Old Video games and consoles...

[dthoreson81]

Hi there everyone! Glad to finally bust this cherry of my first post. Hopefully, this is in the right place. Here is the question: Do old video game consoles and games have any gold or silver in them?

Id also like to know how to find an "easy" step by step plan for an EXTREME BEGINNER to the refining process. I have an old pentium from around '95, and would like to not mess up.

THANKS! :shock:

 

[jimdoc]

Old video cartridges have gold fingers.
Keep collecting stuff and reading, you
are going to need more than one old
pentium computer to get started, or you
will just be wasting acid and chemicals.
The smartest thing to do is find out what
is worth looking for and saving, reading
to get everything straight in your head
what you need to do, and do it safely.
Then when you have enough to process,
and are sure what you are doing, and
have the proper equipment, and safety
precautions, that is when you get started.
Don't be in a rush, it will only get you
dissapointed with your results.
Jim

 

[Rag and Bone]

Any precious metal content in old video games would likely be worth less as scrap than their value to collectors and nerds. I suggest selling them and buying scrap or investing in some equipment or chemicals.

You will need dozens of computers to get started. One computer isn't enough to work with, other than familiarizing yourself with dismantling.

I suggest getting started with the acid-peroxide method (AP). It's cheap and easy to setup and lot's of fun! You will find loads of info. on the Forum to help you along. Be sure to watch Lazersteves videos on the subject.

Good Luck!

 

[JustinNH]

Yeah, I know the N64 cartriges have gold fingers (except for the Gameshark one) but unless the game is crappy, it may be better to sell it. Same with the console- any old ones people hoard incase theirs breaks and for collectors value and of course any new ones are always worth a good amount.

Im relatively new at refining but I have been collecting scrap for a while. But from my experience so far, I definately recommend the Acid/Peroxide method- its cheap and easy to do. I have myself a nice pile of gold foils ready for HCL-Clorox and some disolved gold from stubborn fingers and a completely plated board that had been previously sitting in a HCL bath to get rid of most base metals. I need to precip the gold and then do it again/wash it, as im sure its not close to pure.

Search the forum and you can find step by step instructions for the A/P method. Steve also has a lot of good videos to help ya out too if your more of a visual learner

 

[Ian_B]

rags is pretty much right on, games are worth exponentally more for collector value then scrap their isn't a game out their that isn't worth more for its intended purpose then scrap value even the worst most common old NES games are worth at least a buck or 2 and you would be lucky to pull a quarter of that off of the fingers of the game cartridge that is unless they contain PGM's on the actual boards but I have my doubts.

they want to make top $ for least amount of $

(PGM's- Platinum group metals... big money)