Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1891-03-04
OLD GOLD AND SILVER.
How 1t Is Bought by Those Who Follow
the Business,

the Business.
Recently a reporter sat during half an
hour in gold refiners office and saw
about dozen people come in with old
gold and silver to sell, They repre-
sented nearly every condition of life
save the more prosperous. The counter
was screened like one in a bank Behind
it stood a keen-eyed young man, who
seemed to possess the ability to deter
mine the quality of metal at a glance.
Two young men of doubtful appearance
entered and offered for sale a gaudy
breast pin. The clerk glanced at it and
said: 'Plated; don't want it" The
young men left, and the clerk turning
to me said: eve don't buy stolen prop
erty."
The next to enter was an old man
who offered an old silver watch for
sale. The clerk took out the movement
and then tested and weighed the case.
"Eighty-six CENTS" said he
"Whatr almost shrieled the old fell
low. "Only eightysix cents? That's a
swindle. Give me back that case.
Eighty-six cents for silver watch case,
indeed" and he left in high dudgeon.
'Silver watch cases contain SO much
alloy, sometimes, that there is very little
silver in them, and we value jewelry
only for the bullion we can get out of
it," said the clerk, in answer to my in
quiring look.
A young lady and a half-grown girl
came in. They were both nicely dressed
and seemed to be in good circumstances.
The young lady looked around mod
estly, and then hesitatingly drew out of
a handbag an oxidized silver hairpin, a
thin bracelet of the same material and
still another little silver trinket.
"What are these worth, please?" she
said, passing them to the clerk. They
were soon undergoing the tests of the
truth telling acids and scales ''Fifty-
four cents, ma am" said he.
SO, my! is that alp" the woman
asked in a tone showing great disap-
pointment. isn't that pin real silver7'
Eyes, ma am, said the unsentimental
clerk, ''but it's very light"
'Well, give me the money" she said,
blushing eve found so many pretty
things in the stores that we forgot to
save enough money for car fare" And
tossing the coin which the clerk gave
her into her handbag, she left
Snow, there is case," said the young
man eff she had been of the same sort
as good many people she would have
gone to a pawnshop. She probably
wouldn't have got any more, if as much
as gave her, but she could have re-
deemed them. We make only actual
purchases We pay very nearly full
bullion value, and every thing we buy
goes into the crucible, for our customers
are chiefly jewellers.
We often get things in that way from
people who do not want to disgrace
themselves, as they think, by going to a
pawnshop." Just then seedy old man
came in and gave the clerk lace pin.
In husky voice he said he had just
found it.
''Don't want it," said the clerk
Honestly, / found it, Won't you
give me enough to get drink with?''
appealed the bum
'No, it's BRASS replied the cruel
clerk
''Just my luck whined the tramp, as
he shuff1ed out.
And SO they kept going and coming
with gold and with dross, each seeking
to convert some old symbol of pleasant
regard or vanity into that which would
procure actual necessaries or crafty APP
petite. Jewellers Weekly.