The Gold Hunt – Unlikely Places You Can Find Valuable Gold

Start at home

You might think, “Oh, I know I don't have any valuable gold or silver to sell; I won't even bother looking." But you would be surprised. Many older picture frames, cutlery, spoons, or tea sets can be made from solid silver, and you can sell that silver for cash.

Take a closer look inside jewellery drawers, especially at the bottom where older, broken and overlooked items often gather. Pieces such as earring backs, necklaces, brooches and single earrings, can be made from solid gold or 925 silver.

Have a look through your attic, you may find forgotten pieces that have been there for decade or uncover older treasures from previous owners.

Even tarnished, damaged, or broken pieces can get you good cash for the gold they contain. When on the hunt don't rule all silver-coloured pieces as 925 Silver, some are white gold. It can often be confused for silver but is just as valuable as yellow gold if of the same purity.

Check the car boot sales

At Cheshire Gold Xchange we have many regular sellers that find treasures at car boot sales, many make this a very rewarding hobby. Experienced bargain-hunters sometimes come across solid-gold pieces mixed in with costume items. Some of the solid gold pieces found often don't have hallmarks, but experienced buyers can usually gauge an idea if the piece is real gold just by the colour and texture of the metal.

Gold hallmarks at a glance

When you are out on the frontline, it's important to know what your looking for. Here is a list of the common gold purity hallmarks you can find in the UK.

The 1 gram gold hack

Under UK hallmarking rules, many tiny gold or other precious metal parts don’t need a hallmark if they weigh under 1 gram. That means an earring back or clasp can be genuine gold even if there’s no hallmark visible. Don’t throw the small stuff away, these items can add up in value when collected in bulk.

Source: UK government & Assay Offices (London/Birmingham). Hallmarking is only compulsory above these weights if an item is described as precious metal.

1. Gather the tiny parts. Earring backs (“butterflies”), broken clasps, pendant bails, chain tags and single studs often slip through the net. Collect and keep them in a small zip bag or pot.
2. Don’t rely on hallmarks alone. Under 1g, a hallmark isn’t required—so an unmarked back can still be gold. Conversely, some backs are base-metal even when the earring is gold. We’ll test each piece.
3. Check the posts and tags. On earrings, the post is more likely to carry a fineness number (e.g., 375, 585, 750) than the back. However, these can be very difficult to see even with a loupe. On chains, look at the tiny tag near the clasp, or on the clasp itself.
4. Weigh smalls together. A single back weighs a fraction of a gram, but a handful can add up. We weigh and value them collectively after confirming purity.
5. Keep pairs and singles separate. It speeds up testing and helps us return non-gold pieces to you quickly if you wish.

Our tip: we regularly see gold earring backs on non-gold earrings (and vice-versa). People often mix and match backs between different pairs, so a gold back can end up on a base-metal earring. So don't always rule the back as non-gold if it's on an obivous piece of costume jewellery. If in doubt, bring the lot—we’ll sort and test the components individually and make a written offer for the gold content.

Charity shops

Similar to car boot sales, charity shops often get the weirdest, most interesting, and most valuable pieces. Solid gold jewellery is often donated as costume jewellery and put on for sale at very low prices. If items don't have hallmarks charity shops may often find it difficult to establish the gold purity level as they don't have the sophisticated equipemnt to analyse the metal. Rifling through and checking charity shops can have you finding valuable pieces of gold or silver to sell.

I’ve found some - now where do I sell my gold?

Now that you’ve scoured some of the most likely and unlikely places you can find gold to sell, it’s time to actually sell it. First, of course, you want to ensure you get a good rate above all else and that you’re dealing with a reputable gold buyer.

At Cheshire Gold Xchange, we’re the experts on getting you competitive prices when you sell your gold. We poffer competitive, transparent quotes based on live spot at assessment.

Call 01925 387 107 for an indicative estimate, or visit us for a face-to-face valuation at Cheshire Gold Xchange, 3 London Rd, Stockton Heath, Warrington WA4 6SG.