Recently I came upon the opportunity to buy a large amount of scrap sterling silver at a very good price. Thinking that I’d easily be able to find a refinery in the Seattle area that would be willing to melt and refine the 92.5% pure silver into an ingot or bar, I bought the entire lot of scrap metal. Little did I know that no place in Washington state would be willing to help me melt, assay, and keep any metal that I submitted. In fact, most places wanted to pay me less than spot for the amount of pure silver that the scrap metal contained. Needless to say I was amore than a little disappointed with what Washington’s refineries had to offer.

After searching the phonebook and the web for a few hours I came across a fairly promising location in Portland Oregon called AAA Metals. I called them to see what they would be able to offer me and was astounded and taken aback by their excellent customer service and friendly handing of my questions. Most of the other refineries that I had called in the past few days were less than willing to answer my novice questions about the refining process and exactly how much of the metal I was going to be able to keep, if any at all. This was certainly not so with AAA Metals, as they took the time to answer my questions thoughtfully and completely.

I ended up visiting their Portland Oregon shop on the way down to visit friends and was equally surprised by their straightforward, professional demeanor. Not only were they willing to melt, assay, and refine my scrap sterling silver into an ingot I could keep, but they gave me another more attractive option as well. They offered to trade me silver bars and coins from other mints like the Sunshine Mint and Englehard for the pure silver equivalent of my scrap. This was great news since most people looking to buy silver bullion have never heard of AAA Metals, or let alone trust the assay stamp on a bar from them.

After weighing my scrap in front of me and offering me any number of options for my scrap, the gentleman that was helping me told me that there was a three week wait time for my silver to be refined and melted into an ingot. But given the fact that the people at AAA Metal are so polite and willing to answer any questions that come their way, no matter how basic or sophomoric they may be, I really don’t care. AAA Metals has a customer for life. I now know where I’ll be bringing all my gold and silver scrap.

If you’re looking for a refinery in the Pacific Northwest that will meet and exceed your expectations, check out AAA Metals in Portland Oregon. It’s worth the drive even if you have to go out of your way to see these guys. They are a real class act.