Broken chains, worn wedding bands, dental crowns, and a sealed tube of American Gold Eagles can all contain real gold. They do not get priced the same way. If you are sorting an estate drawer in Tualatin or deciding whether to turn old jewelry into cash, the useful question is not “is this gold?” It is “is this scrap, or is this bullion?”

Dealers look at purity, weight, form, and how easily the metal can be resold. This guide explains that inspection in plain language for Tualatin and Portland-area sellers. It is educational, not a locked quote for your specific pieces.

Scrap Gold and Bullion Are Different Products

Bullion is investment-grade metal sold mainly for weight and purity. Think recognized government coins such as American Gold Eagles and American Gold Buffalos, Maple Leafs, Krugerrands, Philharmonics, and Kangaroos, plus commonly traded bars and rounds. Local Coin Company lists current inventory on its gold and silver pages.

Scrap gold is karat jewelry, broken pieces, dental gold, and other gold-bearing items usually valued on fine-metal content after testing—not on the original retail jewelry ticket. The shop states that it buys gold, silver, platinum, palladium, jewelry, diamonds, coin collections, sterling silverware, and dental gold, with immediate cash payments.

Estates often add a third bucket: collector coins. Date, mint, condition, and demand can push a coin above melt, or leave a common bullion date near melt. Ask whether a piece is being priced as bullion, melt, or collector before you agree. For the broader sell walkthrough, see How to Sell Gold and Silver in Tualatin, Oregon.

What the Karat Mark Actually Means

Karat is a twenty-four-part purity scale for gold alloys. Pure gold is twenty-four karat. Jewelry is usually alloyed so the piece can survive daily wear. Federal Trade Commission consumer jewelry guidance explains it this way: an eighteen-karat piece is eighteen parts gold mixed with six parts of another metal; a fourteen-karat piece is fourteen parts gold mixed with ten parts of another metal.

Common marks include ten karat, fourteen karat, eighteen karat, and twenty-two karat. Many pieces also show millesimal stamps such as 417, 585, 750, or 916. Hallmarks help, but they are not a substitute for testing. Older or handmade pieces may be unmarked even when they contain real gold.

The FTC also advises looking for a name or U.S. registered trademark near the karat mark. Plated items are different. Terms such as gold filled, gold overlay, rolled gold plate, gold electroplate, gold flashed, and gold washed describe coatings on base metal, not solid karat gold throughout. Vermeil is gold over sterling silver. A scrap offer is about how much fine gold remains after stones, clasps, and non-gold parts are accounted for.

Primary reading: the FTC’s Buying Platinum, Gold, and Silver Jewelry article.

Why Bullion Often Clears Differently Than Jewelry

Recognized bullion is built for metal markets. A one-ounce American Gold Eagle is twenty-two karat (about 91.67 percent gold) with alloy for durability, and the one-ounce size is specified to contain one troy ounce of pure gold. An American Gold Buffalo is .9999 fine twenty-four karat gold with one troy ounce of pure gold content. Those details come from published U.S. Mint bullion coin program materials.

Because widely traded coins and bars are easier to authenticate and resell, buyback offers on clean bullion often sit closer to the live metal market than a mixed jewelry bag. Jewelry melt pays on fine-gold content after refining reality: testing time, stone removal or deduction, and the cost of turning scrap into resalable metal. That is why a ring that once cost hundreds at a jeweler can return a much smaller cash figure at a coin shop—the shop is buying metal, not the original design markup.

Bullion is quoted by the troy ounce, which is not an everyday kitchen ounce. See Troy Ounce Explained for Gold and Silver Buyers. If you are choosing formats when you buy, see Gold Coins vs Gold Bars.

What Dealers Actually Check at the Counter

• Category: bullion, karat scrap, sterling, dental, plated costume metal, or collector coin.
• Marks and construction: karat or fineness stamps, trademarks, hollow centers, clasps, and plating language.
• Gold-bearing weight: stones and non-gold attachments are usually pulled out of the metal math.
• Verification: visual inspection plus the shop’s testing method that day. Exact methods are not published as a full policy on localcoinco.com, so ask at the counter.
• Liquidity: a common one-ounce Eagle is easier to turn than an unmarked or obscure piece.
• Today’s market: spot moves. Treat any banner number as a snapshot and confirm the live offer before you decide.

Ask these before you hand anything over:

1. Are you pricing this as bullion, melt, or collector?
2. What spot reference are you using today?
3. If I decline, do I leave with everything I brought?
4. Can I sell part of the lot and keep the rest?

Skip polishing coins or scrubbing jewelry right before a visit. Cleaning does not raise melt value and can hurt collector value. For storage after a purchase, see How to Store Gold and Silver Safely at Home.

Local Notes for Tualatin and Portland-Area Sellers

Local Coin Company is at 19354 SW Boones Ferry Rd., Tualatin, OR 97062. Hours are Monday through Friday 8 AM to 4 PM and Saturday 8 AM to 3 PM. Appointments have priority. Call 503-855-5255. The shop states that it strives to match or beat any advertised price and pays immediate cash for the categories listed above, including estate jewelry and dental gold.

Comparing a shop visit with mailing metal? See Local Coin Dealer vs Online. Buying instead of selling? See Gold Spot Price vs Premium and Silver Spot Price vs Premium.

FAQ

Is plated jewelry worth bringing in?
Thin plating often adds little melt value. Bring it if you are unsure—testing beats guessing—but do not assume a gold-colored piece equals karat scrap.

Does higher karat always mean a better payout?
Higher karat means more fine gold per gram of metal, all else equal. Weight, stones, and solid karat versus plating still matter more than the jewelry story.

Should I melt coins into scrap?
Usually no for recognized bullion and many collector coins. Destroying a coin can erase the bullion or numismatic package that supports a cleaner resale. Ask before you alter anything.

What about sterling silverware?
Sterling is typically 92.5 percent silver (often marked 925), per FTC silver guidance. It is usually melt-priced as silver scrap, not as a government silver bullion coin. The shop lists sterling silverware among items it buys.

Bottom Line

Scrap gold is verified fine-metal content after testing. Bullion is recognized weight and purity in a form the market already trusts. Dealers look at category, marks, weight, verification, and resale speed—not the original jewelry receipt. Sort what you can, skip the polish job, and ask for a clear bullion-versus-melt explanation before you accept an offer.

When you are ready, check current gold and silver offerings, or stop by Local Coin Company in Tualatin with your questions and your metal.

Educational disclaimer: This article is for general information only and is not financial, legal, tax, or investment advice. Precious metals involve risk, including price volatility and changing buy/sell spreads. Product availability and pricing change; confirm current quotes with Local Coin Company and qualified advisors before you buy or sell. Jewelry marking discussion draws on FTC consumer jewelry guidance; U.S. Mint bullion purity and weight details are summarized from published American Eagle and American Buffalo program materials.