If you’ve been following current events, you know that legislation could soon be passed by Congress that will result in improvements in our country’s infrastructure from coast to coast. Bridges will be built and rebuilt, roadways will be improved, internet access will be improved in underserved areas, and many more improvements are planned.

If you’ve been following current events, you know that legislation could soon be passed by Congress that will result in improvements in our country’s infrastructure from coast to coast. Bridges will be built and rebuilt, roadways will be improved, internet access will be improved in underserved areas, and many more improvements are planned.

You find an item that’s made of metal. You don’t know exactly what it is. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth a lot of money. Why not call Specialty Metals to find out?

Last month the U.S. Senate passed a $1.2 billion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. As you have probably heard, this bill (also called the Invest in America Act) has something to do with recycling. But what exactly? And exactly how could it affect precious metals?

Are you making money from your precious metal investments? Should you invest the money you are making in “alternative” investments like bitcoin?

We don’t think so. We believe you should stick with “traditional” investments. In this post, we will explain why.

Hurricane Ida caused unprecedented losses of property and life in its recent rampage across Louisiana up through New England. We don’t know how many people also lost precious metals in the storm, but we believe that losses were probably substantial. Many of the places where people traditionally store precious metals were destroyed, including homes, garages, outbuildings, roadside self-storage facilities, and more.

If you try to buy used hydrogen fuel cells today, you are apt to be disappointed.

“If fuel cells are the hottest new technology on the landscape,” you start to ask, “why can’t I find any to buy . . . and why can’t I get my hands on all the platinum they are supposed to contain?”

Lots of people today are asking questions just like those. But the fact is that smart, forward-thinking precious metal investors are starting to realize that in the future, hydrogen fuel cells will become probably the hottest trend in precious metals.

“Platinum, platinum alloys with transition metals, platinum-ruthenium alloy, palladium and other similar catalytic materials have been the most commonly utilized catalyst materials for various electrochemical devices such as fuel cell, electrolyzers, electrochemical pumps (also known as electrochemical compressors), electrochemical inerters, electrochemical dehumidification, etc.” - Source: FuelCellStore.com

If you do a search online for “fuel cell cars” or “hydrogen-powered cars,” you will be surprised to learn that strictly speaking, fuel cell cars are not a brand new idea. They have been around for longer than you might expect and have been manufactured for about 20 years. Incidentally, fuel cells that generate electrical current have been around for nearly 200 years. It’s not exactly a new technology.

Some people believe they need metal detectors to find precious metals. Other people use drones. And still others think they need precious metal testing kits.

Those people are right. But today, we would like to remind you of another very basic fact that can help you find more precious metals . . .

You probably think that you know everything there is to know about recycling valuable scrap and getting a nice big payout. You probably already know that . . .

• You can recycle gold scrap, silver scrap, platinum scrap and even platinum family metals and rhodium. Call Specialty Metals Smelters and Refiners at 800-426-2344 and we will tell you how.

• You can recycle used batteries that contain lithium, nickel, and cadmium.

• You can even reclaim rare earth metals from touch screens in tablets, laptops, and phones.

But There Is a New Recyclable in Town

We are optimistic that the prices of our preferred precious metals – silver, gold, platinum, palladium and even rhodium – are not only stable, but poised to rise in the months and years ahead.

We have a number of reasons for being optimistic. Some are political, some tied to factors like international trade. In no particular order, here are some of the reasons we feel upbeat that precious metals, and precious metal scrap, will remain a great investment in the future.

We hope you’re visiting our home page daily to check on current trading prices for your favorite precious metals. Hopefully, they are the precious metals you have invested in, and own.

But today, we would like to consider the relationship between weight and value. Because you see, certain metals are simply heavier than others. That’s another way of saying, for example, that if you have two identically sized cubes of, say, aluminum and platinum, the aluminum cube is going to weigh a lot less than the one that is made of platinum. To look at it from a different perspective, let’s say you want to make two cubes – again of aluminum and platinum – and you want them both to weigh one ounce. If you do that, the aluminum cube is going to be about four times the size of the one that is made of platinum.

We have written many posts about recycling and getting paid for platinum. Today, we would like to explore a related topic - platinum group metals. What are they? And what do you need to know to make money by collecting and recycling them?

We have written many posts in the past about how to sell your gold scrap, silver scrap and platinum scrap for the highest prices.

Today, we would like to explore a related question . . .

Platinum, platinum family metals and even ultra-precious rhodium are now used in a growing number of medical devices. Plus, gold and silver are finding their way into medicines that are used to treat a growing number of diseases – though not yet Covid-19, apparently. (Do note, however, that some claims have been made that colloidal silver medicines can be useful against Covid-19; we are not qualified to judge those claims, but literature we have found online indicates be that such medicines are probably not effective.)

As we write today’s post, platinum is trading on the London Fix for $1,244.00. That’s a nice high price. And what about Rhodium? It’s trading for $24,500.00.

No, that is not a typo . . . rhodium really is trading for the sky-high price of $24,500.00 per Troy Ounce.

The year 2020 was not a very good year in a lot of ways. But it was quite a good year for people who invest in precious metals and precious metal scrap, because trading prices for precious metals have remained strong or have risen. Also, a growing number of investors have discovered that precious metals offer a type of investment that is sound, even in difficult economic times.

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.

What is rhodium? Let’s start today’s post with the basics. It is a white-toned precious metal (atomic symbol Rh) that is also an element. It is one of the platinum group metals.

And Rhodium is rare, obtained in very small quantities as a byproduct of platinum and nickel mining, principally in Canada and Russia. Because it is so rare in nature and so difficult to obtain, it is in great demand from sources that include jewelry and catalysts.

On your trips to the beach, chances are you’ve seen people using metal detectors. They’re often out there in the early morning or early evening hours, looking for items that people have lost.

What do these modern-day prospectors do after they have found something – a piece of jewelry, a watch or maybe a small stack of coins? That depends. For some users of metal detectors, the enjoyment comes from the “joy of the chase,” meaning that what they really like to do is hunt for valuables using their high-tech equipment. When they find something, they turn their discoveries in at the lost and found counter if they are hunting in a town or public beach or post a notice on a bulletin board.