Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1889-10-25
PRECIOUS JUNK.
GATE OF ALI. THE UNFASHION.
ABLE GOLD JEWEIlRY.
The Melting Pots Swallow IL Up
ana There is as Much of Ii An
nualiy ~ All the Ninca
Now Produce.

| lHc HcI"Sc illan or woman VIII DC
surprised, says Il writer in the Bosto,,
Iiefutd. to learn that the trade in odd
bits of broken and WORKOUT jewelry,
and battered sivcrwarc and impaired
gold nnd silver articles, is distinct in.
dustry and one of stupendous proper
tons. Indeed, it is one of the greatest
i'll the country, and, in fact, in the mag
nitude of valuation involved, it SURPRISES
everything known, excepting the direct
coming of money by the mints.
Every small jcwelcr, the great dealers
in..mantfacturcd gold, and tho pawnbro.
kers, all buy old gold, but they arc
merely the collectors of this valuable
material, for they i'll their turn must 20
to the bona-Iidc dealer in old gold who
! makes an industry Of it, the merchant
who makes it his speciality, like the dia.
: mond merchant, and who rcfincs it.
The jcwclcr gathers queer collection
of gold and silver junk in the course OF
II year. In spcaking Of the subject one
SAID: "Thcrc are many sources from
which we get old gold. 1t accumulates.
II you don't get rid of il as it comes in,
you will he astonishcd 10 find what :,
stock Of l; you have OH hand Mt the end
, OF year. One cause that brings much
OF 1T into our possession is the frequent
changes that occur in the style of iewelrv,
and the changes are always so pro-
nounccd. Now, take the great barbarc
rings that our beauties carry in their
ears; the peculiar Chains that are affected
by men; the little ball and chain, min
iaturc cmhicms OF the chain gang service,
now attached TO ladies' watches and the
bunch OF wires and clusters of bangles
for bracelets, where will they he classed
and how will they look when they once
get out of style! People would look
ridiculous with them about their persons,
so they would have ogct rid of them.
'Our grandmothcrs and grhndfathers
held on to their ancient icwclry to the
last, and now their grndsons and grand
daughters bring the queer odd bits Of
style in us old gold. We don't want jew
clry once it is out OF fashion any more
than they do, unless il comes to us as old
gold, ant! the pieces are worth lust the
same to MS whether whole or chopped up
or melted into Il lump, for whole or
broken, they 80 to the refining pot Take
the long neck chains, with broad ratche.
pin ornamcn;cd with fringe, which our
great grandaunts wore attached to their
watcheS-wlat earthly use would they
serve now!
sometimes We come across string Of
the old-timc gold beads worn by the
bellies of Il century ago. They are con-
sidcrcd relics, but we don't place too
much confidence in relics. EVERYTHING
is old gold with US. Those beads being
very thin, and merely stamped out of
very thin sheets, like half of egg shells,
and then two halves are soldcrcd together
to make one bead, they are very light,
and as a whole string will not weigh more
than eight or ten pcunywcights, and
would bring MS old gold generally about
So, we sometimes hold back on them in
the hope of running across some relic
hunter; but rs Il lulc, antique OF other
wise, il all goes as old gold
"Quitc often customers come in 10 have
an old watch repaired. In the course Of
the conversation that ensues he learns
that The ancient works of his watch are
not worth iinkcrinG up, and we talk
trade. Eventually we give him new
watch for his old one and certain
amount to boot. We take the old works
from his time piece, place them in Il
secondhand silver case and sell the COM
bination at fair bargain. The old
golden frame we put in our scrap box,
and once a month, probably once u week
sell TIE lot TO the gold merchant, who
pays Il much better figure than we do.
We buy old gold ut Il guess, leaving a
big margin Of chance i'll our favor, OF
course.
"Wom out finger rings, broken Jew
elry, odd bits aud odd pieces, where por-
tions of 81 set have been lost, married and
distigurcd pieces Of solid silver and gold
ware, come in daily and are exchanged
for good jewclry. Often old icwclry
comes to be repaired, but the result is
| generally surrender of the broken piece
and purchase of something new.
Medals, prize trophies and awards of
merit, when cast in the pure metal, arc
finally entomcd in our old gold box.
Everything Of that nature finds its way
TO the old gold dealers hands.
probably it would surprise you to
learn that more than one half of the en-
tire gold product of the United States for
| 1900 tcCoIuinS 10 the late report OF Sec
Rotary of the Treasury Fairchild, was de-
rived from the refining of the old gold
of the country. The report says: THE
produce OF gold from the mines of the
United States during the calendar year OF
of 1883 was Sl,601, S41 fine ounces.
valued at s33, 175, 900, while the product
OF thirteen private rctineries in the conn.
try manufacturing fine gold bars, includ,
ing the nnrcincd gold deposited at tho
United States Mint and assay offices,
amounted to 81 ,6G6, 56S fine ounces
valued at S34, AL ,000.' Now let me in.
form you that the reference to 'unrelincd
gold mt the minis and assay offices mean,
the old gold that is sent there by dealer,
who do not refine themselves
Where do the thieves of tic countr,
unload their gold and silver plundcrl
"Ahcm! Well, there arc some dealers.
l suppose, who arc unprinciplcd enough
TO deal with such men. Of course, til,
latter hammer their golden 'swag into
such mass that the man isn't born who