their ability to hold and increase value no matter the economy.

A person can purchase scrap gold, silver and platinum and hold on to it for years to either utilize in retirement or pass on as an inheritance- without having to worry about the value of their investment greatly decreasing in the future.

Additional Resources

• How to Invest in Scrap Gold
• How to Invest in Scrap Silver

Selling Scrap Precious Metals

The recession hit many families hard. Many individuals have yet to find employment. And for those who were able to find work, many of the jobs are part time or paying a lot less than what the family needs to survive.

For these individuals selling scrap gold, silver and platinum can be an option to supplement the lack of funds that would normally come through having a sufficient job.

During the height of the recession many people were able to receive top dollar for their scrap precious metal. The money they received from selling their gold, silver and platinum helped them get through the worst of the economic crisis.

Whether a person is in need of immediate funds or wants to invest in funds for the future, the best avenue to achieve their financial goal is through the stability of buying and selling precious metals.

View our prices for gold, silver, and platimun

More minted coins followed in 1984 and 1985. With a metal content of .900 fine silver, no more than 10,000 coins produced each of those years.

Chinese Panda Coins have been minted in silver, gold (referred to as Panda Gold), Platinum, Bimetallic, ColoredPanda’s, Paladium and of course Commemorative Panda’s. According to the People’s Republic of China, the minted coin denominations and sizes are changed yearly.

In the later part of the 1980′s, more brilliant and uncirculated Panda coins were issued. The design, changing each year, were treasured and new collectors from around the world began searching for these extremely beautiful silver coins.

By 1997, a bulk of 50,000 uncirculated coins were produced with Proof totaling 80,000, including the Panda’s with a gold insert. And in 1998, the bulk amount had increased to 100,000 (Proof unknown). By 2010, the coins produced had increased to 1,500,000, no Proofs. The following year the mintage totaled 6,000,000, but originally it was set to be 3,000,000.

In 2007, a new silver dollar coin was introduced to add to the collection. The coin was 40 mm in diameter, or the size of a regular silver dollar.

Present day, we have many valuable coins on the market to trade because of their metal, yet nothing quite like the Panda coins. When searching to buy Panda coins, research the weight, metal content, mintage and how to identify the fake coins.

The US minted coins have distinct mintmarks, yet the Chinese mintmarks are not generally stamped. It is nearly impossible to determine the origin of the Panda coins unless you are familiar with minor variations of certain coinage years to look for, like font date sizes or the temple on the obverse side of the coin.

Also, on the obverse side, the words, People’s Republic of China is written in Chinese characters. On the reverse side, it’s the great pose of a Panda bear. Only in two instances, the same design of the Panda was use, in the years of 2001 / 2002. Of those two years a total of 500,000 per year of Uncirculated coins were minted and 95,000 of them were Domestic and overseas (Proof unknown).

Last year(2012) and now (2013), the total bulk of uncirculated mintage of the Panda coins are 8,000,000, no Proofs.

The China Gold Coin Corporation (CGCC) is the official distributor for the silver and the gold coins in China. However, in 1982 Panda America, began there journey in becoming, an official distributor the United States.

Many have sought to invest in real estate, but the recent mortgage meltdown and foreclosure debacle has scared away even the most savvy of investors with a huge appetite for risk.

Others have sought commodities like grains and other agricultural products, but the harsh climatic conditions have also sent quite a number of investors packing.

It is true that precious metals have stood the test of time as the most valuable of all investments even in the worst of times, both economically and politically.

Silver has always been a favorite choice for investors in the metals market for centuries. The marvels of the internet and the sporadic advancement in technology has not only made it much easier to trade in silver, but has also introduced new methods of investing in the precious metal like Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) and many others.

One can also buy stocks from different silver-mining companies littered all over the world by just a few clicks of a button. It is true however, that investing in scrap silver is a viable and greatly sought method of profiting from this rare metal.

Like any other commodity in the market, buying scrap silver for investment purposes requires a thorough analysis of the market prices before committing to a purchase. Success in speculation depends greatly on how to know when the price is really low in order to buy, and when the price is really high in order to sell.

Most investors get their buying and selling signals from reputed research reviews of the current or anticipated trends in the market. While this method has assisted many investors worldwide, it is important to ensure that the information being shared by the market analysts fits one’s investment strategy.

Many experienced investors or speculators will agree that market psychology plays a very integral part in the buying and selling decisions of scrap silver and virtually all other commodities. Once the investment decision is made, one should scout for credible sources of getting the scrap silver safely and securely.

This is the time for an investor to position themselves wisely and take advantage of the market inefficiencies between the supply and demand of scrap silver.

Due to the preciousness of silver, it is important to be very cautious when purchasing or selling it online in order to avoid scams and massive losses.

Some qualities that an investor should look for before committing to a sale are:

• the reputation of the buyer
• how long they have been in the market
• the current price rates of silver, and
• the protection offered to a seller, including insured tracking labels, Better Business Bureau (BBB) ratings and any other related considerations.

As a rule of thumb, one should sell silver or buy it only if they are confident that they are going to make a winning trade.

Of course for you to sell scrap gold and make money, you must have it in the first place; so the question that arises is; where do you find scrap gold?

You will be happy to know that there are quite a number of scrap gold sources, for example jewelry. Gold traces can be found in watches, necklaces, earrings among other pieces.

After “harvesting” gold from various sources in and around your home, you can now embark on finding a buyer.

Selling scrap gold is not a very difficult undertaking because there are quite a number of interested buyers out there. The challenge comes in finding a buyer who will give you the best price.

Going to the local jeweler to sell scrap gold is probably not the best idea if you are looking for good prices. A better idea is to search for online buyers as they are known to offer higher prices.

Although, it is still important to carry out research so as to find the very best deal. For every gold buyer you come across, it is important to read reviews from people who have done business with them before; are they positive or negative?

It is also important to look into the history of a particular buyer; find out how long they have been in business and what their ratings have been over the years.

A good buyer should offer protection to the seller by providing an insured tracking label.

In order to make enough money to meet daily needs, some people have been forced to work up to three jobs, something that is undoubtedly very tiring.

This is why it is becoming increasingly difficult to collect significant amounts of money through fundraisers.

People are actually more willing to give away personal items than cash. Therefore, if you are thinking about raising funds for a particular cause, consider organizing a scrap gold and silver fundraiser.

The idea behind this kind of fundraiser is to convince people to donate any scrap silver or scrap gold that they might have lying around their homes as opposed to donating cash.

The following are a few tips that might prove quite helpful in making such an event a great success.

Theme for a Silver or Gold Fundraiser

The first thing you will need to do is to come up with a catchy theme for the fundraiser. It needs to be something that will get the attention of everyone who will hear of it for example: “The golden rush with a silver lining initiative” or something similar.

Try and get as many people as possible to contribute towards coming up with the theme so that the end result is the most creative. This could be family, friends or even random people both in the real world and online.

Publicity

Next up is publicity; you have to ensure that as many people as possible are aware of the event if at all you want to raise significant amounts of scrap gold and scrap silver.

Use all the available platforms to get the word out there including word of mouth, social media and flyers among other things. It is also important to make it clear that anyone can participate regardless of their age, background or whatever else.

Types of Silver and Gold Donated

Anything that falls under the category of scrap gold or scrap silver should be acceptable. This too should be very clear as you go about publicizing the event. It might be necessary to mention a few examples of some of the items that can be donated just in case there are people out there who might not be aware of what qualifies as scrap gold or silver.

Some of these items include old jewelry, old coins, hollowware, and other gold/silver pieces.

The wider you cast your net the more you are likely to collect.

However, nobody wants to be taken advantage of, so how do you know if you are getting the best price for your gold? There are a number of ways to make sure you get the most for your efforts.

The following are some tips to help you get the best deal.

Best source for prices when planning to sell gold?

Selling Gold?
view our pricesThere are many different types of merchants offering to buy gold these days, it is important to know which ones are legitimate and which ones are not.

You need to keep an eye on the market rate of gold prices, and determine when it is higher than others are. Many times the prices may be lower on a Friday and higher on a Monday, you just have monitor them to see.

The first thing you want to do is calculate how much your gold is worth. Figure out how many ounces you have, then you multiply times the current market price of gold per ounce to see what you have.

Next is to find a reputable dealer who buys scrap gold, and who will give you the best price. You want to avoid pawnshops, as well as those places that tell you to put your gold in a little bag and mail it to some PO box. The problem with that is you don’t know if they will give you a fair deal or not.

There are a number of online gold dealers that will give you a good deal as well. Befgore selecting an online gold buyer, its important to check experiences other people have had, and they are more than happy to tell you whether a company is legitimate.

You may ask, when is the best time to sell? It is true gold prices are going up and down all the time. Partly it depends on how much you need the money and whether you want to hold onto it for a better price later.

Another tip to keep in mind, if you can buy scrap gold from people at a lower price, you may be able to make a little extra money reselling the scrap gold. The main thing is finding a good dealer to sell to, and to keep an eye on the market fluctuations.

You shouldn’t gamble the real worth of your gold treasure if you’re uncertain if it’s the real deal or gold-plated.

If you aren’t planning to find a gold professional to appraise your scrap gold, there are a few ‘do it yourself’ ways you can use to help decipher real gold from gold-plated.

How to Sort Gold-Plated from Gold Scrap

Selling Scrap Gold?
view our prices

• Gold Markings. Check for any would-be official markings that either reveal the karat (10k, 12k ) or the fineness of the item (1-999). These markings are rather small and a magnifying glass will come in handy. Sounds easy but this method isn’t very reliable since counterfeits can have similar markings. You might want to conduct further testing.

• Gold Appearance. Be on the look out for any changes in appearance especially in color. Pure gold, no matter how often it is used and regardless of how much friction it encounters, should not change color. If you an underlying second color, the item is most likely to be a gold-plate and not pure gold.

• Gold Acid Test. Make a very ‘microscopic’ scratch on the gold item’s surface. Apply a small amount of nitric acid on the scratched area (make sure you wear protective gloves). If you don’t detect any reaction, you have pure gold in your hands. However, should the surface change to green, it is gold-plating. Do not forget to clean up your gold afterwards with water as nitric acid can cause corrosion.

• Determine weight. Pure gold is denser than most metals. You can therefore weigh your items by using a scale. Put water into a small glass container with calibrations (in millimeters). Precisely mark readings before and after immersion of item to obtain the weight difference. Standard g/ml ratio for gold is 19 g/ml; with density being calculated as mass/volume displaced.

• Using an unglazed ceramic, run the gold item across the ceramic to see if it leaves a black mark. If no black mark is left, then probably your item isn’t pure gold. The problem using this type of testing is that it can easily scratch your gold.

All the above gold detection processes have their own setbacks, therefore it is highly advisable to seek the advice of a professional for appropriate gold appraisal.