Yesterdays Finds

[trdhrdr007]

The wife & I have football seasons tickets, yesterday game time was noon & we tailgate before that so I didn't think I'd be able to hit any sales. The wife suggested we go to some on the way to the game. As luck would have it a local charity had organized an indoor yard sale, selling tables to individuals & charging $2 admission. Looked to be the way to hit the most sales in the least amount of time.

It opened at 8 & we got there as the door opened. There were about 40 tables with all kinds of stuff. The very first table I hit I scored a 14k bracelet for $15 that weighed in at 6.7dwt. That was the only gold I found, but I did manage to buy some sterling........4 bracelets, a tiny set of S/P shakers, a weighted bon bon dish & a butter pat tray. All together the silver weighed in at slightly less than 4 troy ounces & cost $21.50. I ended up with around $286 worth of metal for $36.50. Not too bad for 45 minutes shopping.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Agony and Death on a Gold Rush Steamer: The Disastrous Sinking of the Side-Wheeler Yankee Blade - Grab it through Amazon!

[billjustbill]

Tailgating while your pockets are full of gold and silver.... doesn't get any better than that!!

Are you selling any of your finds to your nearby buyers or refiners?

I think I'll be sending in a large silver filled package to ARA in Dallas this week.....just got to finish scrapping out two candle stick holders and getting the sterling handles off those steel knife blades.... How would you get them off, heat or hammer?

Great finds,
Bill

 

[cyberdan]

How would you get them off, heat or hammer?

never heat, everything will get gummy and sticky

first, wack it good with a hammer on a hard surface
second, hacksaw thru the metal layer at two angles (like a V)
last, grab V with pliers-lockjaw-dikes (whatever) and peel away.

a little more work than candlesticks but AG is AG!

 

[trdhrdr007]

I live in a fairly small town where the gold buyers pay 30-50% of melt so everything I find gets shipped off. I generally put knives into my vise point down & use an old chisel to split the sterling handle from the butt to the blade. From there it's pretty easy to peel the silver off the "filling".

 

[Indianhead Jones]

You're living proof that treasure is where you find it, my friend!

Larry G.

 

[colorado14ers]

what does the money get go to? a new detector? good job!!!

 

[batcap]

Tailgating while your pockets are full of gold and silver.... doesn't get any better than that!!

Are you selling any of your finds to your nearby buyers or refiners?

I think I'll be sending in a large silver filled package to ARA in Dallas this week.....just got to finish scrapping out two candle stick holders and getting the sterling handles off those steel knife blades.... How would you get them off, heat or hammer?

Great finds,
Bill

Like Cyberdan said, heating is bad. I freeze weighted silver for a few hours, then attack it with a driveway ice chipper. This is a big beast-5' tall with 1" thick shaft over a 4" guillotine blade. You could do just as well with a claw hammer, but I gain some distance from the shattered epoxy/plaster filler dust. In my limited experience, a two tier, three candle holder will only get you a little over an ounce sterling. The weighted 1 candle holders I run across barely have $5 of silver. For the uninitiated, the silver in a weighted candlestick is little more than a foil covering over plaster. You have to remove the filler to measure your treasure. I won't waste my time again.

 

[goldinmypan]

the last pair I striped out were 3 candle holders and weighed out at 4 troy oz each. The hard part was stripping AG off the copper wires that held the outside holders.

 

[MrBling]

That's a great score. I can barely find even silver around here and that's overpriced.
I keep hoping for a day like you had

 

[batcap]

the last pair I striped out were 3 candle holders and weighed out at 4 troy oz each. The hard part was stripping AG off the copper wires that held the outside holders.

I confess, I still have the arms. Didn't know what to do with them. What was your technique? Was there enough silver to be worth the effort?

 

[cyberdan]

.......the silver in a weighted candlestick is little more than a foil covering over plaster. You have to remove the filler to measure your treasure. I won't waste my time again.

True, but when I buy I always remember about 10-12% of the actual weight is sterling. The only time I have not done good was when I bought on ebay. I solved that problem, I don't buy candlestickes on ebay any more.