Sell gold dust

Fine gold is still gold. We pay 85% of tested gold content on dust — and unlike most mail-in buyers, we will take it with concentrates still in it and do the separation on camera.

Dust is the grade where sellers most often get discouraged. It looks like very little, it is annoying to clean, and plenty of buyers will not touch it. But a jar of fines from a season’s panning is frequently worth several hundred dollars, and it is worth exactly the same whether or not it is fun to handle.

What is your gold dust worth?

Preset for dust. No email, no phone number.

A troy ounce is 31.1 g, a pennyweight is 1.56 g.

82–93%
60%98%
Your estimated payout
$1,287–$1,459

Based on typical purity for Alaska (82–93% gold). Drag the slider if you know yours and this tightens up.

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Estimate only, at $4,101/oz gold. Your firm offer comes after we weigh and test the actual lot, and you are free to decline it.

Why dust prices near melt

A small pile of fine gold dust beside a US dime for scale
Flour gold beside a dime. At this size the metal content is the whole of the value, which is why the tested purity figure matters so much.

Fine gold competes directly with refined bullion. There is no collector market for a gram of flour gold, so it is worth its metal content: weight multiplied by purity multiplied by the gold price. That is the whole calculation.

This makes purity more important at this grade, not less. When there is no premium to argue about, the tested purity figure is the entire difference between a fair offer and a poor one. A buyer assuming 18k on gold that assays 89% has taken 16% off the top before any rate is applied.

At this grade the honest question is not “what percentage do you pay” but “percentage of what, and did you test it?”

Why “percent of spot” means two different things →

What we pay

Rates by grade

85%

Dust

Fine material that sifts straight through a 40 mesh screen. It sells by weight, so the rate tracks refinery pricing closely.

90%

Flakes

The classic panning result. Jewelers and hobbyists both want it, which lifts the rate above plain melt value.

98%

Pickers

Big enough to pick up one at a time. Collectors buy these by the piece, so they earn very close to full metal value.

110%

Nuggets

Sold whole to collectors and never melted. That is exactly why the rate clears 100% of the gold content.

How to clean fine gold before selling →

Most lots are not all one grade. If yours also holds coarser material, screen it out first — flakes and nuggets each earn their own rate rather than being averaged down to the dust rate.

Questions about selling gold dust

Is gold dust worth selling?

Yes. Gold dust is worth its gold content, which at current prices is real money even in small quantities — five grams is roughly $500 of contained gold. The mistake sellers make is assuming fine gold is worthless and leaving it in a jar.

Why does gold dust pay less than nuggets?

Because it gets melted. Fine gold has no collector market, so it is worth its metal content and no more. Nuggets sell whole to collectors, which is where their premium comes from. Same gold, different destination.

How do I get black sand out of gold dust?

A magnet removes magnetite, which is most of it. For the rest, careful panning or a snuffer bottle works. Getting it clean matters most at this grade, because fine gold and black sand are similar in size and easy to weigh together.

Can I sell gold dust that still has concentrates in it?

Send it. Many buyers refuse concentrates outright, but we handle separation on camera as part of intake. Just tell us up front so the process is expected rather than a surprise.

See what your fines are worth.

Concentrates welcome. Free insured shipping both ways, and no obligation to accept.

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