THeBlueCashew

...it shows in the collectibles and antiques market

I've noticed prices that items go  for are lower....sometimes much lower than last year.

I recently bought something for 1/3 of the price sold for much more 6 months ago. Item appearred in Heritage auctions sold for $350 US. I bought it for less than $150. I know its the same item because the serial number matched. So maybe the owner couldn't afford to hang onto it and unloaded along with a large lot of other items.

I found this with other collectibles as well. The prices are dropping or they don't sell. Collectibles dealers are having a more difficult time. Some beg me to buy from them and offer further discounts from the previous ones. Sale and auction prices are 1/4 to 1/3 lower.

So 2024 could be a buyers market for these sort of items. People generally unload things they don't need during tough times or to raise cash to stay afloat

I got a pretty good deal on Black Friday for a 75" smart TV

We've all known the economy was going to shit the bed Q3/Q4 since a year ago. The democRATs have completely fucked civilization. Trump should declare himself emperor and start executing these leftists right away.

I havent been watching antique prices but my wife has been buying things on my ebay account as of late and has found some good deals. Things she didnt bid on because they weren't exactly what she wanted or were too high priced are getting re-listed at lower prices tho. She's also getting offers for her to buy things at a lower price. The feds fucked ebay once they required them to tax everything. I almost never use my account anymore unless I cant find something anywhere else.

Thankfully, we upgraded all the appliances in the last few years so we havent had need of anything. And when I say all, I mean water heater, furnace, A/C, washer, drier, dish washer, fridge, microwave, and TV's. Thankfully we did them BEFORE all this inflation doubled prices.

We really didnt do any black friday shopping. There's just not anything we have to buy. My wife has all the antique decorations she could ever want or need plus when my parents moved to Florida, they loaded us down with things they didnt want anymore.

If we didnt have everything we need, it would be real tough to live right now. Hell, its been more than a year since I've even bought a gun! Any spare money I have goes into paying for tires and racing fees for the ZL1.

Well Lokmar, the sellers on eBay usually/often represent the Little Guy/Gal on Main Street America who're trying to get by. I notice they're usu from the small towns/cities of America and they use the local post office to send things out.

That's who keeps eBay going in the States and if they didn't have that backbone of sellers there wouldn't be much of an inventory.

Quote from: JOE on December 04, 2023, 12:15:47 AMWell Lokmar, the sellers on eBay usually/often represent the Little Guy/Gal on Main Street America who're trying to get by. I notice they're usu from the small towns/cities of America and they use the local post office to send things out.

That's who keeps eBay going in the States and if they didn't have that backbone of sellers there wouldn't be much of an inventory.

Yea? Well, I used to sell shit on ebay but now I dont. The government has absolutely no business double taxing things.

Joe thinks the economy is slowing after multiple interest rate hikes. Wow, would a bold prediction. :facepalm:

Quote from: DKG on December 04, 2023, 10:11:53 AMJoe thinks the economy is slowing after multiple interest rate hikes. Wow, would a bold prediction. :facepalm:

I know right? Next he'll be doing something really mav and off the wall like predicting the sun has a high probability of rising tomorrow morning

Quote from: Biggie Smiles on December 04, 2023, 10:19:35 AMI know right? Next he'll be doing something really mav and off the wall like predicting the sun has a high probability of rising tomorrow morning

He thinks he is a prophet.

Quote from: Biggie Smiles on December 04, 2023, 10:19:35 AMI know right? Next he'll be doing something really mav and off the wall like predicting the sun has a high probability of rising tomorrow morning

Jo Jo isn't knowledgeable about economic matters, but he is still adorable.

Quote from: DKG on December 04, 2023, 10:11:53 AMJoe thinks the economy is slowing after multiple interest rate hikes. Wow, would a bold prediction. :facepalm:

Well DKG i was listening to a Senior Economist from bmo today & he just waffled n towed the party line. That thered be a soft landing but I think the only reason it doesn't sink is all the prime pumping the US gov is doing to keep it afloat. Especially in an election year in 2024. The msm just paints this rosy picture of the economy but they never seem to tell the true picture. I mean that the Liberals are down 24 points says something. A lot of Canadians must be suffering but the press will never admit it. So little things like collectibles might be just one indicator that money is tight for many people these days. Of course there are others much more significant like housing etc. i hear the housing market is down in Ontario these days

Quote from: JOE on December 05, 2023, 01:15:34 AMWell DKG i was listening to a Senior Economist from bmo today & he just waffled n towed the party line. That thered be a soft landing but I think the only reason it doesn't sink is all the prime pumping the US gov is doing to keep it afloat. Especially in an election year in 2024. The msm just paints this rosy picture of the economy but they never seem to tell the true picture. I mean that the Liberals are down 24 points says something. A lot of Canadians must be suffering but the press will never admit it. So little things like collectibles might be just one indicator that money is tight for many people these days. Of course there are others much more significant like housing etc. i hear the housing market is down in Ontario these days

Look dumbass, the economy is ALREADY in the shitter. The only thing propping anything up these days is the lack of goods which keep people in need. Department stores are closing EVERYWHERE, not just places where they're robbed blind. The Macy's in Springfield IL is all but empty. The mall in Bloomingtom IL is closed. You have to go to St Louis or Chicago to find a decent place to shop. Car lots still dont have a decent supply of cars but its a good thing they dont because people cant afford them anyway. People are buying just what they need. I dont know anyone awash in cash.

The RV market leads a recession and guess what, josephine, the RV market is trash. All kinds of RV dealerships have gone under and have been bought up by mega corps.

BTW, if you couldnt glean from the above, the "soft landing" is all artificially created by lack of supply.

All of your coins are going to lose value, Joe.

Quote from: Lokmar on December 05, 2023, 02:40:07 AMLook dumbass, the economy is ALREADY in the shitter. The only thing propping anything up these days is the lack of goods which keep people in need. Department stores are closing EVERYWHERE, not just places where they're robbed blind. The Macy's in Springfield IL is all but empty. The mall in Bloomingtom IL is closed. You have to go to St Louis or Chicago to find a decent place to shop. Car lots still dont have a decent supply of cars but its a good thing they dont because people cant afford them anyway. People are buying just what they need. I dont know anyone awash in cash.

The RV market leads a recession and guess what, josephine, the RV market is trash. All kinds of RV dealerships have gone under and have been bought up by mega corps.

BTW, if you couldnt glean from the above, the "soft landing" is all artificially created by lack of supply.

Canada already meets the technical definition of being in recession.

LOL! Trust me, josephine would be the guy that would look at a mile long bread line during a famine and declare: "Economy soaring as evidenced by high demand for food!".

Quote from: Lokmar on December 05, 2023, 09:56:12 AMLOL! Trust me, josephine would be the guy that would look at a mile long bread line during a famine and declare: "Economy soaring as evidenced by high demand for food!".

He wants attention.

Quote from: Oerdin on December 05, 2023, 09:33:53 AMAll of your coins are going to lose value, Joe.

That's why I usually buy coins made outta pure gold Oerdin

Because if the collector market fall through the floor, at least the gold'll be worth somethin'.

coins made outta cheap metal are prone to steep price reductions when the SHTF, eh?

I don't really understand collectors spending all this money on silver coins. I've noticed their values have dropped lately and there are many bargains for collector silver to be had recently

As a rule, silver generally drops much harder than gold in a price crash. Gold tends to hold at least 75% of its value even in the event of a crash. gold might fall, but it'll still be worth something in the end. However, silver can drop 50-60-70% or more.

Silver is the most vulnerable to price fluctuations.

Other metals don't do so well in a downturn either. eg - Palladium has lost 75% of its value since 2022.

Quote from: JOE on December 05, 2023, 12:51:00 PMThat's why I usually buy coins made outta pure gold Oerdin

Because if the collector market fall through the floor, at least the gold'll be worth somethin'.

coins made outta cheap metal are prone to steep price reductions when the SHTF, eh?

I don't really understand collectors spending all this money on silver coins. I've noticed their values have dropped lately and there are many bargains for collector silver to be had recently

As a rule, silver generally drops much harder than gold in a price crash. Gold tends to hold at least 75% of its value even in the event of a crash. gold might fall, but it'll still be worth something in the end. However, silver can drop 50-60-70% or more.

Silver is the most vulnerable to price fluctuations.

Other metals don't do so well in a downturn either. eg - Palladium has lost 75% of its value since 2022.

Fuk sakes, josephine! You buy the silver coins because they ARE of low value! SHEESH! WTF are you going to go when TSHTF? Buy a fukin can of corn with a fukin gold doubloon? OMG!  :facepalm:

Canada is in serious decline. I can't believe how fast this country's descent has been.

Quote from: Lokmar on December 05, 2023, 01:51:52 PMFuk sakes, josephine! You buy the silver coins because they ARE of low value! SHEESH! WTF are you going to go when TSHTF? Buy a fukin can of corn with a fukin gold doubloon? OMG!  :facepalm:

Well I checked out an online auction on the weekend and bulk silver aint cheap...Lokmar!

Its as expensive as pure silver and sometimes more!

Maybe a lotta guys have the same idea as you so they re buying it up

Maybe better to buy silverware forks spoons etc and melt it down  make yer own. Ifya gotta farm out in county with plenty of open space might be ideal

Quote from: JOE on December 05, 2023, 03:27:43 PMWell I checked out an online auction on the weekend and bulk silver aint cheap...Lokmar!

Its as expensive as pure silver and sometimes more!

Maybe a lotta guys have the same idea as you so they re buying it up

Maybe better to buy silverware forks spoons etc and melt it down  make yer own. Ifya gotta farm out in county with plenty of open space might be ideal

And when your dumb ass melts it all down into a lump, who the fuck is to say what its worth? PWN3D! Just STFU and buy some junk silver coins, josephine.

Quote from: Lokmar on December 05, 2023, 03:34:32 PMAnd when your dumb ass melts it all down into a lump, who the fuck is to say what its worth? PWN3D! Just STFU and buy some junk silver coins, josephine.

Well, ya make 'em inta one ounce ingots, man!


..you gotta farm.. so do it...Lokmar!

Quote from: JOE on December 05, 2023, 04:39:13 PMWell, ya make 'em inta one ounce ingots, man!

..you gotta farm.. so do it...Lokmar!

LMFAO! Yea, josephine! buy a buncha silver American Eagles, melt em down, and stamp em with "josephines finest 99.999% pure silver bars!, GUARANTEED!"

Thats a fukin EPIC idea!!!  :crampe:

Quote from: Oerdin on December 05, 2023, 09:33:53 AMAll of your coins are going to lose value, Joe.

Jo Jo doesn't need to worry because he will be living with me and wearing a thong while cleaning my house.

Quote from: Thiel on December 05, 2023, 07:23:50 PMJo Jo doesn't need to worry because he will be living with me and wearing a thong while cleaning my house.

This is you Thiel:

Quote from: JOE on December 05, 2023, 09:07:40 PMThis is you Thiel:

That will be you scrubbing your man's house.

Quote from: Herman on December 05, 2023, 09:35:03 PMThat will be you scrubbing your man's house.

I'd love to see a muhzie run up and throw acid in that faggits face!

Quote from: Lokmar on December 05, 2023, 10:19:01 PMI'd love to see a muhzie run up and throw acid in that faggits face!

Which faggit? Joe ot Thiel?

Quote from: Herman on December 05, 2023, 10:56:19 PMWhich faggit? Joe ot Thiel?

Well, I'm on the barrel wash tonight so I'll answer:
Any, both, all FTW!

Quote from: Lokmar on December 05, 2023, 05:41:07 PMLMFAO! Yea, josephine! buy a buncha silver American Eagles, melt em down, and stamp em with "josephines finest 99.999% pure silver bars!, GUARANTEED!"

Thats a fukin EPIC idea!!!  :crampe:

See, that's what I'd do if I was in yer shoes...Lokmar!

Buy up Sterling silver cutlery, melt it down and convert them inta silver bars.


While it's illegal to counterfeit the metal into currency, I don't believe there is such a restriction with Silver bars. Maybe ya'd need a license or authorization ta do that. But if ya have farm, then of course you have lotsa open space and unlike the city, don't have to worry about complaints about noise, fire. regulations or noxious smells. that's one thing we can't do in the city.

Thing is about silverware it's relatively cheap and it can bought for much less than its face value if ya look hard enough. coinage or junk silver is essentially Old finished silver, but that's why its much more expensive than something like sterling silverware

Who says silver bars don't have value?

(https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/CCIAAOSwjmphExHx/s-l1600.jpg)

People buy and sell these bars all the time.

Major thing is to make them legit with a proper assay and weight of the tings.

they sell at almost the same face value as coins.

And Joe can't figure out why he is flat broke in his old age. Thankfully for him he has Thiel supporting his destitute ass.

Quote from: Herman on December 05, 2023, 09:35:03 PMThat will be you scrubbing your man's house.

No Herman. Jo Jo will be wearing a thong while cleaning my house.

We're getting a lot of applicants from some of our former competitors that have closed up shop. We're slowing down too though, more than usual for this time of year. Have to see what 2024 holds.

Quote from: Oliver the Second on December 06, 2023, 08:51:40 PMWe're getting a lot of applicants from some of our former competitors that have closed up shop. We're slowing down too though, more than usual for this time of year. Have to see what 2024 holds.

The job market appears very strong yet. So much of it is in health care and the civil service which is not what a robust economy should see.

Quote from: JOE on December 06, 2023, 02:28:55 PMSee, that's what I'd do if I was in yer shoes...Lokmar!

Buy up Sterling silver cutlery, melt it down and convert them inta silver bars.

While it's illegal to counterfeit the metal into currency, I don't believe there is such a restriction with Silver bars. Maybe ya'd need a license or authorization ta do that. But if ya have farm, then of course you have lotsa open space and unlike the city, don't have to worry about complaints about noise, fire. regulations or noxious smells. that's one thing we can't do in the city.

Thing is about silverware it's relatively cheap and it can bought for much less than its face value if ya look hard enough. coinage or junk silver is essentially Old finished silver, but that's why its much more expensive than something like sterling silverware

Who says silver bars don't have value?


People buy and sell these bars all the time.

Major thing is to make them legit with a proper assay and weight of the tings.

they sell at almost the same face value as coins.

Moron, what proof do you have on what the proof of the silver content is?

ANSWER: NONE! PWN3D!

Quote from: Lokmar on December 06, 2023, 09:04:18 PMMoron, what proof do you have on what the proof of the silver content is?

ANSWER: NONE! PWN3D!

Jo Jo does a satisfactory job keeping the silverware in my kitchen polished.

Quote from: Thiel on December 06, 2023, 08:56:27 PMThe job market appears very strong yet. So much of it is in health care and the civil service which is not what a robust economy should see.

A robust economy would not require so many people to take on lines of credit or second and third jobs just to put food on the table. This is not a robust economy.

Quote from: Thiel on December 06, 2023, 08:42:44 PMNo Herman. Jo Jo will be wearing a thong while cleaning my house.

Jesus H, that is an image I do not want in my head now or ever.

Quote from: Oliver the Second on December 06, 2023, 08:51:40 PMWe're getting a lot of applicants from some of our former competitors that have closed up shop. We're slowing down too though, more than usual for this time of year. Have to see what 2024 holds.

What is your industry?

Quote from: Lokmar on December 06, 2023, 09:04:18 PMMoron, what proof do you have on what the proof of the silver content is?

ANSWER: NONE! PWN3D!

Ya get it assayed man!

That tells you the metal content

Ill post the results of a recent assay he did for me Lokmar!

I go to this coin dealer and he has a $30,000 Olympus assay machine. He needs it in his business cuz he buys and sells gold and collector coins. There's a lotta fakes now thanks to 3D printing

Quote from: JOE on December 06, 2023, 11:19:31 PMYa get it assayed man!

That tells you the metal content

Ill post the results of a recent assay he did for me Lokmar!

I go to this coin dealer and he has a $30,000 Olympus assay machine. He needs it in his business cuz he buys and sells gold and collector coins. There's a lotta fakes now thanks to 3D printing

Umm, you know that isnt generally free, right? BTW, you dont have to get junk silver coins assayed. Just saying, josepjine.  :facepalm:

Quote from: Adolf Oliver Bush on December 06, 2023, 09:41:39 PMA robust economy would not require so many people to take on lines of credit or second and third jobs just to put food on the table. This is not a robust economy.

It's a population bust economy... designed to reduce all the "useless eaters and breeders" that our elites despise (unless they're house or grounds servants which can't currently be replaced with AI and robotic tech...)

RO - BUST

Actually, it makes sense... in a way or manner.

I'm not getting it; what would be the point in getting your silverware melted down into ingots? As silverware, it not only contains the same silver value, it also is in a form that is useful for eating pie.

Or stabbing unruly coin collectors, whatever, fuck you.

Quote from: Adolf Oliver Bush on December 07, 2023, 05:16:45 AMI'm not getting it; what would be the point in getting your silverware melted down into ingots? As silverware, it not only contains the same silver value, it also is in a form that is useful for eating pie.

Or stabbing unruly coin collectors, whatever, fuck you.

Well Ollie some silverware is sterling silver with 92.5% silver content. So if you paid $5 a spoon but get $20 for the silver in it then thats a good deal. Not silver plate tho

The idea behind silver is its a poor mans gold. But if you accumulate 100 ounces then trade it in for an ounce of gold

I've done that before

Even used the tips i got from American tourists to buy gold. With its rise lately that was a good idea

Quote from: Frood on December 07, 2023, 05:11:57 AMIt's a population bust economy... designed to reduce all the "useless eaters and breeders" that our elites despise (unless they're house or grounds servants which can't currently be replaced with AI and robotic tech...)

RO - BUST

Actually, it makes sense... in a way or manner.

And yet people have to live or breed within their means Frood

Figger out why all these refugees show up on the shores if 1st world nations with 6 children to feed. Well if course they should never have had that many to start with.

Responsible breeding eh

Ow it becomes our problem

Quote from: JOE on December 07, 2023, 05:48:18 AMAnd yet people have to live or breed within their means Frood

Figger out why all these refugees show up on the shores if 1st world nations with 6 children to feed. Well if course they should never have had that many to start with.

Responsible breeding eh

Ow it becomes our problem

You don't get it.

These so called refugees with huge families and the inability to understand contraception are WELCOMED in....because?

It destroys the already existent social contract and makes everybody poor and unable to fight authoritarian dictates (designed to cull population and mold the remaining bits).

It's a death and compliance cult.

Quote from: JOE on December 07, 2023, 05:39:34 AMWell Ollie some silverware is sterling silver with 92.5% silver content. So if you paid $5 a spoon but get $20 for the silver in it then thats a good deal.

Not necessarily. For instance, I could take a five dollar sterling silver spork and stab you repeatedly in your happysacs, thereby obtaining more gratification than I might otherwise have expected had I have fronted a flophouse armed with a fistful of fifties.

So yeah... unless you're planning to use those ingots of yours as your personal buttplug collection, you're actually diminishing the usefulness of the silver, not increasing it. Don't you just hate being WRONG all the time?  :laughinatu:

Quote from: Herman on December 06, 2023, 10:36:02 PMWhat is your industry?

We do custom architectural work for high end homes, wealthy people remodeling their house or building one from scratch. Unique jobs just for that specific location, we don't deal with subdivisions or do any large production runs. As long as the rich keep spending we'll be okay.

We're also seeing more orders where "Their door/garage/window was smashed in during a burglary and they want it replaced to match the old one"... so maybe as long as the poor keep robbing we'll be okay too  :crampe:

Quote from: Oliver the Second on December 07, 2023, 04:33:45 PMWe do custom architectural work for high end homes, wealthy people remodeling their house or building one from scratch. Unique jobs just for that specific location, we don't deal with subdivisions or do any large production runs. As long as the rich keep spending we'll be okay.

We're also seeing more orders where "Their door/garage/window was smashed in during a burglary and they want it replaced to match the old one"... so maybe as long as the poor keep robbing we'll be okay too  :crampe:

What kind of software packages does your company use Oliver the Second ?

Quote from: JOE on December 07, 2023, 04:45:17 PMWhat kind of software packages does your company use Oliver the Second ?

CAD-CAMs for the CNC machines along with a couple of packages we did in-house. The CADS are the worst part as some customers like to keep changing things or want to try different designs. We spend more time on some jobs drawing the damn thing than we do making it. Those rich folks can be some picky bastards.

As far as other stuff like accounting software or scheduling I have no idea and wouldn't know what to do with it anyway.     

Quote from: Adolf Oliver Bush on December 07, 2023, 05:16:45 AMI'm not getting it; what would be the point in getting your silverware melted down into ingots? As silverware, it not only contains the same silver value, it also is in a form that is useful for eating pie.

Or stabbing unruly coin collectors, whatever, fuck you.

Not to mention the silverware has a fukin proof mark on it when you buy it!!!

This thread is more of Joe's bullshit trolling. Why do you folks keep feeding him.

Quote from: Oliver the Second on December 07, 2023, 05:22:51 PMCAD-CAMs for the CNC machines along with a couple of packages we did in-house. The CADS are the worst part as some customers like to keep changing things or want to try different designs. We spend more time on some jobs drawing the damn thing than we do making it. Those rich folks can be some picky bastards.

As far as other stuff like accounting software or scheduling I have no idea and wouldn't know what to do with it anyway.     

so CADCAM do you use SolidWorks? Autodesk Inventor? 3D Max? Spark Ollie?

I learned Autodesk Inventor but from what I've seen not too many places use it.

I found it difficult to use & it wasn't terribly compatible with their other product 3D Max. I didn't care much for Autodesk products in general. I wouldn't pay the kind of money they ask for their subscriber software. They choke their end users by micromanaging them and watching ever move and login the make.

I gets the impression that Solidworks is the King of the CAD Cam softwares.

I was interested in learning Solidworks.
MODO has a plugin in for solidworks.

I was planning to buy MODO in the near future.

Quote from: Lokmar on December 07, 2023, 09:28:31 PMNot to mention the silverware has a fukin proof mark on it when you buy it!!!

And like as not, been crafted by someone who knew what they were doing enough to be able to afford the materials.

Pretty much any jackass can melt metal into a hunk of slag.

Quote from: Herman on December 07, 2023, 09:45:18 PMThis thread is more of Joe's bullshit trolling. Why do you folks keep feeding him.

I guess I'm addicted to puppy kicking.

Quote from: Lokmar on December 07, 2023, 11:29:37 PMI guess I'm addicted to puppy kicking.

Wanna game of kick to kick?

Quote from: Lokmar on December 07, 2023, 11:29:37 PMI guess I'm addicted to puppy kicking.

Old Joe is a gay little poodle alright.

Quote from: Adolf Oliver Bush on December 07, 2023, 10:12:12 PMAnd like as not, been crafted by someone who knew what they were doing enough to be able to afford the materials.

Pretty much any jackass can melt metal into a hunk of slag.

...and what bearing does the craftsmanship of sterling silver have on its malleability? Silver is silver. It's an element - Ag (symbol). Sterling silver that which appears typically in spoons of that content often has the symbol '925' which is 92.5% silver content, likely mixed in with copper.

I have a few of those spoons I got for free as they were being thrown out by a tenant in my building.

I'll post some photos of them. I believe they contain sufficiently high silver content to produce an ounce when melted down. The symbol on the back reads '925' indicating that it is sterling silver.

If I'm not mistaken, if silverware is melted down, the symbol on it disappears, right? The same is true of gold or platinum. If you melted down a Canadian gold maple leaf, the fancy craftmanship on it disappears if it is transformed into a gold ingot.

I can provide a photo of a gold Maple leaf I bought in an auction as well. It was recently assayed and its weight is 31.16 grams which is 1 troy ounce. At market value that is over $2000 US. It's quite conceivalbe someone could melt it down and turn it into a 'slab' or 1 ounce ingot

That ring I mentioned in another thread is 18k or 75% gold. I had it checked on a $30,000 Olympus assay machine. I believe there is around 3g of pure gold in that ring. 4 grams if it is weighed as a 18k entity. so it wasn't a bad buy since I paid $175 USD for it. The gold content alone exceeds that price.

I could provide a picture of that too along with the assay results from the Olympus machine owned by the coin dealer.

Quote from: Adolf Oliver Bush on December 07, 2023, 11:35:58 PMWanna game of kick to kick?

So Ollie, what software packages do you use at work?

I'm curious. Lemme know.

I'm tryin' ta learn some new software products.

I'd like to know to match those which are used in the industry.

I saw a series of solidworks courses, but they are 3 of them taught over a year. Must be a hard program if it takes that long to gain a basic understanding of it, eh?

Quote from: JOE on December 08, 2023, 01:50:42 AMSo Ollie, what software packages do you use at work?

I'm curious. Lemme know.

Mind your own business.

Quote from: JOE on December 08, 2023, 01:30:05 AM...and what bearing does the craftsmanship of sterling silver have on its malleability? Silver is silver. It's an element - Ag (symbol). Sterling silver that which appears typically in spoons of that content often has the symbol '925' which is 92.5% silver content, likely mixed in with copper.

I have a few of those spoons I got for free as they were being thrown out by a tenant in my building.

I'll post some photos of them. I believe they contain sufficiently high silver content to produce an ounce when melted down. The symbol on the back reads '925' indicating that it is sterling silver.

If I'm not mistaken, if silverware is melted down, the symbol on it disappears, right? The same is true of gold or platinum. If you melted down a Canadian gold maple leaf, the fancy craftmanship on it disappears if it is transformed into a gold ingot.

I can provide a photo of a gold Maple leaf I bought in an auction as well. It was recently assayed and its weight is 31.16 grams which is 1 troy ounce. At market value that is over $2000 US. It's quite conceivalbe someone could melt it down and turn it into a 'slab' or 1 ounce ingot

That ring I mentioned in another thread is 18k or 75% gold. I had it checked on a $30,000 Olympus assay machine. I believe there is around 3g of pure gold in that ring. 4 grams if it is weighed as a 18k entity. so it wasn't a bad buy since I paid $175 USD for it. The gold content alone exceeds that price.

I could provide a picture of that too along with the assay results from the Olympus machine owned by the coin dealer.

josephine, you best not have just melted down blobs of gold and silver when I show up at your doorstep. It wont end well for you!!!!

I too own lots of gold coins and older silver coins, because they have value. Not so sure about the US dollar. Real Estate is my other interest.

Quote from: JOE on December 08, 2023, 01:50:42 AMSo Ollie, what software packages do you use at work?

I'm curious. Lemme know.

I'm tryin' ta learn some new software products.

I'd like to know to match those which are used in the industry.

I saw a series of solidworks courses, but they are 3 of them taught over a year. Must be a hard program if it takes that long to gain a basic understanding of it, eh?

It's a 3d CadCam package, don't want to say the name because the boss gets really mad if we give out 'proprietary information'. I once described one of our processes to a customer and almost got fired for it.

It's not a solid modeler but has 3-d surface support and a decent renderer so we can show the customer what it will look like. Once it's approved we just apply the machine paths and CNC it. We looked at Solid Works but the boss didn't like the price nor the learning curve so oh well.

Look for software that gets the job done but isn't as expensive as the big packages. I haven't had a boss yet that liked to spend money.

You can find a lot of good info here - https://www.cnczone.com/forums/

Quote from: Oliver the Second on December 08, 2023, 04:04:51 PMIt's a 3d CadCam package, don't want to say the name because the boss gets really mad if we give out 'proprietary information'. I once described one of our processes to a customer and almost got fired for it.

It's not a solid modeler but has 3-d surface support and a decent renderer so we can show the customer what it will look like. Once it's approved we just apply the machine paths and CNC it. We looked at Solid Works but the boss didn't like the price nor the learning curve so oh well.

Look for software that gets the job done but isn't as expensive as the big packages. I haven't had a boss yet that liked to spend money.

You can find a lot of good info here - https://www.cnczone.com/forums/

yeah I understand as you have to be concerned about your job, keepin the boss happy. I suppose one beneift of proprietary in house software is it prevents copying or pirating by competitors. so if it's in a format that no one else has or recognizes it's harder ta pirate. Plus I suppose it avoids these subscription only models like Adobe or Autodesk which charge an arm and a leg for their subscription software. No Adobe or Autodesk - no subscription, eh?

I bet you know Solidworks quite well eh?

I suppose after a while these CAD/CAM packages are or become pretty similar.

While it's a bit late in life to master something as complex as Solidworks, I'd still like to learn its basics.

Actulaly I'm kinda interested in learning MODO, a 3D software package, Ollie.

They gotta plugin for Solidworks:

https://www.foundry.com/products/modo/addons/solidworks

I'm really more intersted in the 3D visual aspect than CAD itself.
so I probably won't invest too much time in learning solidworks. maybe an intro course and find out how it integrates or imports into MODO

(https://www.foundry.com/sites/default/files/two_images_and_title/2017-03/MODOforSolidworksKit_ScrnSht02.jpg)

I've never used Solidworks but I have done some solid modeling in AutoCad. Our CadCam does import solids but doesn't really work well with them so we rarely use them. Except when the manager wants me to design a chicken coop for her backyard of course...

If you don't have much experience with 3d modeling itself then definitely start with Blender, it's open source and has a very large community eager to help.

https://www.blender.org/

Or if you're really feeling adventurous you can download a CAD package from the Internet Archives... for as much as you trust software uploaded by who knows who that is...

https://archive.org/details/software?query=cad

Good luck!

Quote from: Oliver the Second on December 09, 2023, 09:11:15 PMI've never used Solidworks but I have done some solid modeling in AutoCad. Our CadCam does import solids but doesn't really work well with them so we rarely use them. Except when the manager wants me to design a chicken coop for her backyard of course...

If you don't have much experience with 3d modeling itself then definitely start with Blender, it's open source and has a very large community eager to help.

https://www.blender.org/

Or if you're really feeling adventurous you can download a CAD package from the Internet Archives... for as much as you trust software uploaded by who knows who that is...

https://archive.org/details/software?query=cad

Good luck!

Thanks for the link Ollie

yeah I posted it over at a sub-forum I have over at VF.

The Resource. It's intended as non-political forum that I post links like that.

I put anything in there which might be of interest to the hobbyist. collecting, gardening, homebilding, computer tutorials, software, free tv/radio channels, free stuff, whatever.