The Cash Cleanup . . .
Old “stuff” that’s lying around your house is probably worth much more than you think
If you forgot to do any spring cleaning, these energizing autumn days can be a good time to get going. If you do, there is a pretty good chance that you’ll discover some items that will provide you with a bigger payback than you realize.
Do you have "stuff" lying around the house that you could recycle profitably with Specialty Metals Smelters & Refiners? Credit: Mark Bowden/iStock.
Here are some items that are lying around my house. Odds are pretty good that they can be recycled very profitably by a top precious metals refinery like Specialty Metals Smelters and Refiners.
Have You Got Stuff Like This Too?
- Five broken old pairs of eyeglasses. They’re sitting in a jumble of scrap in my dresser drawer. At least two of them are gold-filled eyeglasses, not just gold-plated, and they could fetch me $25, maybe more. What am I waiting for?
- An old 10K gold class ring. I’m never going to wear it again. I’m not sure what it is worth, but it could fetch me $200. I could call Specialty Metals to find out. Why am I stalling?
- An old silver Gotham pocket watch. Somebody gave it to me years ago. I don’t know what it is worth, but I should find out. A quick Internet search tells me that it’s probably a collectible that’s worth $100, but how will I ever know if I don’t ask?
- Some old jewelry that belonged to my mom. I’m assuming that most of these items are just gold-toned costume jewelry, I don’t really know. If something in the batch contains quantities of gold that can be profitably recycled, why am I letting them sit around?
- Old electrical devices. I have old remotes, old cellphones, one dusty desktop computer and two or three dead laptops too. Are they going to give me a nice payback if I recycle them? I realize that it’s a long shot, but how will I know if I don’t ask?
- Four old candlesticks. They’re brass, but have Arabic lettering applied to their surfaces that seem to be made from silver. How much are they worth? Maybe nothing, maybe $50 . . . if I don’t get an expert opinion, I will never know.
And more stuff too. I’ve got an old Russian samovar (think it’s only brass), some mismatched old silver-plated knives and forks, my dad’s old cigarette lighter (the case looks like silver, but there are some gold-toned areas too), and an old console stereo I inherited that is full of vacuum tubes. All probably worth nothing, but I really ought to find out.
How to Turn Old Metal Items into Cash
As you learned in today’s post, my home really needs a good de-cluttering. Does yours too? I’m going to call Specialty Metals Smelters and Refiners to see whether I’m sitting on anything valuable. How about you?
Related Posts:
Open Things Up, Find Precious Metals, Make Money
Checklist of Places to Look for Precious Metals in Your Home
What Is Karat Gold and How Can You Find Out What Yours Is Worth?
Don’t Overlook the Value of the Silver-Bearing Items You Own