I have about 12 ounces of jewelry scrap from about 60 years ago. I think it might be gold but have not gotten a definitive answer yet. Can I send you some samples? I also have 5 to 10 pounds of old sterling silver and would like to know its value (buckles, money clips, pins, etc.) Can you also let me know if you would be interested in buying it? Thanks. From Mary in Rochester, New York

Hi Mary,

Thank you for your question. Sounds like you are doing some cleaning which could result in some extra cash for you, which is always a plus.

Since you are unsure about the purity of your gold items, we would test your pieces, refine gold that is9 karat purity (37.44% gold) or more and then either send back what is not able to refine or we could recycle it for you. If you have specific instructions for us, please indicate those on our packaging slip.

5-10 pounds of sterling silver is a large range. If your pieces are pure sterling silver, 92.5% silver, at a $35 silver price, 5 pounds of sterling silver could be worth over $2,000 silver value.  Arch would be able to pay 75% of the silver value back to you on your pieces. However, if not all of your pieces are sterling, we would recommend sorting the items you know are sterling and then check to see if your other pieces are sterling or not.

It may be better to send all of your pieces together, but would help if you kept the gold separated from the silver in different bags.

Hope that helps! Let us know if you have any more questions. Or you can upload an image to show up on our Contact Form.

*Images displayed are only a representation of the items described in this blog post and may not be true images of the items in question.

Question: I have a 69 piece sterling silver flatware set that weights a total of 104.55 ounces mad by International Company. Included in the set are 10 knives, one pie server, and one cheeses server, which all have stainless steel blades. All of the rest of the metal is sterling silver. Thanks from Bonnie in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Hi Bonnie,

“Where to sell sterling silver flatware?” is becoming a more common question as it becoming outdated, hard to manage and more valuable refined and melted than sitting in a closet.

Thank you for mentioning the pieces that you have in your sterling silverware set that are made with other metals. Did you include these in your total weight of 104.55 ounces you gave? We would recommend weighing these items separately then you will have one weight that you know is all sterling made up of forks and spoons, and a second weight that is not all sterling made up of your knives and other sterling pieces.

For .925 sterling silver flatware we pay 75% of the fine silver content by weight. If you use our silver value calculator, an estimate of what you would receive back is 75% of that total that it gives. The calculator on our website does not take out any percentages. It provides market indications of what your gold and silver is worth if it were in an investment grade form.

Below is a screen shot where we plugged in the daily silver price (currently at $33.66/troy ounce), 104.55 average ounces, and .925 grade silver.

*This price may not reflect the current price of silver when this blog entry was posted.The output from the calculator is not a confirmation of the purchase price from Arch Enterprises.

I am looking to sell my sterling siver .925 beads as “scrap” metal. Do you buy this kind of silver? Thank you. From Brian in Fort Dodge, Iowa

Hi Brian,

Thank you for your question! Arch purchases and refines really anything made from sterling silver. These scrap sterling silver beads that you describe sound like the ideal type of material for a refiner. We work with many jewelers and others that sometimes have these beads left over from projects or because they have given up the jewelry making hobby or business.

We only offer return for the silver value. The beads actually get melted down in the refining process and put back into industries that use it.

We would need to know how much of this material you have before we can recommend shipping methods and give you an estimate on your items. If you only have a couple beads, than it might not even be worth shipping. However, if you have pounds of beads or a large amount we can work with you to purchase. Also, unless the beads are marked in some way, we might have to run some analytical tests to test the purity – but let’s go down that road when we come to it.

Let us know if you have more questions or if you would like a silver estimate, you can visit our form to give us some more information about your sterling silver beads.

Here is a previous blog article about “Raw Silver Beads: Value of Raw Silver Beads” that might help you out! Thank you for your question.

*Images displayed is only a representation of the items described in this blog post and may not be true images of the items in question.

I have 84 1971-76 Eisenhower dollars From Dee in Camden, AR

Hi Dee,

Eisenhower or “Ike” silver dollars are tricky because there were two versions made between 1971 and 1976.

The first is the Eisenhower silver dollars that were made NOT for circulation. These were meant for purchase by collectors, were in special packaging and not released for circulation. These coins are composed of 60% copper and 40% silver. These coins will have an S marking on them indicating that they contain silver. In mint condition, an Ike Dollar will have 0.3162 ounces of silver.

The second, more common type of Ike dollar was also made between 1971 and 1978 and was the first dollar coin released for general circulation NOT made of silver. These are made of mostly copper and DO NOT contain any silver and also referred to as clad coins.

Besides the S marking, you can tell the difference between these two types of Ike dollars by their weight. Because they are composed of different metals, they have different weights.

The copper-nickel (clad) version weighs 22.68 grams (may be less due to wear)

The copper-silver (silver) version weighs 24.59 grams (may be less due to wear)

Our advice is to go through all of your Ike dollars and separate out the ones with silver. Those would be the only ones that we could offer you a return on your silver. Visit our website about other silver coins to sell for refining.

Hope that helps!

Hello, do you buy sterling silver flatware or do you just refine? If you buy how do you pay and how long does the process take? From Richard in Tucson, AZ

Hi Richard,

Good question. There are so many different gold and silver buyers out there that it is hard to know which ones are middle men or the actual end refiners.

Arch Enterprises buys gold and silver AND refines it. You will find that many refineries will not work with individuals with precious metals. They will only work with businesses and/or large industrial companies to refine. We have found that is it profitable for both parties to accept lots of silver and gold from households. Because of the energy that goes into refining precious metals, we do have some minimums in place. For example, it would not be worth sending in one silver spoon to a refinery.

OUR PROCESS

1. We would recommend either calling or filling out our Request an Estimate form so both parties have a better idea about how much the material is worth and how much we can return.
2. Complete a packing slip to ship with your materials and request the “delivery signature required” option.
3. We will review your material and mail a payment to you in 3-5 business days or less after the material is received.

You can read more about our process on our website. Thanks!

*Images displayed is only a representation of the items described in this blog post and may not be true images of the items in question.

Question: How much are silver strike coins worth they say .999 pure silver on them and they weigh 1 oz each. They are from casinos in Las Vegas. From Lou in New York.

Hi Lou,

Even though your silver strike coins weigh 1 ounce each, only the middle of them are actually silver which usually accounts for about 60% of the coin. As precious metal refiners we only give returns based on the amount of silver available in the coin. We usually payout 90% of the silver value back to you. Most often the outside of the coin is made from brass that we would recycle but the amount is so small that we do not offer a return on the brass.

We would recommend doing some research first, because many times silver strike coins from Las Vegas are collectible and sought after for more than their silver value. It really just depends on how rare the coin it is, from which casino and from what year.

It is important to note that coins that have experienced significant wear often have approximate a 1% drop in silver weight. Arch Enterprises can refine the silver from all types of silver coins.

*Image displayed is only a representation of the items described in this blog post and may not be true images of the items in question.

I Have a set of - 1847 Rogers Brothers Silverware with The Letters “IS” and “Eternally Yours” printed on each piece. What is the value of this set? From Patsy in Richmond, Virginia.

I have 4 pounds of 1847 Roger Brothers IS. I was just wondering what it was worth. I would like to know more about it before I decide whether or not to sell it? From Tim in Pacific, Missouri.

Hi Patsy and Tim,

Since you both have 1847 Rogers Brothers IS Silver, I wanted to address your questions together. There are a few main points that we try to address when talking about Rogers Brothers:

“1847” and “IS” Marking on Rogers Brother Silver
The first thing we tell people about 1847 Rogers Brothers Silver is that the 1847 is NOT the manufacturer date. This is the founding date of Rogers Brothers that they include in the hallmark of all their silverware.

The “IS” stands for International Silver who has owned Rogers since 1898.

The point is that neither of these markings gives any indication about the purity or value of the silver.

Rogers Brothers is NOT all Sterling
Make sure that you are aware that NOT all sets and pieces by Rogers Brothers are sterling. Some pieces are silver plate. Sometimes people automatically assume that old silver pieces are sterling, but silver plating techniques have been around since the 1800s.

Selling Rogers Brothers Silver
The most important item to know is whether or not your silver is sterling. No matter who you sell to, usually sterling silver is more valuable than silver plate, stainless steel, copper or some other non-precious metal.

If you have sterling, check to see if you have a complete set and if any pieces are broken or damaged. If you have odd and end pieces Arch Enterprises, precious metal refiner will pay for the silver.

Otherwise for non-sterling, check to see what items are going for on eBay to get an idea about the value. The prices on eBay we found for “Eternally Yours Rogers Brothers Silverware” range from $235 -$295. But also keep in mind that these are large 52 piece to 72 piece sets in good condition, and some of them in their original boxes which makes a difference in their resale value.

*Image displayed is only a representation of the items described in this blog post and may not be true images of the items in question.

I have a collection of sterling silver belt buckles. I bought them based on being sterling. Some of them have gold and are marked, e.g., 22k Gold on Sterling, 1/10 10k Gold on Sterling and so on. How can I tell the value of the gold parts? Thanks, Rod from Cleveland, Ohio.

Hi Rod,

Thanks for your question! The markings on your sterling silver belt buckles indicate the purity of gold and silver used to manufacture the items. However, it does not tell us how much gold would be available, if any to recover.

Most of the time we are not able to refine any of the gold from these belt buckles you have described, because the amount is so small. If you cannot physically separate the gold from the silver before the melting process begins, then there is no way to recover the gold from the silver.

Also the marking 22k gold on sterling sounds like they used a 22k gold plating material over top of a part of the buckle. Like we say to people with gold plated silverware, the plating technology has advanced to the point where the gold cannot be recovered and separated from the silver during the refining process.

If you can separate the gold from the silver before you ship, then we would run tests to determine the purity of the gold and the silver, then refine and melt them with separate refining methods.

You can go to our website to learn more about the ideal types of silver to refine. Hope that helps!

*Image displayed is only a representation of the items described in this blog post and may not be true images of the items in question.

My mom gave me her old sterling silver dinnerware set that she got from her mom. She told me to be careful with it because she said it came from my grandfathers first marriage. She thought it was originally from Virginia. It is a set of twelve with a serving set also. One dinner fork is missing. All have “sterling” inscribed on them. A few of the pieces have this information 1847 ROGERS BROS 6 and then it looks like a circle like O. Some other pieces have 1847 ROGERS BROS 12 with something at the end that looks like a circle or perhaps the inc. symbol? What do you feel I have going on here. And what do you think it may be worth? Thanks for your help. From Virginia in Newnan, Georgia

Hi Virginia,

Because the word “sterling” is marked on your silver pieces we can say with confidence that you have sterling silverware which is .925 silver or 92.5% silver. Bcause we are precious metal refiners we don’t know too much about sterling silver manufactures and brands. Doing some quick research online, I found that the 1847 date is the founding date of Rogers Brother and does not refer to the date your pieces were made.

Keep in mind that precious metal refiners, like Arch Enterprises will only pay customers based on the precious metal content of the items you send to us. It sounds like you have a pretty large set so I think it would be worth doing some research into exactly what you have and where the best place would be to sell.

Many sterling silver knives and serving pieces are weighted for usability purposes. So the handles are filled with some kind of cement or wax. We weigh these items separately from those that are 100% sterling such as forks and spoons. Once you separate out any pieces that might be weighted we would recommend weighing everything else on a postal scale. Then use our precious metal calculator which will give you a good idea of what your items are worth based on the silver value. (Make sure you check the 0.925 silver check box on the calculator).

Hope this information helps! Let us know if you need more information about selling your sterling silver to be recycled and refined.

Watch this video about finding the value of sterling silverware.

*Image displayed is only a representation of the items described in this blog post and may not be true images of the items in question.

I have 2 silver bars that I had bought back in 1981. One of the bars is 101.16 oz. the other is 25.11oz. They are both .999. I had purchased them from Tri State Refining & Investment Co. I would like to know what they could be sold for? Thank you, from Gene in Camanche, Iowa

Hi Gene,

Can you believe that 30 years have past since you purchased those silver bars?

You actually choose a great time to purchase your silver bars as the price of silver in 1981 dropped considerably compared to what it was in 1980, making the beginning of the 90s a bad time to sell. However, the price of silver has risen steadily over the last 10 years, surpassing 1980s high that peaked at around $49 per troy ounce. More about the history of silver prices can be found on The Silver Institute’s website: www.silverinstitute.org.

We offer a precious metal calculator tool that can give you a good indication of what your material is worth when you sell it to a refiner. You simply put in the weight and purity of your silver and enter in the current price of silver. Since the price of silver changes daily, go to money.cnn.com.data/commodities.index.html for the updated silver prices. *Today silver is trading at $28.32 USD/troy ounce.

Can you please tell me the value, if any, for a Sheffield 241B Silver Tea Set? It was a gift years ago and I was just wondering the value of it. From Kim in Dallas, Texas.

Hi Kim,

Using the term “Sheffield” to describe your silver can mean a couple different things. Silver has been manufactured in Sheffield, England for centuries. It is associated with the term “Sheffield plate” which is an older silver plating technique.

Many times the place of origin will be stamped on silver items along with the date, maker and/or hallmark or purity of the silver item. Sterling silver flatware made in Sheffield, England will have value to a precious metal refiner because the item is in made mostly with silver. Sterling silver should carry a hallmark indicating its purity. Look for the following to verify that you have sterling silver:

S
SS
Sterling / sterling
.925 / 925
.800 / 800
Old Sheffield Plate and Sheffield Plated are terms that indicate that items have been silver plated. Old Sheffield Plate is a term used to describe an earlier plating technique which fused a sheet of copper to a thinner sheet of sterling silver. These pieces produced primarily hollowware and this plating technique is not widely used anymore. The term “Sheffield Plated” is sometimes used to describe a more modern electroplating technique that usually involves copper.

As a precious metal refiner, we cannot return a payment on silver plated items. If you have Old Sheffield Plate we would recommend you taking them to an antique dealer since these items may have historic value because of the way they were made.

1) Have reasonable expectations. Unless you know for a fact that you have valuable precious metal items, be prepared that there may be very little precious metal available for extraction. Also keep in mind that a refiner’s offer only reflects the value of the item by weight and quantity alone, not the retail value.

2) Do your homework. So you are not surprised, try to assess how much your items are worth beforehand. This could include several steps such as researching precious metals online, making a trip to a local jeweler or requesting an online estimate. Also, remember to remove stones and any other non-metal materials before sending them to the refiners.

3) When you’re ready to sell, research a dealer you are comfortable with. There are many gold buying scams out there that you want to stay away from. Here are some tips to avoid being taken advantage of:

• Determine if the dealer is a middleman or the refiner. A middleman will buy your items for less in order to resell to a refiner and turn a profit. Refiners have more knowledge of the actual process and can offer a better price than a middleman. Arch Enterprises is a refiner and offers between 60%-90% of the metal value to sellers.
• Look for creditability through who endorses the company. If reputable companies stand by a refiner, this reflects positivity on their business dealings. Arch Enterprises is endorsed by the Missouri Dental Association and the Kansas Dental Association.

4) Insure your items through the mail. Make a note of what you’re sending off by writing descriptions, taking pictures or both.

5) Be organized. Cover all your bases by making copies of all the documents you send and receive to keep for your records, including emails. Even record all phone calls with the date, time and information discussed.

6) If you have a positive experience selling your precious metals, tell others and spread the word.

Is a silver tea service generally more valuable than the silver content? From Heidi in Central Missouri.

Hi Heidi,

There is not an easy yes or no answer to this question. There are many factors that you need to consider if you are thinking of reselling silver tea service such as the condition, completeness, brand, quality and collectability. As refiners, we only take into account the market price of silver and the fine silver content by weight.

Given this, pieces that are broken or damaged are ideal for refining. We are also sent lot of mismatched sets and random silverware that do not go with a larger collection. If you have any of these items, selling for the silver content would probably be your best way to go.

If you have a branded, complete set that is in good condition, you might want to have it appraised by an antique dealer and sell it to them or consider selling on eBay or Craigslist.  Of course, an antique dealer or Pawn shop will probably offer you a fraction of its market value as they need to sell it at market price and make a profit and eBay and Craigslist have drawbacks as well.

Also, the price of silver changes daily. In the past 52 weeks the silver price has fluctuated between $13.27 USD and $19.80 USD. When selling to a refiner, we would recommend keeping an eye on the price of silver and knowing their turnaround time. Here are a few blog posts that deal with sterling silver that might be helpful:

Silver Cookware and Serving Pieces
What Do All These Markings Mean on My Silverware
Refining Silver Flatware and Tableware

If you have a lot of time on your hands, you can evaluate the many options you have and see where you think that you will get the best return.  You can estimate the silver value by using our silver value calculator.

Hello, I have several old x-rays that have been deemed trash and I have been left in charge of destroying/recycling them. I’ve been told that you can melt them down and get silver from them. Is this true? Who would I need to talk to about having this done? Thank you! From Kevin in Charleston, West Virginia

Hi Kevin,

X-ray film does contain silver that can be extracted by precious metal refiners like Arch Enterprises, but each individual X-ray contains a very small amount of silver, so even sending a few pounds of film is typically not worth the shipping cost. To make refining X-ray film worthwhile, one typically needs at least 300-400 pounds of X-ray film.

Refining X-ray film is not a simple process. The melting process utilizes refining equipment that will withstand very high heats for extracting the silver from the other components of the X-ray film. Additionally, if you are dealing with medical information, we typically need to follow HIPAA compliant guidelines during the refining process.

We would recommend taking all film out of any paper jackets and storing in large 500 gallon drums. If you have more than a couple drums then it would be worth the shipping costs to refine this material.

I have several very heavy large silver serving trays, 55 pieces of silver plate and sterling silver utensils, and another 30 pieces of assorted sterling and silver on copper pieces. I have about 30 pounds of this stuff. Watched your videos and your website is very good. I need to either sell for scrap or melt to refine the various pieces. I am just tired of storing this stuff. What’s my next step?  Thank you for your informative videos. From Matt in Tulsa, Oklahoma

Hi Matt,

Glad to hear that you watched the videos about valuing sterling silverware.  Since you watched them, you now know that the pieces that are silver plated over copper have very little value and that some of your other items may be weighted or contain parts made from stainless steel.  Based on this, we would recommend sending in only your items that are clearly marked 925 sterling silver, sterling, or 800 and holding out any plated items, and removing the weighting materials from any items.

For the benefit of all who read this, silver plated copper pieces are not good candidates for precious metal refining as they contain very little silver.  If you have a lot of this material, you may be better off selling these to a scrap metal dealer. If you have pieces that are not marked sterling, you may have to conduct some research on your own to determine if they are in fact sterling. We would recommend first running a strong magnet over your items and if the magnet sticks to anything, they are not sterling. Our testing equipment would determine this, but we would hate to see people pay to ship in worthless items.

If you see any of the following markings on your pieces, chances are they are not sterling silver and you can take them out of the refining pile. These markings indicate something other than sterling such a plated or nickel silver.

Nickel Silver – or Alpaca
Silvertone
Plated Silver – Marked as EP or EPNS
G – German Silver

To get a rough estimate on what your sterling silver items are worth, make a pile of items that you know are sterling and that are not weighted. Weigh these items together and then you can use our silver value calculator to find the market value of these items. You can send all your items into our refinery and we will process and evaluate all the items. We typically pay 75% of the fine silver content by weight for your items. On your packing slip, please indicate the following options:

• If you would like us return any non sterling items back to you.
• If you would like us to call you before refining.

Otherwise, we will refine all the available sterling silver and recycle any metal that is not precious. If you would like more information on silver refining please visit the following resources:

Refining Sterling Silver Flatware Information
Finding the Value of Sterling Silver Video

I have a good amount of 925 silver jewelry, as well as some 14k gold, and some 22k gold from India. I may be going into the gold buying business and I have a question. What you are paying per troy oz of each? I know it depends upon the daily precious metals market, but is there a standard percentage of that you pay? Please advise, Thanks! From Jack in Birmingham, Alabama.

Hi Jack,

We do work with many people and stores that run gold buying businesses so we may be able to help you. As you noted in your question, the market price of silver and gold will have a major influence on how much we can pay for gold and silver items. Because these prices fluctuate daily, we use the commodity price of the day that we receive the material at our refining facility.

On 925 sterling silver items we typically pay 75% of the fine silver content by weight because the value of silver is relatively low when compared to gold and yet the time and energy involved in refining the material and running the transaction through our system is similar. Since gold is trading for over $1,000 UDS per troy ounce all of this year, we can pay a higher percentage based on the amount you send and the purity of your items. Keep in mind that it takes about the same amount of energy to refine 1 ounce of gold as it does to refine 3 ounces, so it is more cost efficient for us to refine larger quantities at one time. For estimation purposes, we typically pay out according to the schedule below:

• 70% of the fine gold value by weight for less than 0.5 fine ounce of gold
• 80% for less than 1 fine ounce
• 85% for 1-2 fine ounces
• 90% for more than 2 fine ounce

We do offer slightly higher returns to many of our customers who run gold buying businesses and meet our frequency and volume minimums. Arch is accredited by the Better Business Bureau and maintains fast, professional service in an industry where ethical business practices are many times questionable. We are here for our customers to answer questions on our blog and are always just a phone call away.

Good luck in your new business.

I have sterling silver sheets, wire, and scrap from when I took a jewelry class in the early 1990s. It’s approximately 13.5 standard ounces. What is this worth melted down? From Deanna in Destin, Florida

Hi Deanna,

Silver used in jewelry making such as wire, sheet and clasps is typically 925 sterling silver so it probably contains 92.5% silver.  Unfortunately, components and scraps are often not marked so we would need to run analytical tests to determine the exact percentage of silver in your items.   For evaluation purposes, let’s assume all of the material is sterling silver.

Given this, you can use our silver value calculator, plug in the market price of silver, and calculate its value.   *Today the price of silver is $18.35 USD per troy ounce. Note that standard ounces or avoirdupois ounces are different than troy ounces (1 troy ounce = 1.09714 avoirdupois ounces). Below is a screenshot of the calculator showing the steps you would go through to find the market value of 13.5 avoirdupois ounces of 925 silver.

Based on these figures, the market value of your silver is $208.85.  Of course, the calculated value provides market indications of what your silver is worth if it were in an investment grade form.   As a refiner, we will need to refine the silver, put it into sellable form, and execute the transaction with a buyer.  As such, we typically pay 75% of 925 sterling silver value by weight.

Note: The price of silver changes daily. The given price may not reflect the current price of silver.

I have approximately 250 pieces of sterling silver flatware. My grandmother collected it over 50 years, not from one set, but from everywhere!  There may be closer to 300 pieces. From Greg in Farmington, Missouri

Hi Greg,

Thanks for your inquiry. We always recommend weighing silverware first before you ship. If you are sure that all the flatware from your grandmother is sterling, then we would recommend separating the knives from the batch and weighing those separately from forks and spoons. We tell people to do this because many times knife blades are stainless steel, not silver. Also, knife handles are sometimes filled with another metal. This is done to add weight to a utensil so that it sits better is a user’s hand.

If you do not know for sure if all your pieces are sterling, we would recommend trying to separate your pieces into one pile where you can find a marking indicating sterling and another “unidentified” group. We would recommend looking for markings or hallmarks at the base of the handle or back of the utensil. The following markings indicate sterling:

• Sterling
• .925
• 925/1000
• .800
• 800/1000
• .900
• 900/1000
• S
• SS

It would be helpful if you kept your piles separated during shipment, in bags work fine. We pay 75% of the fine silver content by weight on 925 silver. Let us know if you have any questions. We can take all your silverware, but we can only pay returns on sterling silver.

Watch a video about sterling silver flatware and see a refiner take apart some silver pieces.

How much would 370 Washington silver quarters, minted between 1951 and 1964, and 97 Franklin and Liberty silver half dollars be worth melted? From Melissa in Tampa, Florida

Hi Melissa,

We do buy silver coins like yours for the silver value of the coins. Turning these older coins into a refiner is extremely profitable. We buy them for 90% of their fine silver value by weight which makes them worth well over their currency face value.

Today Washington quarters are made out of an alloy of 91.67% copper and 8.33% nickel that is also called clad or “sandwich metal.” However, Washington quarters minted with the date 1964 and earlier typically contain about 90% silver. Sometimes you can tell the difference by the clink sound of the coins. Instead of a ring, the silver coins against others sound like a thud.

An important item to note is that coins that have experienced significant wear often have a slight drop in silver weight, around 1-2 percent. That is why we recommend weighing your coins before you ship.

Because you have a significant amount of coins we would recommend using the US Postal Service’s flat rate shipping boxes and choosing the “signature required on delivery” option.

Visit our website for more information about our silver coin refining service.

I have 12 pounds of raw silver beads. What are they worth? From Jody in Little Rock, Arkansas

Hi Jody,

First you will need to determine if the raw silver beads you have are 925 sterling silver, meaning 92.5% silver or another concentration? For 925 silver we pay for 75% of the fine silver content by weight. It is very difficult to determine the concentration of raw materials like the ones you describe without the proper testing equipment. If you don’t know the concentration of your silver beads, we can test your material with our analytical equipment. We just need a few of your beads beforehand so you don’t have to send in your full shipment.

If your silver beads are plated silver then we will not be able to offer you a return for them. Without the correct testing equipment it can be difficult to determine the silver concentration of your material. Here is a video showing how we test silver material that comes to our refinery.

Hi I have 6 silver bars weighing a total of 743.69 ounces. I would like an estimate of the value. I would also like to know how and where to sell these bars. Thanks! From Sarah in Mobile, Alabama

Hi Sarah,

Thank you for your question! First off I am going to assume that your weight is in standard ounces and not in troy ounces, because that will effect the price a bit, but not significantly. We can pay you 75% of the bars’ fine silver value by weight. We do pay more for minted bars because they typically contain 99.9% silver and are made by certified manufacturers, but it sounds like yours are not minted or marked with a mint stamp — so they would be rough silver bars.

However, if they are not marked with a silver quality mark we will not know the true concentration of the fine silver they contain until we get your bars into our testing lab. They could be 70% fine silver by weight or less or more.

I recommend that you insure your shipment of silver bars assuming that your bars for an amount you are comfortable with. We recommend using US Postal Service’s flat rate shipping boxes. Also, make sure that you choose the “Delivery Signature Required” option at the post office.

Hope this information helps!

I have several silver dollar coins that I would like an estimate on. They are as follows:

Year / Number

1923 / 48
1922 / 30
1924 / 10
1925 / 10
1926 / 4
1927 / 3
1800’s / 47

Thanks! From Jordan in Cleveland, Ohio

Hi Jordan,

Thank you for your question. We would be able to pay you for 90% of the fine silver value on your silver dollars that you have described. However, we do not take into account the numismatic or collection value of any coins that we refine. Please send them to us if you know that the actual silver value is more than what you could get if you took them to a coin dealer.

I would especially recommend taking your coins from the 1800’s to a coin dealer to check on their collection value. Even coins that are not in pristine condition can still have collection value that may exceed its silver content value.

Let us know if you would like to refine your silver coins based on their silver content. Thanks!

I have about 22 pounds of silver dimes that date before 1964. What is the value of these items please? From Matt in Rochester, New York

I have 277 Washington Quarters and 560 Roosevelt Dimes. What are these worth refined? From Jody in Olympia, Washington

Hi Matt and Jody,

We do buy dimes and quarters with a mint date of 1964 and earlier. We can pay you for 90% of their fine silver value by weight. Contact us for an estimate at current silver prices. Please weigh your silver coins before sending them in and indicate the weight on the packing slip.

Jody – please check and make sure your quarters and dimes are dated 1964 and earlier.

Also, it is important to note that coins that have experience significant wear often have a slight drop in silver weight, around 1-2 percent. We mention this because if you simply take the weight of a freshly minted coin, it will almost always be more than one that has been in circulation for years. Long story short, weigh your coins before sending them in.

We recommend shipping small, heavy items such as silver coins in the US Postal Service’s flat rat shipping boxes. Also request the “Delivery Signature Required” option with your shipment. For list of shipping pricing please refer to a previous blog entry about shipping costs.

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.

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.

1. Type of Metal – of course the type of precious metal your items contain is the main indicator of how much they are worth refined.
2. Markings/Hallmarks – these are especially important on sterling silver sets and flatware. Always try and indicate if these items are marked with the word ‘sterling’, 925 or 800. 925 silver is 92.5% silver, where as 800 silver is only 80.0% silver.
3. Weight – there is a very big difference between the weight of items before they are refined and then the weight of the actual precious metal contained in items. We try and estimate only on the value of the precious metal content. So account for the fact that 40 lbs. of material is not the same as 40 lbs. of pure silver.
4. Quantity – the amount of precious metal you have to refine is important because often times we can offer you a higher return on larger amounts of material. This is because it is more energy efficient to process large amounts of material at once than several smaller quantities at different times.

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 some 10lbs of electrical contacts, some of which are 1inch square X1/8 inch thick. Are these worth refining? From Jesse in Springfield, Missouri

Hi Jesse,

We would offer between $10-$15 per pound of silver-bearing electrical contacts depending on the quality and silver content. Keep in mind that the amount of silver in electrical contacts can vary and we won’t be able to determine an exact amount until they are at our facility, tested and refined.

If they do contain a significant amount of silver, then they would be worth it to send to a silver refiner like Arch Enterprises.

I have a large number of rolls of 35% silver WWII nickels. Can you refine them into a 100 oz silver bar for me?  From Tim in Schuerch, Arkansas.

Hi Tim,

We can buy your nickels but we cannot refine them into a silver bar and send the bar back to you. We pay for 40% of their silver value by weight for “war” nickels.

Silver “war” nickels were produced by the United States from mid-1942 through 1945 and are in fact 35% silver and of course worth more than their currency value of .05 cents. The government used silver instead of nickel because nickel was in higher demanded for manufacturing military supplies. Today, nickels are made of about 75% copper and 25% nickel.

Knowing if your nickels are “war” nickels is to your advantage because they are worth more refined than spent in a vending machine. However, when the price of silver rose in the 1960s many of these valuable nickels disappeared, but every once in a while you can find one in your change. Here are a few ways you can tell the difference between “war” nickels and the others.

• Usually war nickels are a little darker in color than others.
• On the backside of war nickels there is a P, D, or S marked above the building (Monticello’s dome) and under E Pluribus Unum. (On nickels distributed today this marking is on the face side under the year.)

Visit our website for more information about where to sell silver coins.

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

We do not have a buyer in the Las Vegas area, but we have people ship silver to us from around the US every day. If you send it to us we can pay you much quicker than a remote buyer or broker since we are the refiner. Please let us know if you would like to send it in, I can obtain an estimate for you. We will be able to pay you 75-85 percent of the silver value for the silver flake.

Because about one-fifth of the world’s silver is used in x-ray film, recycling these items is optimal for the environment. All the silver that Arch Enterprises refines is sold directly back into industries that utilize silver such as the medical industry, photography industry, jewelry industry and more.