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Hi All. Almost every store I hunt runs into a problem with the hundreds of pounds of jewelry that they receive. It’s tedious sorting and tagging jewelry, most of which is costume. Most. Not all. Some of the donations are valuable gold, silver and platinum items. And that’s where I can make a buck.

I look at the clear jars of stuff jammed in there. Sometimes I can see a gold piece (single earring, broken chain, ring, pearl necklace, etc.) floating around inside. One small gold earring will pay for the whole jar and the rest is gravy.

Once, I bought a small bag of coins for $3 and found a full British gold sovereign inside. It was worth $300 at the time. I grab the most valuable stuff, re-bag the rest and sell it at my booth in Cambridge.

The stores get overwhelmed and can’t process it all properly. So, they toss it in big vases, plastic bags, anything just so they can move the quantity of stuff they get. The Goodwill sold me two large bins (50 lbs. each) for $800 a while back. I found $3,000 worth of gold and silver in them.

Today, at another store, I bought a jar with a sterling charm bracelet and possibly a gold bracelet. I haven’t opened it yet. I have an idea to open the jars and bags on camera for a YouTube site. I have some jars saved up, camera and lighting equipment. I just need someone to teach me how to edit it down to make a nice video. Anyone out there interested? I’m in Davis Square. Thanks.

Bob Adams has been in Somerville 28 years but was a frequent visitor prior to moving here. He worked as a jeweler in a few shops in his younger years, owned his own shop for a bit, sold real estate for 10 years and is always hunting for his next treasure. He has been an antique and collectibles dealer for 31 years. He can be reached at 27winter@gmail.com. Visit his website at www.Somerville.com.