Frequently Asked Questions
- Where are you located?
- We are primarily a mobile service provider, meaning we bring our expertise and solutions directly to your preferred location for maximum convenience. We understand that different customers have varying preferences, so please feel free to reach out to us to discuss how we can best accommodate your needs.
- How do you payout your customers?
- Settlements are provided immediately and on the spot. Depending on the agreed final value, payouts are given in the form of cash, e-transfer, or bank draft.
Please note: In compliance with the regulations set forth by Fintrac we follow the risk assessment approach guidelines outlined here.
- How does the whole process work?
We come to you and operate in a comfortable approach that allows for complete transparency. Upon greetings, we will sit down together and begin by evaluating your items. In the case of gold, we will first look for karat marks and separate your gold into groups based on the karat. We will also test any unmarked gold or any gold that we determine requires further testing. Next, we weigh the gold and use our live buying prices to calculate the rate per gram.If you have coins or silver the process is nearly the same. We will separate coins based on silver content and on rarity. If you have any key date coins or graded coins these will be valued based on their wear and/or grade. We will price your silver using our live buying prices and weigh any sterling silver pieces.
Silver coins are priced based on per dollar face value. For example, you have 4 silver quarters, which equals $1.00 in face value. The face value is then multiplied by our silver coin buying price. You can see all of our live and up-to-date buying prices by clicking here.
- What do the marks on my gold mean?
In North America, we are accustomed to seeing our gold jewellery marked by the karat, such as 10 kt. The rest of the world marks their gold with the purity mark. For example, you may have a ring that has 750 marked on the inside of the shank, this means that you have 18 kt gold or 750 parts of 1000 parts of pure gold (75% gold)Here is a list of gold purity marks and their kt equivalent:
375 (9 kt), 417 (10 kt), 585 (14 kt) 750 (18 kt) 916 or 917 (22 kt) 999 (24 kt)- How do I know if my coin is silver?
In Canada, our silver coins were produced through the years of 1858 to 1968. The denominations that were created in silver are the 5 cent (1858-1921 only), 10 cent, 20 cent (1858 is the only year for this coin), 25 cent, 50 cent and dollar. Over the course of a century, the content of the silver changed from 92.5% silver to 80% silver. Below is a timeline of these changes...1858-1919 - 50 Cents, Quarters, Dimes and 5 Cents (92.5% silver, aka sterling silver)
1920-1966 - Dollars, 50 Cents, Quarters, Dimes ( {5 cents ONLY until 1921, after 1921 5 cents were made from nickel} 80 % silver, aka coin silver)
1967 - Dollars and 50 cent pieces were struck in 80% silver. In the first half of 1967 quarters and dimes were stuck in 80% silver and in the last half quarters and dimes were struck in 50% silver. You cannot tell which has 80% and which has 50% simply by looking at the coins. For that reason, coins from 1967 will have a slightly lower value than coins from 1966 in order to accommodate the mixed silver percentage.
1968 - 50% silver but ONLY the quarters and the dimes and ONLY for 6 months out of the year. The easiest way to tell if they are of the silver variety is to hold a strong magnet to them. If the magnet picks up the coin than it is not silver because silver is not magnetic.
Coins of the USA
The silver content of US coins is 90% up to 1964, this includes Morgan Dollars, Peace Dollars, Half Dollars, Quarters, Dimes, and Half Dimes.From 1965 to 1969 the US made ONLY the Half Dollars from 40% silver, otherwise, know as CLAD silver.
Rather than try to remember these dates the easiest way to know if you have a US coin made from silver is to look at the coin from its side. If you see a ring of copper then you know that you have a coin that is made from copper-nickel and NOT silver.
- What do you mean by a Key Date coin?
When you hear us refer to key date coins we are speaking of coins that are rare in their date. There are several Canadian Coins that stand out as high-value key dates. These are the 1875 5 cent, 1884 5 cent, 1921 5 cent, 1875 10 cent, 1884 10 cent, 1889 10 cent, 1875 25 cent, 1888 50 cent, 1890 50 cent, 1894 50 cent, 1904 50 cent, 1905 50 cent, 1921 50 cent, and the king of the dollars the 1948 silver dollar.
- What does Coin Grading mean?
Having a coin graded by a 3rd party plays a key role in the value of the coin. Between a seller and a buyer, the grade of a coin can be very subjective and for this reason, it's important to have an unbiased 3rd party give a grade to the coin.
A coin's grade will be based on its overall wear. Different coins, in different denominations, made from varying degrees of metal content, all affect how a coin will wear; thus affecting its value. Not only does a 3rd party grader look for wear but their grade also confirms the authenticity of the coin. It is also important to note that if you have a coin that you believe to be of a rare variety it's important to have a professional 3rd party grader verify this.
If you are looking for coin graders Gold Okanagan recommends Internation Coin Certification Service, located in Toronto, Canada, and PCGS in the USA.
- Is my gold real or plated?
Gold plated and fake gold are two very different things. Fake gold is made in a way that is intended to deceive the buyer. To the untrained eye, fake gold may have the same look, feel and even marked the same as real gold. As skilled and trained gold buyers we have the knowledge, experience and professional gold testing equipment to determine real from fake.Gold-plated jewellery on the other hand is never misrepresented. The first patent for electroplating gold was given in 1840 so it’s not uncommon to find antique gold-plated jewellery. The most common stamps you will find are GP (gold plated), GF (gold filled), RG (rolled gold), GEP (gold electroplated) and HGE (heavy gold electroplating). You may often find some numbers such as 1/20 12k. This indicates that one-twentieth of the piece (5%) is 12kt gold, while the remaining 19/20 (95%) is made with a base metal alloy.
- How do I know if it’s silver plated or sterling silver?
Most all of the time you will find hallmarks on your piece of silver, but what do they mean? Sterling silver will typically be marked STERLING, 925/1000, or 925. However a lot of sterling silver items will have an array of hallmarks stamped into the piece. These hallmarks will indicate the silver mark, the maker mark, the assay mark and the date letter. Each county has a different way of hallmarking their silver and one can dedicate a career to studying these marks, however, most sterling silver items we typically see are English in origin. The following website link is an excellent resource to be able to not only tell if you have a sterling silver piece but what assay office, which maker and in what year the item was created. https://www.925-1000.comJust like plated gold, silver plating has been around since the mid 1800’s. The most common marks for plated silver are EPNS, IS, Sheffield Reproduction, Community Plate, Rogers, EP and EP copper. If you find that rather than words your piece has hallmarks the website reference above is a very good reference for silver plated hallmarks.
- What if I change my mind after I have already sold to you?
Part of our commitment to our customers is to provide you with a reverse return policy. What this means is that if you do have a change of mind about your sale to us please let us know within 2 days of the sale and we will gladly return your items, upon return, from you, of the full payout in the same form as it was received.
- Do you buy Diamonds and Gemstones?
We encourage our customers who have diamonds in their gold jewellery to first consider selling privately. This will be the best way for you to maximize the value of your diamond.
- Do you buy anything other than gold & silver?
This is a great question that we are often asked about. Our main focus is gold, silver and platinum.
- What does spot price mean?
Precious metals are a globally traded commodity which means that the price of these metals changes by the second. Spot price means the price at which a commodity could be transacted and delivered right now or on the Spot. The spot price of gold refers to the price of one ounce of pure .999 fine gold and the spot price of silver refers to the price of one ounce of pure .999 fine silver.
- Why is the spot price different in Canada than in the US?
It is very important that as a consumer you are aware of the difference in the US price and the Canadian price.Since the USA holds the reserve currency everything that is globally traded, including gold and silver, begins in US dollars. We then have to convert that price into Canadian Dollars. To find the Canadian price you can either find the exchange rate and convert it or find a website that gives you the Canadian spot price already converted. Gold Okanagan subscribes to the precious metals exchange and provides you with the current spot price of gold, silver, and platinum. You can find these prices located at the top of every page.