December 10, 2016

Get Rich with these Practical Lessons from the Biggest Gold Discoveries

December 10, 2016/ Barry Lenson

For centuries, people have been finding small amounts of gold – earrings hiding in dresser drawers, old coins, floor sweepings from old factory floors. Thanks to the high price that every ounce of gold commands, those discoveries are worthwhile. But then there are the discoveries of immense quantities of the precious metal that have been made over the centuries. Let’s learn some lessons from them that you can use as you hunt for precious, recyclable gold.

August 05, 2016

Can You Bring Gold into the U.S. Without Paying Duty or Taxes?

August 05, 2016/ Barry Lenson

Yes, things are about to change in Great Britain, and possibly in other countries that might also chose to withdraw from the E.U. But before we get too concerned about our English and European cousins, let’s ask an even more important question: Do you have to pay duties on gold that you bring into the U.S. today?

July 08, 2016

Could Gold Be Hiding Under that Plaster or Paint?

July 08, 2016/ Barry Lenson

Those two exotic stories remind us that over the years, people have taken pains to disguise gold items from thieves, invading armies, greedy relatives and other hostile forces. At other times, gold has become hidden from sight by fires, drifting sand and other natural forces. What should you be on the lookout for? Here’s a quick list…

June 24, 2016

Can Gold Be Hardened?

June 24, 2016/ Barry Lenson

It might be tempting to think that gold cannot be forged. After all, it is so malleable that that banging on it will only make it spread out, not harden. Yet over the centuries, jewelers have developed two techniques that are called “forging” even though they are a lot different from the kind of forging that is used to harden steel...

May 28, 2016

Should You Carry a Magnet When You Go Hunting for Gold?

May 28, 2016/ Barry Lenson

Second, our caller was not correct when he said that a magnet wouldn’t tell him anything he needed to know along when he went hunting for gold. In fact, a magnet really can provide some valuable information in situations like these...

May 13, 2016

Unusual Places to Buy Gold

May 13, 2016/ Barry Lenson

Stories have been making the news lately about a new vending ATM machine dispenses gold bullion bars. The company that makes the machines, Gold to Go, says that it has installed its machines in Dubai, Germany, Spain and the USA. There are even videos to watch online that show the machines being used by customers. They walk up, deposit bills or slide in a credit card and pick the bullion they want to buy.

April 22, 2016

Gold in the Great Religions

April 22, 2016/ Barry Lenson

No doubt, the spring season triggers thoughts of rebirth and renewal in all those religions. That made us wonder how many stories from the world’s great religions have to do with gold. Here are some that we found for you. And interesting to note, they just might contain some useful lessons about how to find gold in your own hunting for recyclable treasures.

April 15, 2016

Do You Have to Pay Income Tax when You Find Gold?

April 15, 2016/ Barry Lenson

The good news is that you found a lot of gold. The bad news is that you probably have to declare the value of the gold as income when you file your taxes and then pay income tax on it. That’s the lesson we learn from a now-classic court 1969 case called Cesarini v. United States. We’ll tell you all about that court case in a minute, but for now let us say that we’re only telling you about it for informational purposes and are not offering you legal advice.

April 01, 2016

Don’t Be Fooled by Gold on April Fool’s Day

April 01, 2016/ Barry Lenson

During the great gold rush, some prospectors were fooled by fool’s gold. It doesn’t happen often these days but sad to say, people continue to make other foolish mistakes about gold – and lose money. Let’s take a look at some of costly blunders people still make when buying or selling gold today.

December 18, 2015

How to Add Ancient Gold Coins to Your Investment Portfolio at Surprisingly Low Cost

December 18, 2015/ Barry Lenson

Have you ever visited a museum and marveled at the ancient gold coins on display? You might have seen some with the images of Julius Caesar, Ptolemy, Alexander the Great, or even Pontius Pilate. Chances are that you looked at them in and thought, “This stuff must be extremely rare – it’s for museums, not private collectors like me.” It’s logical to think that way, but actually incorrect.

November 23, 2015

All Signs Point to Gold Bullion as a Great Year-End Investment

November 23, 2015/ Barry Lenson

Gold bullion offers one of our favorite precious metal investments. If you read that last sentence, you’re probably thinking, “Hey, you’re a precious metal recycling company, aren’t you? So why are you writing about investing in bullion bars? You don’t have to test, refine and recycle them, right?” We have a simple answer. When we see a good investing opportunity, we want you to know about it. And then there’s the fact that we can help you select, buy, store and sell gold bullion bars. So we’re happy to share this advice with you.

November 06, 2015

Profitable, Perfectly Legal Lessons You Can Learn from Gold Heists

November 06, 2015/ Barry Lenson

Here at Gold Refiners.com, part of Specialty Metals Smelters and Refiners, we are 100% committed to doing business honestly and ethically. We very rarely get calls from people who want us to extract precious metals in ways that shortcut environmental laws, for example. But when we do, we turn that business away. Yet the fact remains that some lessons can be learned from crooks – the most successful of them are pretty smart, after all – about how to honestly get some more profit from gold.

October 23, 2015

Does Country of Origin Affect the Value of Gold Bullion Bars or Coins?

October 23, 2015/ Barry Lenson

The short answer to that question is that gold is gold, no matter whether it comes from Australia, England, China, Canada, South Africa or anywhere else. But there is more to it than that, because not all gold investment items are made of pure 24k gold. That is especially true if you are investing in gold coins, not bullion bars, because many of them contain small amounts of other metals that have been added to make them more durable. That explains why some popular investment coins, like the American Eagle and the South African Krugerrand, are actually made of 22k gold – only .9167pure.

September 18, 2015

Why Not Spend Your Next Vacation Looking at Gold?

September 18, 2015/ Barry Lenson

People have been enthralled with gold since ancient times. If you love it too, why not spend part of your next vacation looking at it, learning about it – and maybe even finding some and bringing it home? There are many ways to make gold part of your vacation. Here is just a small sample of what you can do.

September 11, 2015

Discoveries of Gold and Silver Encourage Us All to Keep Hunting for Precious Metals

September 11, 2015/ Barry Lenson

Keep looking! Gold and other precious metals are still out there waiting to be discovered. If you doubt it, here are some stories that should make you think again...

August 28, 2015

Can You Find Hidden Gold in Auctioned Cars, Trains, Boats and Planes?

August 28, 2015/ Barry Lenson

Have you heard that a few men in Poland claim to have found a train that the Nazis hid in a tunnel at the end of World War II? That report makes us think about all the stories that have circulated over the years about gold hidden in boats, cars and airplanes that were formerly owned by drug dealers, smugglers and other bad people. So, what are the odds that you really can buy a car or boat at an auction and find gold in a hidden compartment?

August 21, 2015

What You Need to Know about Investing in Gold Medals

August 21, 2015/ Barry Lenson

It is also important to consider collectible value. Like rare coins, some rare and significant commemoratives can have value to collectors that makes them worth more than the melt value of the metals they contain. But be aware of this: Gold-toned commemoratives that are being sold currently by commercial mints are usually plated with extremely thin layers of gold – not enough to be worth recycling.

August 14, 2015

Where to Look for Small, Easy-to-Find Pieces of Gold that You Can Recycle Profitably

August 14, 2015/ Barry Lenson

The best thing about looking for small pieces of gold is that if you start looking, you are really going to find them. (That cannot be said if you go out and buy a metal detector, for example, or if you put on scuba gear and start poking around on the ocean floor.) Here are some of the places where you are going to find small pieces of gold.

August 02, 2015

Investment Strategy - Give Gold to Your Children Now Tax-Free, Watch it Appreciate

August 02, 2015/ Barry Lenson

If you’ve been watching gold prices over the last month, you’re aware that trading prices have fallen to historical lows. That leads to the obvious conclusion that this is a pretty bad time to sell gold. But here’s a contrarian investment idea to consider. If you have gold that you don’t want to sell now, why not give it to your children?

July 10, 2015

Is There Hidden Treasure in Your Home?

July 10, 2015/ Barry Lenson

If you own an old house, there is a pretty good chance that a previous occupant hid something valuable in it. People conceal valuables to hide them from thieves and from their own family members. Sometimes they hide cash they have earned to avoid paying income tax on it. Sometimes they even hide things that they have stolen.

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