If you are investing in precious metals, chances are you know that gold is currently trading for $1778.30 on the London Fix. But did you also know that over the last five years, the trading price has increased $434.00? That’s an increase of about one-third. That means this is a good time to sell the gold that you are holding.

This past week, the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued a report entitled, “Climate change widespread, rapid and intensifying.”

If there are people who still believe that global warming is really not happening, we would urge them to spend a little time reading this report. It has a blunt message, which is that we need to act immediately and decisively if we wish to protect our planet, our future, and our children from further catastrophic effects of climate change.

With platinum trading on the London Fix for $831 per ounce, it’s no wonder that precious metal investors look to platinum as a top investment today. Its trading price falls about halfway between the current Fix price of only $17.25 for an ounce of silver, and $1510.80 for an ounce of gold. Plus, traders realize that although platinum is rarer than gold and certainly a lot rarer than silver, many kinds of platinum scrap are not too difficult to find. They know that if they can buy platinum scrap at pennies on the dollar, which is often possible, they can send it to us for testing and recycling and profit handsomely on their investment.

Where to Find Precious Metals in Your Local Junkyard

Where can you find platinum scrap, gold, and other precious metals in your local automotive scrapyard? Here’s a guide.

Urban legends are stories – usually untrue - that are so weird that people keep repeating them and sending them around via email. They tend to take on lives of their own – some people even think they really happened. There are even urban legends about precious metals. Here are three we have heard…

Did you know you can search for the term “platinum scrap” on eBay and find mixed platinum scrap for sale? I just tried it, and I found a bag of floor sweepings, said to contain platinum, that I could buy for $500. I found plenty of other items that were said to contain platinum too, including hard disk blanks, catalytic converters, bags of mixed jewelry findings and scrap, and old laboratory testing crucibles. So, could I buy those items, send them to Specialty Metals Smelters and Refiners to be recycled, and make a healthy profit? It’s possible. Yet the chances of it happening are probably slim, because…

Catalytic converters are probably the biggest source of recyclable platinum today, because so many of them have been manufactured – and so many are piling up in scrapyards and other places where cars are repaired or scrapped. But even though cat convertors might be the biggest source of platinum, are they the best source for speculators who like to collect platinum scrap and send it to us to be refined? Not necessarily. 

If you ask most people how a catalytic converter works, they’ll say, “Dirty exhaust from your car’s engine goes in one side and cleaner exhaust goes out the other side. The exhaust gases then go through the muffler and leave the car via the exhaust pipe. That’s pretty accurate, but it lacks some of the subtler information about what really happens in your car’s catalytic converter. It also doesn’t explain what the recyclable precious metals that catalytic converters contain are, or where you can find them. Well, there's nothing like a video...

It took a long time, but this month VW and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reached an agreement to compensate owners of VW 2.0 diesels or to repair or buy back their affected cars. So, what does the new agreement mean for you if you collect and recycle catalytic converters for a profit? Although full details of the agreement have not yet been announced, here are some issues to keep in mind if you are hoping that the agreement could yield a windfall in available converters.

We just went to the famous New York Auto show and went sniffing for catalytic converters in some of the newest models there. We discovered quite a few new cars that use – or do not use – catalytic converters in interesting ways. 

It is always sad to see a business fail – someone’s hopes, dream and dollars are wrapped up in every enterprise. But a business that has closed can spell opportunity if you’re an alert investor who wants to buy precious metals for recycling.

There has been so much hoopla about VW’s diesel crisis that it’s easy to overlook the chance that even more carmakers could be affected. We don’t have a crystal ball and we’re not saying that more car manufacturers have engaged in emissions deception. But let’s review who else is selling diesel-powered cars and light trucks in America right now... 

It’s overwhelming. How are you going to figure out what you have and what it is worth? How will you know when the right time comes to sell it? Should you wait until prices hit the right levels, and how will you know when that happens? And while you’re trying to answer those questions, you do nothing.

If you’re interested in collecting and recycling catalytic converters for a profit, the arrival of all these high-tech vehicles can get confusing. Which of them contain cat converters, and which don’t?

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Valuable and precious metals are used in many medical devices. But before we explain where those metals are used, let’s answer this question: Where can you buy scrapped medical devices? The short answer to that question is, it can be difficult to obtain large quantities of used medical devices… Still, it is possible to obtain and recycle quantities of some medical devices that can offer you a good return on your investment if you send them to us to be recycled. Let’s take a closer look.

Many platinum investors are frozen in place today. Although they own scrapped catalytic converters, old lab testing vessels and other items that contain platinum, they are waiting until platinum prices increase before cashing in. Meanwhile, smart platinum investors are cashing in. Like other contrarian investors, they are moving ahead instead of staying fixated on just one factor as a sign of when to sell. Here are three compelling reasons why this is a great time to recycle platinum today instead of waiting...

This could be the best time ever to start a business collecting catalytic converters and sending them to Specialty Metals Smelters and Refiners to be recycled. One thing for certain is that someone will be cashing in on the platinum, palladium, rhodium, cerium, manganese, and nickel that all those scrapped converters contain. If you are motivated to get a piece of the action, that someone could be you. Would starting a company to collect and recycle catalytic converters be a good career choice for you? Here are some steps that can help you decide.

When you send us old catalytic converters, sputtering targets, dental scrap or other items to be processed, we recover precious metals from them that were mined from the earth years ago. Those same metals will then be reused in new applications that can include jewelry making, medical technologies, electronics manufacturing, and many more. What could be more efficient?

Chances are that you only find small quantities of the valuable secondary platinum group metals (palladium, rhodium, ruthenium, iridium, and osmium) hiding in recyclable items that you think are made only of platinum. How can you tell if these rarer metals are present?

Because platinum wasn’t used widely in jewelry or industry until about 100 years ago, it seems like a “new” precious metal. That’s not really true.  In about 700 B.C., Egyptian artisans were using it to make ornamental objects, like the famous and mysterious Casket of Thebes.  And at the same time, pre-Columbian artisans in South America were fashioning it into small trinkets. Those are only a few fascinating facts about this beautiful, tarnish-resistant, and durable precious metal. Here’s a quick timeline of its fascinating history.