Buying and Processing Scrap Sterling Silver

[@IvanButtkoff]

I learned from another Tuber to use a Dremel with a cutoff wheel and zip from the closed end to the open end on one side. Then you can peel it open and extract the stainless and any cement, epoxy, or resin without a big mess.

[@JohnsYardSaleFinds]

That's a good idea, Ivan! I happen to have one of those tools! Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@monkeywentbananas]

Excellent information! I would have never known those pieces were filled with concrete!

[@JohnsYardSaleFinds]

Thanks for watching, and for your kind comment! Yes, it's definitely a good thing to know (about being filled with concrete). Saves someone from being disappointed when they want to go trade in their candlesticks (like at a "we buy silver" place) only to find out there's not really as much silver as they hoped!

[@EarlyBirdPicker]

I would never in a million years known how to do this, thanks so much for showing us!

[@JohnsYardSaleFinds]

Thank you Rafa! Seriously, people just seem to leave this stuff behind. (Kath speaking: We have more vids proving our point coming up!).

[@loueckert4970]

Wow, did not know about this. Thanks a LOT very educational.

[@JohnsYardSaleFinds]

Glad you found it helpful! Yeah, we buy this every chance we get! Thanks so much for watching, and for your comment. We very much appreciate it!

[@FloridaMamaFlips]

This is such an awesome and informative video!

[@JohnsYardSaleFinds]

Thank you Alicia! That encouragement means a lot! More coming! :)

[@bambamsuspicions2618]

Why are you using ounces rather than troy ounces

[@JohnsYardSaleFinds]

Hi! It never really occurs to me to think in troy ounces since for the most part we're just hoarding it (except for certain pieces that are likely to sell for more than spot value). But you bring up a good point, and I'll have to check that scale when I get back to FL to see if it has a troy oz setting (I'm in NH right now, and didn't bring it north with me). If we measure in troy oz it will be slightly less value than we mention in the video. Thanks so much for watching, and for your comment! We appreciate it!

[@Loadeddowngolf]

Man I pass bu that stuff all the time I have a friend that finds it a lot. Pretty cool how you busted that up.

[@JohnsYardSaleFinds]

Sometimes it goes faster! Those smaller pieces can be challenging, but I don't think we paid more than $1 - and at that point, as the old poem goes, 'It's not the having of the gold, it's the finding of it..." or something like that. We can't resist! Thanks so much for your input and watching!

[@ONEDAYATATIMERESELLER]

Nice work Thanks for sharing

[@JohnsYardSaleFinds]

Hey Q! Glad you found it helpful! (BTW: Thanks in part to you and a few others here on YT we've started looking a little more closely at plush toys! Found a cool one this past weekend and will show it on an upcoming vid at some point!)

[@JustAnOldMan]

spot value is Troy oz's not ounces

[@JohnsYardSaleFinds]

Hi! This came up before in a comment about a year ago, and before then it had never really occurred to me to think in troy ounces since for the most part we're just hoarding it (except for certain pieces that are likely to sell for more than spot value). But you bring up a good point. Turns out our scale doesn't have a troy oz setting. So we'll have to just estimate for now. We do appreciate your comment and pointing it out so hopefully others will also see it. Thanks so much for watching, and for your comment! Again, we appreciate it!

[@citybrocante916]

So informative! Thank you!

[@JohnsYardSaleFinds]

You are very welcome! I really appreciate you taking the time to watch and comment. We have more videos coming up! (I'm in the middle of my carpentry season, but still filming whenever we're out buying!) Thank you again for tuning in!

[@brian56]

I love all these weighted pieces and hollow ware. Nobody seems to know how to estimate the weight, but I've done so much of it that I always at least double my money at auctions. By the way ,you need an anvil or a steel plate.

[@JohnsYardSaleFinds]

hahahaha 😂😂 Yes, I did mess up my hollow core door/table on that! Anyway, that's awesome that you are getting great returns. Certainly an overlooked commodity. Wish we had some live auctions near us! BTW: Curious as to how you found this video? Thanks so much for watching and for your comment! We really appreciate it!

[@brian56]

@@JohnsYardSaleFinds your video just came up while I was scrolling through KZbin

[@JohnsYardSaleFinds]

Thanks Brian! It just seemed like a lot of folks suddenly/just found this video from last year. I appreciate your response! And again, we also appreciate you watching! @@brian56

[@anthonyiocca5683]

Great information, so thin, in time after numerous polishing it would only get thinner…

[@JohnsYardSaleFinds]

We think about that too - it's amazing how thin it is! Thank you so much for watching and commenting, Anthony! We really appreciate it!

[@dolfinwriter5389]

Where would you sell scrap sterling? Pawn shop or other "We buy gold and silver" kind of place?

[@JohnsYardSaleFinds]

Yes, that's what we would do. We'd check locally to see reviews first since not all pawn shops or "we buy gold/silver" places are the same. Remember that the ones that pay closest to spot price are what you want. They need to make their money too. Thanks so much for watching and commenting! We appreciate it!

[@thriftingthe3rivers656]

That was interesting! Thanks!

[@JohnsYardSaleFinds]

I'm psyched that you found it interesting! So, yeah, you definitely do not want to pass that stuff up! Thank you for watching!

[@LMicheleS]

That was good to know how to break them down into scrap. Where would you sell the scrap to?

[@JohnsYardSaleFinds]

Hi! Thanks for the question - a lot of pawn shops will buy it, and also places where the "we buy gold" signs might also buy scrap silver. Coin dealers, etc. They have to pay a little less than current spot price, because they have to make money too (although we met one guy who's just hoarding it for years - but so are we 😂😂). But that's why you don't want to pay too much for it. Thank you for watching! We really appreciate it!

[@LMicheleS]

@@JohnsYardSaleFinds Thank you!

[@JohnsYardSaleFinds]

@@LMicheleS For whatever it's worth, next year Kath & I are celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary, and because it's the "Silver Anniversary" we're thinking of filming about the silver we've been saving for all these years! 😂😂

[@danhoyt9961]

seems like a chisel would help.

[@JohnsYardSaleFinds]

Hi Dan, thanks for the suggestion! I'll add one to my arsenal! And thanks for watching!

[@durchlaucht7050]

You could sell the candlesticks for more than the scrap price!

[@JohnsYardSaleFinds]

We've found that that's the case with better names, but these were pretty generic (no fancy pattern, and no brand name). We don't scrap out stuff that has a decent history of selling. For example, in February we sold a small Bloomingdale's sterling silver trumpet style bud vase for $49. Silver's up a bit since we did that video (as of 6/22/24 spot price is right around $30). Thanks so much for watching and commenting. We really appreciate it!

[@chrisshumaker1659]

Who do you sell it to? Thanks

[@JohnsYardSaleFinds]

We haven't sold any of the scrap yet - still stock piling that. But we do sell the pieces that are more valuable than scrap on eBay, and sometimes a few pieces at the flea market. If we decided to sell of some of the scrap, we'd keep an eye on spot prices and check out a few "we buy gold/silver" places to see how their prices compare. But we haven't done that yet! Thank you for watching and commenting! We appreciate it!

[@RobertLee-wi5kc]

I would never expect 2-2 1/2 oz. It is like aluminum foil.

[@JohnsYardSaleFinds]

Yeah, it's surprising. Those weighted sticks are pretty consistent in that range. That was one of the lighter ones for its size. Thanks again for watching and commenting! We appreciate it!