# Garage sale SCORE now to process



## NobleMetalWorks (Jun 3, 2012)

Once a year, people in the area I live, get together and hold a massive one day garage sale. 102 households were involved. I started at 7am and didn't get back home until 6pm. But I found a lot of things to recover gold from. Here was my best find today.

The third house I went to had 12 plates that looked like they were gold plated, but I was having a hard time believing the price if they were. I bring my acid test kit whenever I leave the house now days, you never know when you are going to find something you might be able to recover precious metals from. So I had my girlfriend hold onto the plates, and I bought one to take back to the car and test. I paid the $1.00 price for one plate, then tested it. It tested positive for 22k and the label on the bottom states it's 24k.

So I calmly, or at least tried to seem like I was so, went back. I gave my girlfriend $11.00 to buy the other 11 I was having her hold for me, and walked away with a total of 12 of these. Here is a picture of what they look like.







And here is a picture of the label on the bottom






This has been one of my better garage sale finds. Does anyone know anything about the plates, and if so, any idea how much they might be worth if I sold them lets say on eBay? If I process them, I am thinking about cutting them into long strips with a sheet metal sheer, and then putting them into a sulfuric cell. Any better suggestions?

Scott


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## MMFJ (Jun 3, 2012)

When you tested it, did you make a DEEP cut (with a file, NOT a knife!)?

Of course, it should test at 22K, it is (as all gold plating is), 24K.

The question is, just how thick is the plating? 

Before cutting them up, though, I would highly recommend you put them up on eBay - heck, even at a starting price of $19.99 (or even $1.99 each), you will make money, though I'm sure they are worth more as collectibles than the gold value (unless they are badly scratched or something). If you spin it as 'recoverable gold', there may be someone (we all know the type...) that will pay way over what they are worth even in gold value. Get a couple of those folks, you never know where it will go....

At any rate, congrats on the find and best of financial success to you!


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## NobleMetalWorks (Jun 3, 2012)

Thank you...

I didn't want to damage them if they were worth more whole, they have fine scratches all over it looks like someone tried to wash them like regular dishes, they are metal. I don't think the woman I bought them from had any clue at all what they really were. Or she just didn't care. It's funny, I read that post about the gold coins and nobody willing to take a chance on them. When I saw the price at $1.00 I thought to myself that they couldn't be real. I did take the chance, I mean $1.00 each is nothing really. Glad I did.

I think I am going to try to clean them up, and hope someone knows more about them, I googled the company, read some information on other items that have sold that were around the same type of thing, seems like you might be right about eBay.

Scott


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## Harold_V (Jun 3, 2012)

If the plates are not magnetic, pretty good chance the base metal is worth at least whay you paid for the dishes. That being the case, even if they're not in great demand, they can be stripped, with the base metal (likely a coppe alloy, or copper) sold as scrap. I expect you did just fine, although you didn't hit it big. 

Harold


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## Geo (Jun 3, 2012)

its not a good idea to polish gold at all,but, if you are not going to process them and want to sell them for what they are, a light polish may help you sell them on Ebay as plates.


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## NobleMetalWorks (Jun 3, 2012)

Geo said:


> its not a good idea to polish gold at all,but, if you are not going to process them and want to sell them for what they are, a light polish may help you sell them on Ebay as plates.



Now that would be a disaster, It's a good thread to post that warning, thank you Geo

Scott


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## NobleMetalWorks (Jun 3, 2012)

Harold_V said:


> If the plates are not magnetic, pretty good chance the base metal is worth at least whay you paid for the dishes. That being the case, even if they're not in great demand, they can be stripped, with the base metal (likely a coppe alloy, or copper) sold as scrap. I expect you did just fine, although you didn't hit it big.
> 
> Harold



It's non magnetic, I am going to just sit on this awhile I think. I am in no hurry to process it I have a lot of other material. I think you are right, it's probably worth more sold as is, than processed.

Thanks Harold

Scott


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## goldsilverpro (Jun 3, 2012)

What is the approximate gold plated surface area on each plate? Usually, decorative items are plated thin, about 5 - 10 microinches. At today's spot, 10 microinches would be about $0.16/in2. It could be thicker but the odds are against it.

$/in2 = (thickness in inches) x 10.17 x gold spot

at 10 microinches = .000010 x 10.17 x 1626 = $0.165/in2

Personally, I would use the electrolytic sulfuric stripper, assuming there is no clear-coat on the gold.


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## etack (Jun 4, 2012)

whats funny is that if you strip them whole and they are Cu you could polish that and sell it on ebay for more than a gold plate for scrap.

Eric


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## qst42know (Jun 4, 2012)

Are they saucers or platters? Diameter makes a big difference.

GSP is that $.165 /sq. in. X 2 sides?

If so a 10" plate would be about $25.


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## NobleMetalWorks (Jun 4, 2012)

They are 14 inches across. The black background is actually my office chair, you can kind of get an idea of how big they are.

I just sold them to be honest, without even putting them on eBay, to an Antique shop that sells gold and silver plate flatware and dishes.

Scott


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## qst42know (Jun 4, 2012)

I hope you sold them for $49. each plus the weight of scrap brass. I have a platter from the same company, brass base metal underneath.


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## NobleMetalWorks (Jun 4, 2012)

NIce!

I sold them for more than $49 each.

Thank you for the information, next time I see something made by the same company I'll know before hand. And even better, anyone that reads this thread will know.

Thank you again

Scott


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