# GOLD EVERYWHERE! at least that is what it looks like.



## user 12009 (May 17, 2010)

I have started my new hobby of gold recycling. I go to 25-30 yard sales every saturday this week I bought 61.3 grams of karat gold at a great price but that is not what my post is about.

I also ask people if they have any electronic junk they want to get rid of. I got several things and tore them down. When I was done I wanted to do more and remembered I had found an old Nokia cell phone a few years ago and tore into that. There was gold looking parts everywhere. Some where shiny and some were matte looking. The circuit board back was 100% gold colored, it is about 2" X 2" Now the same question I just asked on a different thread. If it looks gold in a cell phone is it?


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## texan (May 17, 2010)

Yes...and this is where your use and education by this forum will take place if you want to get into this hobby in a serious way. Spend several months reading and digesting everything here you can and you will still not have it down totally...it is a constant process. I got into it about a year ago and spent over six months learning the basics of the chemistry involved before I started my first process. I spent my learning time obtaining material of various types that contain PM's and now I have about half a garage full of memory, phones, vintage circuit boards, etc. All obtained on the cheap. I learn something new each week and am having a blast. I am doing it totally as a hobby...However the amount just gold has gone up in the past year has totally covered my out of pocket costs. Gold will not be your only product...there are other PM's tucked away in escrap or as my wife says "ecrap" to harvest also.

Texan


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## user 12009 (May 17, 2010)

Is every cell phone as loaded with gold plate as the one I tore down? Or, do you think I just got lucky on my first one?


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## lazersteve (May 17, 2010)

Most all of them have this gold plating, but it is extremely thin in most cases. 

Somewhere on the forum the average cell phone board yields are posted if you look for them.

Steve


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## g_axelsson (May 18, 2010)

According to this article 1 gram of gold and 10 grams of silver per 30 average cell phones.
http://www.eoearth.org/article/Cell_phone_recycling

The phones are older but so are also the scrap we process.



> More recent information from Falconbridge Limited was used to construct Table 1. Falconbridge recycles cell phones for their metal content. The company estimated that, in 1 metric ton of obsolete cell phones (exclusive of batteries), the average copper content was 140 kilograms; silver, 3.14 kilograms; gold, 300 grams; palladium, 130 grams; and platinum, 3 grams.



/Göran


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## user 12009 (May 18, 2010)

g_axelsson said:


> According to this article 1 gram of gold and 10 grams of silver per 30 average cell phones. http://www.eoearth.org/article/Cell_phone_recycling


That is an eye opener. Every week I see many, many retired cell phones at yard sales. Now all I have to do is get them to give them away.


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## goldenchild (May 18, 2010)

g_axelsson said:


> According to this article 1 gram of gold and 10 grams of silver per 30 average cell phones.
> http://www.eoearth.org/article/Cell_phone_recycling/Göran



This sounds about right. cyberdan will need many cell phones to make it(in my opinion) worth while. cyberdan, here are a few bids you might find interesting. 


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdu5yS5q2so&NR=1 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCU4o_Ce9PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SYijcoq23w&NR=1


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## user 12009 (May 18, 2010)

Very interesting thanks.
but did you see this one I just ran into. Looks like a good idea. :lol: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvxnfqz0vvU&NR=1&feature=fvwp


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