If you called a precious metals refinery for an over-the-phone appraisal, you would be pretty excited to hear the words, “Your scrap could be worth an awful lot of money.” And you should be happy. The problem is, those words could lure you into one of the precious metal scams that are happening today.

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.

We get many calls at Specialty Metals Smelters and Refiners from people who have cellphones, catalytic converters, computers, remote control devices, and other items that contain precious metals that can be extracted and refined. The first question that those callers ask is usually, “How much are they worth?” And the first question that we usually ask them is, “How many do you have?”

Recycling precious metals like gold, silver, platinum, palladium and rhodium can be a complicated business. There could be treasure hiding in the most unusual places, and businesses and consumers alike are always on the lookout for tips, tricks and advice. Our top blog posts, as determined by our readers, represent a collection of knowledge you may find just as worthwhile to read as they have.