*

So, I’m driving to my next second-hand store to see what they have and I see one of my competitor’s bike parked outside and I think, ‘Darn, he beat me here’.

Now, this guy has been a jerk to me a few times. Instead of driving off, I park and go inside to see if he missed anything. I do like to mess with this guy and all is fair in a junk store. For instance, if I see Bike Guy in a shop, I’ll pick up a big silver-plated tray knowing he’ll think because I’m holding it, it’s solid sterling, and he missed it, just to screw with him.

Anyway, one of the putter-outers had a bag of priced jewelry and was putting it out. So, I placed myself in front of the glass case.

Bike Guy was off looking at some worthless junk. I don’t know why he wasn’t right beside me at the case, the jewelry is where the money mistakes are made. Sure enough, there’s a big gold-tone necklace (for $3) already in the case.

“Please start a pile’ I ask the putter-outer. Then, out of the bag comes a gold-tone bracelet ($2). Onto the pile it goes. And to finish, a sterling-handled butter knife for a quarter. The hand-made bracelet tests at 14K gold although there isn’t a mark. The other piece is an antique gold ball necklace. Again, no mark but that isn’t uncommon on antique items and that tests at 14K gold too.

I get $23 per gram from the refiner for 14K. The bracelet weighed 8 grams and the necklace 17 grams. So, Bob $525 (less my $5) and Bike Guy $0. Sweet. I think I’ll call it a day. It’s almost 2:00 p.m.