Better return on Investment than the Stock Market

[billjustbill]

Here are some pictures of how I'm funding my solar electric project. Along with what jewelry and silver I found while detecting last month, here are pictures of yesterday's and Saturday's finds. Using one hobby to fund another hobby is more than half the fun of having solar power.

In August, I had found the Barber Head quarter and the 1967 ring while metal detecting after August's flea market. The 1894 quarter was about 6" deep and most likely on it's edge or I would have scratched it with the digging tool being that deep. Along with two new sealed air filters was a purse with a broken handle, all just tossed into the trash. Out of plain curiosity, as I opened the zipper pockets, I ran my index finger into the pocket liners. The 3.2 gram, 10kt. ring was found in an outside pocket of a discarded white Prada purse.

In last Friday's garage sales I found the thin bracelets that weigh 6.5 gram, stamped .925 silver, cost 25cents, but are worth $3.50. The earrings weigh 11.2 grams or about 1/3 of an ounce of gold or just over $250 in melt value. I'm going to have them tested before I get too excited and my wife has get out the set of paddles and jumper cables.... see the red background picture.

This Saturday morning, at a garage sale, I found a rather plain standing jewelry cabinet with legs.

When I opened the top, it was like looking into the first layer of a Pirate's Treasure Chest.
The Adrenalin began pumping like "Old Spindle Top"..


It started with opening the top. After seeing a thing or two that caught my eye, I asked how much for the entire amount. The husband and wife talked it over and said "We have to have $45, including the cabinet."

And there was more under the lid. Mostly costume jewelry...

and then scattered in the lower four lower drawers. There was a Fossil metal band watch and two Geneva leather band watches, plus 20 necklaces.....

I paired the earrings and checked for gold or silver markings, then went through the mess twice....found a little more than costume jewelry....

In the photo with the red background, the Top Left group is 10Kt. gold. Top Right group is Sterling silver. and Center is an earring set made of 14kt gold & white gold earrings.
I weighed them in Pennyweights and based their worth at the close of Friday's market price for precious metals....


3.9 dwt 14kt. gold $141.76 (these Earrings are clearly marked and not the other set that weighs 11.1 dwt., I found Friday)

10.5 dwt. 10kt gold $272.99 (already taken away 2 dwt.'s for the red school ring's stone)

5.5 dwt. .925 silver $ 5.06
Grand total $419.81
Saturday's find, if 14kt $253.50
Total Investment: $-46.25

Plus I have a jewelry cabinet loaded with costume jewelry...for sale.

 

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[trdhrdr007]

That's a really sweet deal on the large jewelry box......even better if you have an outlet for the costume jewelry. Keep in mind some costume jewelry can be pricey so check for pieces with manufacturer's marks.

I suspect the large earrings on the right in the first picture are NOT gold. Gold earrings that size would generally be hollow & would not weigh that much. In addition, the earring post looks to be silver colored. On most gold earrings the post is the same color as the earrings. Probably still worth checking but I wouldn't hold my breath.

 

[billjustbill]

Thanks for your advice about the brands. I've found some Monet', Napier, and Tommy Hilfiger, but do you know some 'hot' brands or trademarks to look for?

I understand about the bad odds of the "Hopeful Gold" earrings... Their posts seem to be attached/gold soldered in place and fine investment casting material can be seen under a magnifying glass. It looks like work from India, but there are no markings other than the weak one that could be anything...

Keep your fingers crossed for me,

Thanks,
Bill

 

[trdhrdr007]

I don't really know the big name brands for the costume jewelry, but Monet & Napier are fairly common. There's a brisk business done in Monet & Napier pieces at my local antique mall. Prices run between $2-10 a piece, with most selling on the low end of that.

 

[Beans]

Go Panthers

 

[billjustbill]

Here I am, a week later and on a Saturday morning. I found these things:

90/100 box of flat head conveyer belt bolts, 1/4"x 3/4".... .75 cents.

Brushed nickel finish Twin-rotor Osprey tie tack and trigger lock/ key for rifle or pistol, both still packaged, total $1.00

Winchester shooting (Safety) glasses #270 and Winchester SXT hearing protection (wk shop). Both & New in Bx. $3.75

Howard Miller burl-overlay mantel clock, Quartz movement, dual choice of chimes, with quarter, half, three-quarter, and hour strike, loudness adjustment, and choice of hourly strike or auto-no-chime between 12:00 a.m. and 5:45 a.m. $10.00
http://www.google.com/products/cata...77FqHe2ASK-NzXDQ&sa=title&ved=0CAcQ8wIwADgA#p

Henry Firearms: Child size/close quarters .22 rifle. Still new in the box and never shot: $50.00
http://www.cabelas.com/p-0075913290744a.shtml

There are weekends that I may only find something small, but it's the thrill of the hunt, and a chance to at least double my money

Bill

 

[cdltpx]

The one that gets me is the land fills all the meatl they charge to take in you know the future of those companies will be mining the metals out of them sites. Man you really scored yard sales can net way more than busting ass with a detector ever will. I need to fill my pockets with cash get some testers establish an ebay acct. Try to sell ebay first then if reserve not met sell on the scrap gold mkt.

 

[Nightowl 280]

Costume jewelry has been my bread and butter as of late . Most ppl dont care about enough to charge alot and you almost always find a silver or gold piece in the batch and i can put it on my table at the fleamarket in $1-$5 bins and I always get one or two girls that will buy 30-40 pieces and bunch that will get 2-3 pieces .

 

[billjustbill]

My task, these last 8 months, has been to pay for a 2kw solar electric system.

I've done metal detecting since the summer of 2000 and found some Sterling Silver jewelry, but garage sale gold and silver finds have given me more of a jump start. Much, Much, More!!!!

Collecting .925 jewelry, Sterling flatware and holloware, I've spent $300 at garage sales/estate sales to gather what you see below. Now, when I say I've spent that much, it also includes finding some 10kt and 14kt gold mixed in the same bags of jewelry that sold for $12 all the way down to .25 cents.... I bought a collection of Sterling state spoons ($50), heavy necklaces and bracelets ($45), and weighted Sterling candleholders ($14.00 total).

Then, I've sold the costume jewelry for up to $8 a bag. The wooden standing jewelry chest I paid $45 for, then after pulling out $400 worth of gold and silver, I sold it and its leftover contents for $55 at one of three of my garage sales I've had since May.

Last week, I received a check from ARA refinery in Dallas for $2,003.00. The profits from my own garage sales and selling Sterling Silver has paid for $8,500.00 of the solar panels and support equipment. The $1,500 will be covered from selling some 10kt and 14kt gold rings to ARA that I've found metal detecting or mixed in with the garage sale jewelry.

I could/should have waited to sell the silver, but "if" things "Go-to-Hell-in-a-Handbasket", I'll have still have electricity, and by having the project completed, I'll have a tax credit and REFUND coming. The solar array will be operational by December 31st. I'll get a $3,000.00 solar energy tax credit, dollar for dollar, and a refund check back from Uncle Sam... So, really, selling the silver to get some feeling of security and get back the refund, that means that for my situation, this 87.69 t.oz of silver is worth about $57 an ounce.

By the long or short time Silver reaches that amount, I will have generated several Kilowatt Hours of electricity I don't have to pay the power company for. That's more money in my pocket.

Many thanks to those in this Forum for the ideas, concepts, and "How To's" shared here!!

Bill

 

[SEANO]

Nice Post Bill! Great job!

Have a question about your $8 bags that you sell. Can you explain this a little more. Do you sell them at you garage sales or flea markets? How much is a bag? Do they sell well?
I have lots of leftover costume jewelry to move too.

Thank for any help.

Sean

 

[billjustbill]

Nice Post Bill! Great job!

Have a question about your $8 bags that you sell. Can you explain this a little more. Do you sell them at you garage sales or flea markets? How much is a bag? Do they sell well?
I have lots of leftover costume jewelry to move too.

Thank for any help.

Sean

You would be surprised at how well it sells.... Rings are a bit slower because it takes a buyer with a certain finger size, plus if they appeal to the buyer's tastes.

I'll put at least 3 items in a bag and mark it $2. The $8 dollar bags had assorted beads or stones on cords, or plated galky loop chains, or Tommy Hilfiger brands mixed in.

A Zip-lock baggie works well, not the thin sandwich baggies that fold over and use a perm. marker to mark your price. Some bags I've seen were also stapled shut. One larger bag I bought, had "ALL or Nothing---$10". I could see several heavy bracelets stamped .925, so I bought. When I sold it in my garage sale, I left the saying on the bag, and marked to $8.... It worked

At my last garage sale, two weeks ago, a lady came buy. She bought several bags and told of her problem at her own garage sale. She bagged up jewelry, but didn't keep it close to where she sat. She said she had more than half of it stolen as different people were seen walking away without paying.

From what I've learned, get a good pocket magnifier with a 5x or 10x, or 16x power. Check out your jewelry and the earring posts, or necklace clasps, to see if they are stamped with .925.... I've had to use the 16x power on some, but it's shown me markings I couldn't see, and for sure, the last owner didn't see. Three times I've found markings of "10kt", ".583", and ".585".... all were sold for $1 or less.

 

[SEANO]

Nice Post Bill! Great job!

Have a question about your $8 bags that you sell. Can you explain this a little more. Do you sell them at you garage sales or flea markets? How much is a bag? Do they sell well?
I have lots of leftover costume jewelry to move too.

Thank for any help.

Sean

You would be surprised at how well it sells.... Rings are a bit slower because it takes a buyer with a certain finger size, plus if they appeal to the buyer's tastes.

I'll put at least 3 items in a bag and mark it $2. The $8 dollar bags had assorted beads or stones on cords, or plated galky loop chains, or Tommy Hilfiger brands mixed in.

A Zip-lock baggie works well, not the thin sandwich baggies that fold over and use a perm. marker to mark your price. Some bags I've seen were also stapled shut. One larger bag I bought, had "ALL or Nothing---$10". I could see several heavy bracelets stamped .925, so I bought. When I sold it in my garage sale, I left the saying on the bag, and marked to $8.... It worked

At my last garage sale, two weeks ago, a lady came buy. She bought several bags and told of her problem at her own garage sale. She bagged up jewelry, but didn't keep it close to where she sat. She said she had more than half of it stolen as different people were seen walking away without paying.

From what I've learned, get a good pocket magnifier with a 5x or 10x, or 16x power. Check out your jewelry and the earring posts, or necklace clasps, to see if they are stamped with .925.... I've had to use the 16x power on some, but it's shown me markings I couldn't see, and for sure, the last owner didn't see. Three times I've found markings of "10kt", ".583", and ".585".... all were sold for $1 or less.

Trying the "quote" thing to see if it post the blue quote box in my post.

Thanks for the info. Bill, very good stuff. Gonna print it out and put it in the ref. folder.

I have a 10x loop with light, but I generally don't use it at sales, unless there's no one else there and I have extra time. I'm usually trying to maximize my # of visited sales. I'm at the reading glasses age so I have those and a hand mag. glass. If I see a .925 or other, good chance there's more. I Will be getting a 16x now, thanks.

The wife has started to enjoy going w/me. That's not always good, but sometimes has helped having an extra pair or eyes.. and hands.

Good advise on keeping it (Jewelry) close to you at your own garage sales!!

Sean

 

[cyberdan]

I have a 10x loop with light, but I generally don't use it at sales, unless there's no one else there and I have extra time.

I use mine all the time. I would never spot a mark without it.
Doesn't bother me if someone see me. It is like someone with a stethoscope hanging around a neck, you just assume they are medical professionals.

As soon as I start using it people ask if I am a jeweler. I tell them I used to be a silversmith (truth) and then some will ask my opinion on watches or rings.

 

[SEANO]

I have a 10x loop with light, but I generally don't use it at sales, unless there's no one else there and I have extra time.

I use mine all the time. I would never spot a mark without it.
Doesn't bother me if someone see me. It is like someone with a stethoscope hanging around a neck, you just assume they are medical professionals.

As soon as I start using it people ask if I am a jeweler. I tell them I used to be a silversmith (truth) and then some will ask my opinion on watches or rings.

Thanks. I think I will try to use it more often (loop). Just wish I could remember to shut the loop light off. May have to buy stock in a battery company..

 

[billjustbill]

Thanks. I think I will try to use it more often (loop). Just wish I could remember to shut the loop light off. May have to buy stock in a battery company..

The 10X magnifying I bought at a "Hobby Lobby" runs on two AAA batteries for the LED. I've lost count how many times I've pulled it out and used it to look in the back of shelving, backs of clothes-filled closets, and in dark places where there's no electricity like outbuildings or estate sales where the home has no power.

At one estate sale, the sellers put a card table in the corner of an interior room and filled the tabletop with older jewelry. The more people that came up to the table, they more they blocked any light coming from two doorways.... The little LED made all the difference in picking the jewelry fast enough and with some accuracy of getting Sterling...

Get yourself an LED light before the coming October weekends. People around North Texas still want to start their garage sales at 7:00 a.m., and with the days getting shorter, it's still dark. This last weekend, I found three BLACK plastic trays, each made to hold an assortment of fractional and numbered drill bits; each tray has 20 plus drill bits. Had it not been for my little light, I'd missed them, and the seller couldn't have quickly priced all three for $10 unless she took them back to the porch light....where she might have asked a higher price... When Daylight Savings Time starts, it will be even darker....