Seven Sources of Recyclable Precious Metals You Probably Don’t Know About
If you’ve been reading our blog, you know that you can reclaim gold from old cellphones and remotes. You also know that you can recycle the silver that is found in old knives, forks, and spoons.
But did you know that you can recycle gold and silver from the following sources too? They don’t contain much gold or silver but – as is always the case in recycling – if you can collect very large quantities of them and send them to us for testing and processing, they can be worth the time and trouble.
Ready? Here are some sources of gold and silver scrap you probably don’t know about.
Colored Glass
Glass that has been tinted a red, orange, or yellow color isn’t all that popular these days. But in many cases, older tinted-glass items (plates, goblets, shot glasses) were manufactured with minute quantities of silver and, in some cases, gold that was mixed into the glass – either as flecks or chemically.
Tinted Glass
When companies tint car glass these days, they spray on metallic coatings that do not contain silver or gold. But in older times, gold and silver were sometimes used to apply a thin metallic sheen to large quantities of glass that was used in the dining rooms of ocean liners, and in other luxurious settings.
Gold and Silver-Toned Tiles
Until about a century ago, small amounts of real gold and silver were sometimes used in the glazes of ceramic tiles that were used in architectural applications. Again, you will need an awful lot of these tiles to add up to much recyclable value - but you never know. If you find boxes and boxes of metallic-toned tiles, give us a call and we can test them for you.
Older Solar Panels
Contemporary solar panels don’t contain real silver. If they do, they contain so little silver that they are not worth recycling. But some solar panels that were made 15, 20, or more years ago can contain silver that is worth recycling. And then there is the fact that the contacts on their edges often contained silver. Again, give us a call if you have old panels and let us offer you some advice.
Gold-Toned CDs, Laser Disks and Other Digital Media
In previous posts we have published on this blog, we have stated that there is not enough gold or silver to recycle on CDs and DVDs. And we stand by that advice. But actual gold really was used in tiny quantities to produce some commemorative, collectible CDs in days gone by. If you end up owning hundreds and hundreds of them, give us a call and ask for advice.
Gold-Leaf-Covered Architectural Elements
If you acquire one small picture frame that is covered with gold leaf, it is not worth recycling the gold it contains. Why? Because the expense of extracting that gold is worth more than the value of the gold itself. But if you somehow end up demolishing an old church that has walls and ornaments that are gold-leafed, give us a call. The more square footage of gold leaf-covered wood or plaster you have, the greater the chances are it is worth recycling.
Paints, Inks, and Industrial Chemicals
Did you know that inks – especially those that were used to print colored newspaper sections and sales flyers – did indeed contain quantities of silver that can be worth reclaiming?
Even Tiny Quantities of Gold and Silver Can Add Up
If you own any of the materials we describe in today’s post – or any other kind of gold scrap, silver scrap or platinum scrap – you owe it to yourself to give our experts a call at 800-426-2344. Even if the materials you own contain only small amounts of precious metal, they could still result in a payday for you if you have us test and recycle them.