Didn't know quite where too put this, but i guess this is as good a place as any... my question is this, I am looking at melting down gold nuggets into 1/4 and 1/2oz bars how is the best way too do this? I have seen that most of the bars on the market all have a stamp on them, and i have no way of stamping them :/ so i am stuck after i melt them down. I have the setaline cutting torch and melting tools, and a mold but i was wondering at how too market them, without it being illegal
very good question. but i have one of my own... WHY? if your intent is to sell them after you melt them, why not just sell them in their current state?
wow, not sure how to. Maybe some one with CT does, but I'd be worried about how do you guarantee purity?
nuggets are rarely, if ever, pure. They would have to be refined and have fineness determined to have any sale value if melted. On the other hand, if I understand correctly, jewelers will incorporate nuggets into jewelry and sell it at a greater value than the gold the nuggets are made of. Why melt?
do you think there would be much difference in selling them as a lot of nuggets and pickers rather too make them all into 8 or 9 1/4 and 1/2oz bars also there is ALOT (700 viles too which i can melt down) (these on the other hand i probably will just sell individually) most of the nuggets I have are around .1-.30/grams so they are small as hell, so i wanted too just melt them down into bigger molds, and sell them as 1/4 and 1/2's any suggestions as too why this would be a bad idea or a good idea would be great EDIT: as for purity, would my local jewler be able too verify purity? I have never asked him too do this but i am sure if he is able he will, and is that the kind of person you goto too verify its purity? EDIT again: so what you guys are saying is that i have a better chance in unloading nuggets too a jeweler/ebay than i would a bar?
Don't melt them they are worth more as nuggets! I used to metal detect in Arizona for gold. People pay a premium for nuggets especially if they have some character. Please trust me on this one.
Agreed, nuggets are usually worth more worth than bullions - how on earth am i supposed to know the fineness of bullions unless it's assayed?
I would not melt them into questionable bars of unknown purity which no one in their right mind would touch with a 10 foot pole. I would keep them in their original state. I have a couple of gold nuggets that were given to me for something like my 12th birthday. I like to look at them occasionally to see gold in it's natural unadulterated state.
Most Gold Nuggets will sell from anywhere from 10% to 25% or more above their' actual Gold value on eBay! Their' size (length and width), weight (preferrably in grams or ounces), fineness, uniqueness and super clear and close-up pictures will factor in to what they actually fetch at Auction. Really nice and unique looking Nuggets will fetch much more than run of the mill...ugly and/or plain looking Nuggets. The larger the Nugget, the higher the X (times) factor becomes! In other words, nice looking 1/2 to 1 ounce Nuggets may bring twice (2 times) ther' actual Gold value, while 5 ounce or larger Nuggets may bring 5 times+ their' actual Gold value. Don't get discouraged because your' Gold Nuggets are fairly small. Get a Digital Camera that will take extreme close-up and in-focus pictures of small Nuggets that makes them look as big as houses. In this way, even though they are small, the buyer/bidder can see all of the details and features of a Nugget or Nuggets. I have a Gold Prospecting friend that sells Gold Nuggets on eBay from time to time and he can usually get one and a half times to nearly two times the actual Gold value for a one gram Gold Nugget because of the extreme close-up and in-focus pictures that he includes in the Auction listing! He uses an older C-7000 Olympus Digital Camera that is only 4.0 mega-pixels but it can take pictures as close a 2 cm from a small object in Macro mode and that is without the aid of any magnifying glasses or Gem Loupes. You might want to check out some of the Auctions for Gold Nuggets on eBay...especially the closed Auctions and see what works for the more successful Sellers. Good luck...Frank
I also would not melt them. I used to refine silver and gold for a living. It is an involved process to assay gold and will cost you a significant amount of money to have done. Even then, no one will trust the assay. That is why Englehard bars go for a premium- they have a trustworhty assay. Nuggets, even tiny ones, have a natural beauty that adds to the value. You should know that of all the gold we refined, I never melted even one nugget. Those sold seperately to collectors. Mike
And if you could stamp them, what would the stamp say? A reputable firm like Englehard stamps its name and the gold content of each bar. How much confidence would a stamp reading "jmc7983 X oz. unknown purity" be likely to inspire in potential buyers?
