Now you don’t have to take our word for it anymore. Mommy blogger and product reviewer, Nugglemama from Quebec City, shares her own experiences selling her unwanted jewellery to Gold Guys.

Nugglemama’s review of the Gold Guys mail-in service

“My experience was definitely positive and I will be recommending them to family and friends. Check them out for yourself, I have a feeling you will be laughing all the way to the bank.”  Read Nugglemama’s blog post about Gold Guys.

• If the jewellery is broken, damaged, or greatly out of fashion, then it will likely only fetch the melt value of the gold without any compensation for beauty, craftsmanship, or sentimental value. Even precious stones might be declined.
• If the jewellery is fashionable or antique, it might be better sold for its resale value (usually much higher than melt value) directly to a jeweller or through online classifieds.
• Careful sellers familiarize themselves with the current price of gold in order to evaluate the fairness of any offer.

Less often, but certainly not rare, are gold coins being sold.  As with jewellery, gold coins can be divided into two categories for sale:

• Gold bullion coins are those which are essentially gold minted into coin form – a gold investment vehicle available to anybody. The value of these is solely based on the gold content of the coin.
• Collectable gold coins (numismatic coins) are those which are rare and are of interest to collectors. the value of these coins not only takes into account the gold content, but also the rarity and condition. A local numismatic society or association can be of service in determining a reasonable selling price, as well as recommending reputable dealers.

There were two different coins issued at that time, and they are of vastly different worth to gold buyers, but both carry a face value of $100!

So, if you have a 1976 gold Olympic commemorative coin, here’s how to tell what you have.

Can you spot the differences between the following two coins?

14K Gold 1976 commemorative coin

• Is 27 millimeters in diameter
• Weighs 13.3 grams
• Has a milgrain (raised,beaded edge) around its circumference
• Was sold in a cardboard envelope with window
• How to calculate the value: find out the current spot price of gold (per gram), and then multiply that number by 7.91, (there are 7.91 grams of gold in this coin). The resulting number is the coin’s current value in dollars.

22K Gold 1976 commemorative coin

• Is 25 millimeters in diameter
• Weighs 16.97 grams
• No milgrain (raised,beaded edge) around its circumference
• Was sold in a wood and leather presentation box
• How to calculate the value: find out the current spot price of gold (per gram), and then multiply that number by 15.56, (there are 15.56 grams of gold in this coin). The resulting number is the coin’s current value in dollars.

So, since we had to put this together for ourselves, we figured why not share it with our clients and visitors. We can’t be the only people looking for this info, right?

Just to be extra nice, we also made an easy-to-download pdf of this table for you to keep and reference.

American Eagles
Value	Dates	Diameter (mm)	Weight (grams)	Fineness	AGW (troy oz.)	Gold Content (grams)
$50.00		32.7	34.050	0.9170	1.0000	31.2239
$25.00		27	17.025	0.9170	0.5000	15.6119
$10.00		22	8.513	0.9170	0.2500	7.8064
$5.00		16.5	3.412	0.9170	0.1000	3.1288
American Buffalo
Value	Dates	Diameter (mm)	Weight (grams)	Fineness	AGW (troy oz.)	Gold Content (grams)
$50.00		32.7	31.107	0.9999	1.0000	31.1035
Austrian 1 Ducat
Value	Dates	Diameter (mm)	Weight (grams)	Fineness	AGW (troy oz.)	Gold Content (grams)
	1598 – 1779	20.0	3.500	0.9860	0.1109	3.4510
	-1705	20.0	3.491	0.9860	0.1106	3.4420
Austrian 4 Ducats
Value	Dates	Diameter (mm)	Weight (grams)	Fineness	AGW (troy oz.)	Gold Content (grams)
	1612 – 1830	40.0	14.000	0.9860	0.4438	13.8040
	-1835	40.0	13.370	0.9860	0.4430	13.1824
Austrian Philharmonikers
Value	Dates	Diameter (mm)	Weight (grams)	Fineness	AGW (troy oz.)	Gold Content (grams)
2000 Schillings	1989 – 2001	36.5	31.105	0.9999	1.0000	31.1019
100 Euros	-2002	36.5	31.105	0.9999	1.0000	31.1019
1000 Schillings	1989 – 2001	28.0	15.550	0.9999	0.5000	15.5484
1000 Schillings	-2002	28.0	15.550	0.9999	0.5000	15.5484
500 Schillings	1989 – 2001	22.0	7.780	0.9999	0.2500	7.7792
500 Schillings	-2002	22.0	7.780	0.9999	0.2500	7.7792
200 Schillings	1989 – 2001	16.0	3.110	0.9999	0.1000	3.1097
25 Euros	-2002	16.0	3.110	0.9999	0.1000	3.1097
British Gold Sovereigns
Value	Dates	Diameter (mm)	Weight (grams)	Fineness	AGW (troy oz.)	Gold Content (grams)
	1817 – 2010	22.1	7.980	0.9166	0.2354	7.3145
	1817 – 2010	19.3	3.990	0.9166	0.1177	3.6572
Canadian Commemoratives
Value	Dates	Diameter (mm)	Weight (grams)	Fineness	AGW (troy oz.)	Gold Content (grams)
$20.00	1967	26.0	18.273	0.9000	0.5288	16.4460
$50.00	2008		31.105	0.9999	1.0000	31.1019
$75.00	2009	27.0	12.000	0.5850	0.2257	31.2239
$100.00	1976	27.0	13.338	0.5930	0.2500	7.9091
$100.00	1976	25.0	16.966	0.9170	0.5000	15.5574
$100.00	1977 – 1986	27.0	16.966	0.9170	0.5000	15.5574
$100.00	1987 – 2001	27.0	13.338	0.5830	0.2500	7.7761
$150.00	2001	28.1	13.610	0.7500	0.3282	10.2075
$175.00	1992	28.0	16.970	0.5000		8.4850
$200.00	1990 – 1991	29.0	17.135	0.9166	0.5050	15.7059
$350.00		34.0	38.050	1.0000	1.2233	38.0496
Canadian Maple
Value	Dates	Diameter (mm)	Weight (grams)	Fineness	AGW (troy oz.)	Gold Content (grams)
$50.00	1979 – 1982	30.0	31.103	0.9990	1.0000	31.0719
$50.00	-1983	30.0	31.103	0.9999	1.0000	31.0999
$20.00	-1986	25.0	15.552	0.9999	0.5000	15.5499
$10.00	-1982	20.0	7.785	0.9999	0.2500	7.7842
$5.00	-1982	16.0	3.120	0.9999	0.1000	3.1197
$2.00	-1994	15.0	2.074	0.9999	0.0666	2.0733
$1.00	-1993	14.0	1.555	0.9999	0.0500	1.5549
Chinese Pandas
Value	Dates	Diameter (mm)	Weight (grams)	Fineness	AGW (troy oz.)	Gold Content (grams)
100 Yuan		32.1	31.104	0.9990	1.0000	31.0725
50 Yuan		27.0	15.552	0.9990	0.5000	15.5361
25 Yuan		22.0	7.776	0.9990	0.2500	7.7680
10 Yuan		18.0	3.110	0.9990	0.1000	3.1072
5 Yuan		13.9	1.555	0.9990	0.0500	1.5536
Krugerrands
Value	Dates	Diameter (mm)	Weight (grams)	Fineness	AGW (troy oz.)	Gold Content (grams)
10 Rands			33.931	0.9170	1.0000	31.1143
5 Rands			16.965	0.9170	0.5000	15.5572
2.5 Rands			8.483	0.9170	0.2500	7.7785
1 Rand			3.393	0.9170	0.1000	3.1115
Mexican Pesos
Value	Dates	Diameter (mm)	Weight (grams)	Fineness	AGW (troy oz.)	Gold Content (grams)
50 Pesos		36 mm	41.670	0.9000	1.2057	37.5030

While we were expecting the typical sensationalist journalism taking the easy road and reporting solely on the complaints and charges that swirl around Dollars 4 Gold, Tanya surprised us pleasantly by going deeper and providing tips and advice on what to realistically expect from gold buyers.

Sure, D4G almost begs for the negative press because of their payouts, but sellers also enter into these deals with dreams of riches and often complain loudly when confronted with the words, “Really, that is the absolute most we can give you for this.”

As Tanya Krywiak points out:

• Your gold will be assessed for its melt value, not for its resell value, age, artistry or sentiment.
• Your gold will be assessed for its karat – a 10K gold item has less than 50% gold content!
• Your gold will be assessed for gold weight only, the weight of any pearls or stones will be subtracted from the total item weight.
• An offer will typically be made based on the day’s gold spot price. Knowing what that is will help you decide if the purchase offer is fair and reasonable.
• If you sell to an online buyer, investigate them! Test how reachable they are by calling or emailing. Check the BBB for any complaints. Know their policies on getting your gold back if you decline the offer.

Sterling silver (at least 92.5% silver content in the piece) is the standard ideal, and typically the first test you’ll want to perform is a visual inspection for any stamps on the piece that identify it as Sterling. The most common stamps are:

• STERLING
• STER
• 9.25
• 925
• STERLING 925
• S/S
• 925/1000
• A standing lion, lion head

If you find any of the following stamps, you’ll know that your piece is silver plated, and is not worth anyone’s effort to revover the silver content:

• PLATED
• SP
• EPNS

If you find no stamps, can’t make out the stamp, or find a stamp not identified above, you can also test it with a strong magnet (silver will not be drawn to a magnet, but steel and iron will), or rub it firmly with a soft cloth (silver will blacken the cloth). Neither of these tests is definitive.

A qualified jeweller can perform an acid test to determine with certainty whether your items is solid, quality, valuable silver.

Gold has jumped 6% during February and is over $44,860 / kilo this first week of March, breaking the previous record high set in December of 2010.

On the New York Comex exchange, the price of gold reached $1,434.40, a record for that market, before pulling back slightly.

Meanwhile oil prices, which have also been on the up since unrest broke out in North Africa and the Middle East, rose again on Tuesday.

Gold Guys decided to take our services on the road and to host our own public gold party at the Stephen Shaar Community Center in Hudson, QC. We did not know what to expect… would it be a complete bust or an unquestionable success?

From a gold buying point of view the weekend was well worth it, but from a “making connections” point of view the weekend was fantastic! The people from Hudson and neighbouring towns are so friendly, open and relaxed that each of the four of us commented on it. A beautiful region, and great residents.

We’ll definitely be coming back to Hudson later on, and will also be taking our travelling gold buying road show to other small towns – but they’ll all have a lot to measure up to.

Shout out to Sharon from the Hudson Dance Center – it was a pleasure meeting you, and we hope to see you again soon, (give some thought to your own gold party!).