Some small gold and gold-filled items are easy to overlook. They roll around in drawers. They escape notice at antique malls and estate sales. But make no mistake about it. If you keep your eyes open for them and buy them and set them aside for processing by a qualified gold refinery, they can put a lot more dollars in your pocket than you expect.

Today, we’re sharing the following list of small gold items that are not on most people’s radar.

An assortment of gold, gold-plated and gold-filled items that you can recycle with Gold Refiners, part of Specialty Metals Smelters & Refiners, LLC. Credit: LiliGraphie/iStock/Thinkstock.

Gold Bezels

A bezel is a round gold or gold-filled ring designed to hold and display a coin. They look like rings, but they aren’t. Many of them have a small screw at the edge. You put your coin in, tighten the screw, and then you can wear your coin on a chain as a necklace or pin it to your lapel. Be on the lookout for them at estate sales or on eBay, where they come up more often than you might expect.

Golf-Related Items and Accessories

If you keep your eyes open, you can find a variety of gold and gold-filled accessories. Some of the most common, and easiest to overlook, are divot tools – the little comb-like tools that golfers use to repair divots in greens. (If you’re not a golfer, let us explain that a divot is a hole made in the turf when it is hit by a golf club.) Some divot tools are stamped with karat gold markings. You can also find medals, trophies and other memorabilia that are gold-filled. One recent item on eBay was a gold-filled key chain from a Connecticut golf club, made in the 1940s.

Smokers’ Accessories

You won’t need to hunt too long before you find them. There are cigar and cigarette holders with gold-filled decorative rings around them. You’ll also find silver lighters – both pocket lighters and larger ones designed to sit on tables – that have gold accents. We’ve even seen a cigar cutter (a tool that trims off the end of a cigar before smoking) and a cigar case with gold trim on its lid and lock. Many old cigarette cases were made of silver but if you are alert, you could find some with gold-plated accents. Keep your eyes open for these items.

Pool Cues

Granted, you won’t find gold-trimmed pool cues too often. But some custom-made ones are decorated with gold accents and rings. So it you happen to see a rack of old pool cues at an estate sale or antique store, be sure to give them a close look and snap up any that could have recyclable gold.

Musical Instruments and Accessories

Some older violin bows are decorated with ivory (be careful when selling them because you can violate laws that protect endangered species if you sell them) and also with small gold accents like rings and inlays. So if you come across an old violin at a tag sale, it can be a good idea to ignore the violin and look at its bow. In the past, some flutes were equipped with gold-plated valves and mouthpieces; there have also been solid-gold flutes, but chances are pretty slim that you will find one at an estate sale or antique mall. Other music-related items can include old wooden metronomes with gold accents and musical trophies and awards.

Religious Medals and other Items

We’ve written about religious medals and other artifacts before on this blog, but they are worth mentioning again in today’s post. Even easy-to-overlook small religious medals are often made of karat gold. They sometimes come up in estate sales, where their value can be missed.

Desktop Pen Sets and Business Accessories

Some are trimmed with gold-filled rings and small commemorative plaques. We have also seen gold-filled business card holders and business card cases that were created to help important people hand out their cards impressively. And don’t forget that there really was a time that when they retired, many executives got gold watches. They were often less-than-luxurious brands, but nonetheless they had gold or gold-filled cases and bands – and they are worth looking for.

Salt and Pepper Shakers and Tabletop Items

Most items that were created to adorn the tables of wealthy people in years past are made of silver, but if you come across a lot of tableware, it can pay you to take a closer look. You could find some gold-plated small items hiding alongside all the silver.

Set these Items Aside and then Call Us at 800-426-2344

Mention this blog post when you do, ask how you can send them to us for testing. We’re pleased to offer discounted or free shipping on some lots, so be sure to ask.

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Little Gold Items that Can Add Up to Big Dollars