Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with gold

Best way to turn gold into dollar bills?

kestralwing — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 12:25:03 -0800

Basic dumb question that could use a little expert advice. What's the best way to turn gold into cash? I've got two Krugerrands in my safe deposit box, but now I need the money. I live in a small town; we have banks and one coin shop. But I'm reluctant to just go up to someone at a counter and say "what will you give me?" Any advice? (Beyond "keep it, it's going up up up." I need to pay my dentist now.)

Porcelain or MetalFilter

PhoBWanKenobi — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 14:00:43 -0800

How bad is tooth sensitivity from gold inlays? I just got the bad news from my dentist that, despite brushing and flossing daily (really, I'm a nerd about flossing!), I need a whole bunch of cavities filled. Several of these are on teeth with existing fillings, on which he wants to place inlays.

I have the option of either getting gold or porcelain inlays. I actually kind of like the idea of having gold in my teeth; I'm not terribly bothered by the aesthetic aspect, since they're back molars that already have silver amalgam fillings in them. And gold fillings would cost about fifty dollars less a tooth after insurance--which, considering the inlays are going to cost around five hundred dollars each, isn't a huge savings, but it's still a nice dinner out.

This previous ask.metafilter post suggests that gold fillings are superior in most aspects except for aesthetics (again, not a concern) and sensitivity. Back then, a mefite described a gold crown as "exquisitely cold-sensitive." I already have some sensitivity in these teeth because of the caries, but, well, I love a nice hot tea. And ice pops in the summer! Do you have any experiences with gold inlays and tooth sensitivity? Is it really so bad that I'd be better getting porcelain, despite issues with wear and fragility, and despite the fact that I find the idea of gold teeth to be sort of wickedly awesome?

Need to convert gold to cash at the best rate.

Vorteks — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 19:49:14 -0800

How can someone sell gold and or jewelry for the best price? I'm asking this question on behalf of a friend.

She's down on her luck and is looking to sell some of her jewelry, especially gold jewelry. Of course, there are myriads of places that buy gold, including local jewelers and "cash for gold" places. But are they the best place to go? How do you know if you're getting a fair price? How does one research the going rate? Is it better to sell jewelry as jewelry, or as scrap?

Thank you for any advice.

Gold fences on tv

yesster — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 20:46:02 -0800

Are those cash for gold outfits advertising on tv operating as a fence for stolen jewelry? It just seemed to me on first seeing the ads that their target customers would be petty crooks. 'We melt it ourselves' means no traceability.

Where to buy wholesale price gold earrings

KimikoPi — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 22:40:24 -0800

Where can I get wholesale price gold hoop earrings in Los Angeles? I actually work very close to the downtown LA jewelry district, but it's kind of a mindboggling maze. Are those stores actually wholesalers or do they get their inventory from wholesale stores? Bottom line: what is the cheapest place to buy real gold hoop earrings in bulk (say, 10-20 at a time). And what do you think is the wholesale price for 18k or 24k gold hoop earrings?

When the bling don't bling...

TigerMoth — Thu, 28 May 2009 12:01:23 -0800

$Filter: Was there ever a time when gold was NOT accepted as a medium of exchange? That's not to ask, "Was gold ever not a currency?", but rather: Is there any historical event/period in which gold was REFUSED as a commodity?

I guess personal accounts are fine too (!), but what I'm really after is an at least quasi-systematic institutionalized [however small, localized, or short-lived] debasement of gold. (If so, interesting to know what actually was valuable in that context--and why...)

Where to buy a replica of ancient Minoan bee pendant

crookedgrin — Tue, 05 May 2009 07:37:11 -0800

Jewelry filter: Looking to buy a replica of the ancient Minoan bee pendant found near Knossos, Crete. Preferably gold, preferably under $200. My girlfriend and I visited Crete last year and she really liked the ancient golden pendant with the two bees. I was hoping to get her a replica for our anniversary, but the only ones I've seen have been either really cheap, crude silver replicas or pretty expensive gold ones (like over $600). Anyone know if there's a middle ground somewhere? I'm guessing custom jewelry would be more expensive, not less; is this a good assumption?

Meaning of Quote

GhislainTwo — Sat, 02 May 2009 10:28:20 -0800

What is the meaning of the Benjamin Franklin quote: "The proof of gold is fire; the proof of woman, gold; the proof of man, a woman."

Matching a shade of gold in photographs

ukdanae — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 05:04:15 -0800

I have an engagement ring that is a unique shade of gold. How do i accurately depict that shade to a goldsmith 2,000 miles away? My engagement ring is an antique, and is a pale shade of rose gold - a jeweller here in the UK described it as "pink" gold, but to my understanding there is no exact guide between "pink" and "rose", just a suggestion of intensity. I'd like to get a wedding band made to match both the colour and shape of my engagement ring, and have found a goldsmith in the states who has quoted me at least £100 less than my UK jeweller.

The wrinkle is, I don't want to mail my engagement ring anywhere, especially because it's an antique and in many ways, irreplaceable.

My question is:

1. Can you think of any creative way that i can depict an accurate shade of my ring to the jeweller so he can make a reasonable match, or

2. Is this just not going to work, and should i stop overthinking this and pay the extra £100? (I'd prefer to avoid this as we have the rest of the wedding to pay for)

Apart from taking the photo on a plain white background, the only idea that I have so far is to photograph the ring with something that is a constant colour - a red Lego brick, for example, so that he could compare like for like. I know how difficult colour-matching can be in photos, though, so I'm not sure if this is a lost cause or something worth pursuing.

Is this for realz?

pearlybob — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 13:42:27 -0800

Going to a Gold Party tonight. Help me make the most of my bamboo hoop earrings... I'm going to a gold party and want to know as many details as possible on how this works before I go. I have a good bit of "old" gold and I want to be sure I don't get taken. Anybody know how this works? I have no details other than to bring my unwanted jewelry. Any tips appreciated!

Gold up North

Rafaelloello — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 02:15:08 -0800

What's the best way for an American Citizen to: 1. Buy Canadian Gold AND 2. Secure it (store it) in Canada? I would like to buy Canadian bullion and safely store it in Canada. Own the hard coins and keep them somewhere safe across the border where I can access them on demand, pure and simple. Since I haven't purchased them yet, I would appreciate advice on where and how to buy them and where to keep them. What are the tax/customs implications of buying in the US versus buying in Canada?

Thanks in advance.

Where do I sell gold ingots?

Ziggurat — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 20:51:48 -0800

Where do I go to sell some 1 oz gold ingots. They're bullion (i believe that's the term) and definitely have no value beyond that of the gold itself. To maybe complicate matters slightly, I'm in Vancouver, in Canada. Bonus question: Would I expect to get something close to the price per ounce when I sell these? Or is it like the currency exchange rate, where you actually get a small but significant % less than the going rate.

Gold! Always believe in your soul, you've got the power to know...

Zé Pequeno — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 07:54:22 -0800

I am basing my Masters in International Business thesis on Prof. Barry Eichengreen's 1998 paper, 'Does Mercosur Need a Single Currency?' Although by no means an expert, I've been interested in the Austrian School for a long time and, as a result, am instinctively distrustful of central banks and fiat money. Can anyone direct me to any reputable, well-written and persuasive essays arguing the inherent weaknesses of currency unions in relation to this? I'm also keen to read any persuasive essays able to stand up to close scrutiny that successfully argue a reintroduction of the Gold Standard.

I know many economists dismiss Austrian economics as voodoo science, so I don't wish to get involved in an academic discussion.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Gold basics

anonymous78 — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 14:16:07 -0800

Help my buy my first pair of gold earrings. What do I need to know? I want to buy a pair of simple studs. What should I look for - price-wise, karat-wise, quality-wise, etc. I'm living in Egypt, in case that matters.

Sell my booty!

Anonymous — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 06:52:59 -0800

How to sell a large-ish quantity of silver bullion and gold coins? A relative recently gave me a few hundred ounces of silver bullion, about a hundred silver half-dollars and some gold coins, mostly American.

What is the best way to sell? From previous questions I take it that finding a coin dealer via the American Numismatic Association is the way to go to sell the bullion. But what about the coins? I see a wide variation in the selling price for some equivalent coins on Ebay. Do I go to a dealer for these as well?

Bonus question: Does the IRS automatically find out about this?

Olympic number crunching.

markkraft — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 21:02:59 -0800

How do you rate which country is "leading" in the Olympics? I ask this, because the latest figures are as follows:

Gold Silver Bronze Total
1. China 46 15 22 83
2. United States 29 35 34 98
3. Great Britain 17 12 11 40

results.beijing2008.cn

I assumed that the overall rating was based on 3 pts for a Gold, 2 Silver, 1 Bronze, which would mean that China is at 190 points and that the U.S. is at 191 points.

So, what gives?! Is there something offficial out there from the Olympic Comittee -- or a historical example -- of how the rankings are reached? If so, who's in the lead currently by how much?!

Test their medal.

furtive — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 07:07:14 -0800

Who's the first person to bite their medal (photos or it never happened) during the Olympics? The earliest one I know of is 1988 but the practice must go back way earlier than that?

How can I sell these vintage gold watches?

twiggy32 — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 18:36:15 -0800

What's the best way to sell vintage gold watches? I have a 10k gold-filled Omega watch appraised at $900 and a 14k white gold Omega watch with 8 small diamonds appraised at $2800. Both are vintage ladies watches. I am looking for the best way to sell them that will bring in the most value and not result in me getting scammed. I have looked through previous threads, but they are either New York-specific or simply advise selling them for scrap. Since they are very small watches, I don't think selling them for scrap based on weight would bring anywhere near their value. Are there other options to sell these watches? Is eBay a good idea or a bad idea? What can I realistically hope to get for these watches? I'm in Arizona if it matters.

Is this gold?

Brodiggitty — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 12:30:48 -0800

Is that gold I'm seeing in this hunk of quartz? My girlfriend found the rock in Dawson City, Yukon while walking on the tailings of an old gold mine. I realize it's nowhere near pure, but amongst the grime and silvery metal, there is something metallic and gold coloured.

I know that veins of gold are found in quartz, and I'm fairly sure this is a hunk of quartz. The next picture in the album is the reverse side of the rock.

If it's not gold, what mineral/metal is it?

How would I go about buying gold?

muthecow — Wed, 28 May 2008 10:02:07 -0800

How would I go about buying gold? It has long been a fantasy of mine to buy some gold when I have a bit (lot) of spare cash. However I do not intend to buy it to trade on the commodities markets, rather I would like it delivered to my house. Right now this is a purely theoretical question, but in practice how would you go about doing this? Who would I ask to buy me a bar of gold and how would I go about getting it delivered to my house?

Furthermore could this then be extended to, say, buying a barrel of oil and having it shipped to my front door? How about wheat? Metals?

Identify this 80s movie featuring Indy-type blond heroine and... Aztecs?

gentle — Fri, 23 May 2008 13:30:57 -0800

Back in the 1980s, I remember watching a bizarre sort of Indiana Jones-copycat treasure-hunting/western movie. It featured a young, blond Daryl Hannah lookalike and possibly Aztecs who liked to dip humans head-first in liquid gold before decapitating them. It was fairly violent stuff, and one scene had the characters being horrified when one of their comrades returned headless on a horse. The whole thing must have been somewhat tongue-in-cheek, however, because it ended with a humorous 70s-style montage that set up a (presumably fake) sequel with the blond girl as a butt-kicking Indy-type heroine. I am pretty sure it was made in the 80s, and I remember the dialogue as being English, but I could be wrong; all I know is that Bud Spencer and Terence Hill weren't in it. Ring any bells?

Paris+Gold+Grain Metaphor =What book?

conch soup — Fri, 09 May 2008 17:03:09 -0800

What book is this? I remember an intro that describes Paris, focuses on gold, and has some analogy about the city's inhabitants being like wheat or grain. This is driving me crazy- I can remember the imagery but not the title or author. This was, I believe a book written more than 80 years ago, but not more than 300. I'd guess somewhere in the 1800s. Maybe I'm mixing up some detail, but I don't think so. I think the description is even in the first page of this book (I read it in college years ago) but my searches have turned up nothing. Paris+Gold+(some grain)Metaphor for humanity=?

How to create a final gold master

jimmy0x52 — Tue, 06 May 2008 07:43:00 -0800

Burning a gold master - special discs? Software? Burners? Need to burn a disc that's going into multi-thousand production duplication I'm creating a software program that's going to be distributed on DVD. Is there a special way of creating the final, master disc than just burning one in my computer's drive? Are there software, hardware and media considerations to take into account? These will need to be burned, and then shipped across the country for production.

Help me mefi's!

Selling gold in Cleveland

elmwood — Fri, 02 May 2008 09:02:21 -0800

I just got laid off from my job. Considering that I haven't worn my gold college ring in close to two decades, I'd like to sell it. However, the various "send us your gold" services advertised on television supposedly pay far below the market rate, and there's no New York City-style gold and jewelery merchants in the area. So, where can I sell a gold ring in Cleveland, and get a fair price for it?

I just wanna know where da gold

c:\awesome — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 15:36:26 -0800

Has anyone here taken the free tour of the New York Federal Reserve? If so, how was it? Did you get to see lots of gold bullion and cool vaults, or was it more educational and illustrative in nature?