Make More Money in 2021 by Investing in these Unusual Varieties of Scrap

Platinum ScrapRecycling and RefiningRecycle Refine Platinum
Written By Barry Lenson

We hope you made a lot of money in 2020 by having us test and recycle your silver, gold and even platinum scrap. But as you have noticed, a new year is dawning, so we would like to remind you that there is money to be made – sometimes a great deal of money – by investing in these additional forms of precious metal scrap.  

Titanium Scrap

Titanium looks beautiful, but it isn’t a precious metal. It is trading at only about $1.50/pound, which sounds like chump change. But don’t pass it by because titanium is not difficult to find in large quantities. Here are some sources:

  • Medical testing supplies that are used on humans and even pets

  • Implantable medical devices

  • Titanium-plated jewelry (titanium can be plated onto silver and other metals to make them resist wear and corrosion)

Platinum Scrap

With platinum currently trading on the London Fix for over $1,000.00 and ounce, this bright shiny stuff definitely qualifies as a precious metal. It takes a bit of searching to come up with platinum scrap, but the good news is that even if you only find small quantities, platinum’s high trading price makes it worth collecting and sending to Specialty Metals for testing and refining. Here are some sources:

  • Platinum scrap from jewelry factories and jewelry stores, including platinum wire

  • Old pieces of platinum jewelry, including platinum engagement rings

  • Thermocouples and metallic wires that were used in industrial applications

And don’t forget that there is such a thing as titanium/platinum scrap, an alloy that comes mostly from medical testing devices.

Palladium Scrap

Now we are getting to one of the more precious of all the precious metals, currently trading at over $2,300.00 and ounce. It is very rare but that doesn’t mean you will never find it. Here are some sources:

  • Palladium alloys used in manufacturing, which can include palladium sputter and sputtering targets, palladium sponges, and palladium flake

  • Palladium catalysts, which can include automotive catalysts, industrial catalysts, petroleum refining catalysts, and palladium foil catalysts

  • Palladium jewelry items, which can include rings, chains, bracelets, and jewelry scrap

  • Palladium metal itself to be used in manufacturing, which can include palladium wire, palladium castings, palladium rods, palladium mesh, and palladium foil

  • Palladium resins, which are chemicals used in manufacturing processes

  • Palladium-plated items, which can include jewelry and other decorative items

Rhodium Scrap

We are entering the stratosphere now. Rhodium is currently trading at over $15,000.00 an ounce! That explains why you are not going to find shoeboxes full of rhodium scrap when you visit a yard sale! But although rhodium scrap isn’t something you will find every day . . . or even every decade . . . that doesn’t mean you should forget about it completely. Here are some sources:

  • In production equipment that is used to make fiberglass and glass fibers

  • In LCD displays and CRT displays

  • In advanced laboratory testing equipment

  • In jet engines

  • In sensors and thermocouples that are used in nuclear reactors

  • As a plating that is applied to jewelry

And What about Recycling Rare Earth Metals?

Everybody seems to be talking about rare earth metals these days. There’s a very good reason. Rare earth metals are used in touchscreens and display screens that are part of today’s advanced cellphones. There are only a few natural sources in the world where rare earth metals can be extracted. And we know that cellphones are being manufactured and distributed in staggering numbers around the world. Note too, that cellphones are also being discarded in staggering numbers – and that not all of those units are being recovered or recycled. Rare earth metals include:

Actinium, Americium, Berkelium, Californium, Cerium, Curium, Dysprosium, Einsteinium, Erbium, Europium, Fermium, Gadolinium, Holmium, Lanthanum, Lawrencium, Lutetium, Mendelevium, Neodymium, Neptunium, Nobelium, Plutonium, Praseodymium, Promethium, Protactinium, Samarium, Scandium, Terbium, Thulium, Uranium, Ytterbium and Yttrium.

Make 2021 Your Year to Make More Money from Precious Metals!

Why not make more money from precious metals in 2021 than you have ever made before? We are here to help you do it. Why not give us a call at 800-426-2344 and tell us what precious metals you want to recycle. Let’s make some profitable plans together.

Barry Lenson
Previous

Can You Make Money Recycling Leftovers?
Next

Lessons on Recycling Silver and Gold from Watching Downton Abbey