I have a Reed and Barton bowl marked 900. It weighs 30 troy ounces. What do you think this is worth? – From Ryan in Reno, Nevada
Hi Ryan,
We could offer to pay for 75% of your bowl’s fine silver content by weight. However, because your bowl is Reed and Barton which is a well known silver brand name, this item may have retail value that is beyond its precious metal value. By doing a quick Google search you can easily see how much Reed and Barton bowls are selling for today at places like Amazon.com and Macys.
If you bowl is in good condition, you may be better off polishing your bowl and selling it online. Even the silver plated Reed and Barton bowls have a high resell value. Make note of the year your bowl was made. However, sending in your bowl for the silver content is a great option if your bowl is dented or broken, which significantly decreases the resale value.
Watch a refiner demonstrate how to find the value of other silver items on this YouTube How to Value Sterling Silver Video.
I have 3 Morgan coins – 2 coins dated 1921 and 1 dated 1880. And 1 Peace coin dated 1924. These coins were my grandmothers and are in pretty good condition. Could you tell me how to get a good price for my coins? From Katara in Severna Park, Maryland
Hi Katara,
Your coins do contain silver, but four coins are not worth very much based solely on their silver content. Since you mentioned that the coins are in good condition, a coin collector may be a better option for you.
As a precious metal refiner we only buy coins for their scrap silver value, not for the collection value or “numismatic” value. I recommend bringing them in person to a coin collector. I would also advise getting several appraisals from professionals.
Some coin collectors will buy coins for their silver content and then sell them in bulk to refiners. This price will probably be significantly lower than if your coins are collectables. Make sure you know if they are buying your coins for the silver or for the collection value.
I have 6.9 lbs. of silver oxide batteries from watches. Can you refine this material? From Michael in Islandton, South Carolina
Hi Michael,
Yes, we do have the capabilities to extract silver from silver oxide batteries. Not only can we return a profit to you for the silver, but we also recycle the other potentially environmental harmful materials contained in silver oxide batteries. We can pay between $15-$20 per pound for the silver bearing material.
For those of you that don’t know, silver oxide batteries are often referred to as silver zinc, watch batteries or button cell batteries. These are regularly used in products such as, hearing aids, watches, cameras and calculators.
Learn more about our silver oxide battery recycling program on our website.
I have a 12 person set of sterling silver from the late 1800’s. There are roses around the edges with M etched into the pieces and ornate roses on the handle. I have about 10 lbs. of silverware. – From John in Lapeer, Minnesota
Hi John,
Thanks for you inquiry. Though you did not indicate any silver markings, most sterling silver is 925 silver, that is 92.5% silver. In that case, your silverware is ideal for refining because the scrap silver content is valuable. Arch Enterprises can pay you for 75% of your material’s fine silver content by weight.
An important thing to keep in mind for anyone who is selling or refining silverware is that the knives most likely have stainless blades, not silver blades. This would reduce the silver weight of tableware sets. So, it might be a good idea to weigh your materials sans knives to get a more accurate silver value.
Here is an example of how a refiner takes apart sterling silver items including tableware knives on our Arch Enterprises YouTube Channel.
In the last six months we have received some great questions! In order for our customers to receive the best information and most accurate quotes we encourage everyone to give very detailed descriptions of the materials you would like us to buy and refine. Even things that you may not think are significant can indicate what kind of material you have and what the grade is. Here are the main elements we take into account when people ask questions about their materials.
On our Submit Your Question Form, there is an image upload capability where you can send us a photo of the items you wish to refine.
As always, let us know if you have any questions.

I have a 12 person set of sterling silver from the late 1800’s. There are roses around the edges with M etched into the pieces and ornate roses on the handle. I have about 10 lbs. of silverware. – From John in Lapeer, Minnesota
Do you have a facility in TN? Can you evaluate and process large orders? Do you buy and what is the process and how long does this take? – From Roger
I have some 10lbs of electrical contacts, some of which are 1inch square X1/8 inch thick. Are these worth refining?
I have a large quantity (about 40+ lbs.) of sterling and 925 silver jewelry. And I have over 1000 dwts of clean scrap gold (no stones). Also let me know if there are any other hidden charges.
I have approx. 5 pounds of “silver flake” extracted from scrap x-ray film 15 years ago. I’m not certain of the purity. I used to sell it to a buyer in the Reno area. Do you have a buyer in the Las Vegas area? – From Jay
I have an 18k gold plated wall sconce light fixture. It retailed for $2300 new. Since it was so expensive, I’m wondering if it has more than just the typical thin layer of gold plating and if so, would it be possible to salvage the gold? – From David
I have thermocouple wire to sell/refine. Total weight is about 2000 grams. Half is pure platinum, the other half is 87% platinum, 13% Rhodium. Do you buy from the general public. Also, do you pay for the rhodium content or only the platinum? – Steven from Virginia
How does your medical x-ray film recycling work? Do I have to send in my x-rays? – Sara in Memphis, TN
I have 7.7 silver from developing negatives in printing, how much would this bring if I took it to refine? – Trisha in Pittsburg, KS
Can you give me a quote for processing electrical contacts that have been removed from busbars? – Chad in Abilene, TX
