Where to Find Precious Metals Behind the Walls of Old Buildings
“I recently bought a three-story mixed-use commercial building in my home town. The building is about 50 years old. There had been a coffee bar on the ground floor. A CPA and a title company had occupied the two upper floors. I’m about to renovate and I’m wondering if you can tell me some place I might not know about where I should look for gold scrap, platinum scrap and silver. Thanks for opening my eyes to possibilities I might not know about.”
- Renovator in New York State
Dear Renovator,
Great question. We have written a lot in the past on this blog about places to look in factories for precious metals. But we haven’t written about the kind of building you describe. Here are some places you should definitely look for precious metal scrap.
Thermocouples that were used in heating and cooling systems
These are probably the items you are most likely to find in the kind of building you describe. We imagine that there is a central heating unit that services the entire building, so be sure to look for thermocouple wires that run from thermostats through the walls to the main furnace – they should contain silver. If there is central air conditioning, do the same – although we would imagine that in a building that is about 50 years old, most of the tenants cooled their spaces using in-window units.
Any older electronic devices or appliances that were left on the premises
Old flatscreen TVs, old microwave ovens – really any kind of electronic device – will contain small amounts of gold and silver that you should call us about. There might not be vast quantities of these precious metals, but if they are there you should at least find out how much and what it could be worth. Call us at 800-426-2344 for some guidance.
Hidden valuables and safes
Many businesses of all kinds install safes and secure hiding places on their premises. If they did and were about to vacate a building, they will remove their valuables. Yet as the old saying goes, “you never know.” Maybe the owner of a business became ill or passed away, and never had the chance. Maybe there were reasons he or she wanted cash or valuables to remain secret. Yes, you never know. So make it your business to look carefully.
Wall safes or hollow storage spaces could be concealed behind the backs of closets, behind installed mirrors, and anyplace else. One first step toward finding these places is to rap with your knuckles on every square inch of the walls everywhere in a building; if your rapping alerts you to an area that sounds different, explore further.
It is also not uncommon for people to hide valuables or cash behind moldings and baseboards, so look for any that might be loose or tacked on with small brads or nails. If you pull them off, you might get a welcome surprise.
If your building is heated or cooled with air that uses ductwork to distribute air through the building, make it your business to pull off grilles and check for any hidden items that have been concealed in the ducts behind them.
Fake outlets and wall switches. A number of companies make small security safes that look just like electrical outlets or switches. So when you are looking for places where valuables were hidden in a building, be sure to investigate all switches and outlets to be sure they are “the real McCoy,” not fakes.
A Helpful Tool to Use
Thermal cameras, which we have written about on this blog, are inexpensive cameras that literally let you see through walls. They are great tools to add to the others you use when you are on the hunt for precious metals.
And if you find gold scrap, platinum scrap, or silver scrap, be sure to call us at 800-426-2344. We are here to test your precious metal scrap, tell you what it contains, and issue your prompt payment if you want us to recycle the precious metal for you. That is what we do, and we can do it for you.