How we test, grade and value
We do not publish what we pay. What we can do is explain exactly how an offer is arrived at, so you can judge the method rather than take a number on faith.
- 1
Intake and itemisation, with you present
Nothing goes into a back room. Everything is listed on the counter in front of you before any assessment begins.
- 2
Non-destructive testing
XRF analyser for purity, specific gravity where a piece warrants it, a magnet slide, and a loupe for hallmarks and mint marks. None of it damages the piece.
- 3
Grading and verification
Collectable coins are graded against the Sheldon scale. Third-party slabs are verified against the grading service's own registry rather than taken at face value.
- 4
The calculation, walked through
Weight in troy ounces and purity confirmed, then we explain how the number was reached for each item.
- 5
Written offer, itemized
No obligation and no fee if you decline. A good number of people take the valuation and leave with their collection.
Why an offer differs from headline metal prices
People often arrive having looked up the market price of gold and are surprised that a dealer's offer sits below it. That gap is real, it is not a trick, and it is worth understanding before you sell to anyone.
Part of it is refining. Scrap gold is not pure, and turning mixed jewelry into a saleable refined product costs money and takes time. Part of it is assay risk — until a piece is tested we are relying on marks that are sometimes wrong and occasionally fraudulent.
The largest part is holding. New Jersey requires licensed dealers to hold purchased items for a period before they can be resold or refined. During that hold we carry the item and the risk that the market moves against us. That risk has to be priced in, and every honest dealer prices it in.
A dealer who claims to pay the full market price is either not telling you the whole story or is making it back somewhere else — usually on the weight, the purity, or by quietly buying a collectable coin as scrap.
TODO — confirm the holding period applicable in each municipality before publishing.
Book an appraisal
No obligation, and no fee if you decide not to sell. Bring photo ID to any appointment — New Jersey requires it.