By Erin White/McClatchy Newspapers

As gold’s value has shot up, so has the number of people trying to unload a broken chain or a mismatched earring or two.

Though the price of gold has fallen since the record-breaking highs of more than $1,000 an ounce in mid-March, it can still bring a pretty penny when sold for scrap. (Selling for scrap means that the gold is melted down.)

But with gold’s rapidly fluctuating prices – not to mention all the fortune hunters trying to get in on the latest gold rush – an urban forty-niner has to be careful to find a fair price.

“There are going to be a lot of people who are going to say, `Hey! We’re buying gold now,’.” says Stephen Stierstorfer, co-owner of American Coin & Jewelry Exchange, in Fort Worth, Texas. Stierstorfer says he’s wary of so-called traveling gold buyers, who sweep into town, buy up the precious metal and hit the road. He also recommends checking out a buyer with the Better Business Bureau.

If you’re ready to sell some gold jewelry, coins or other items around your house, here are answers to common questions about selling gold. (more…)

Living in a Radically Transparent world is, it seems, not without risk. Apparently a Seattle man was recently sued for $10,000 because he left a “Neutral” rating for an eBay seller from North Carolina.

Sued! For $10k for using a system that eBay implemented to encourage feedback!!!

Shellhorn bought some Morgan silver dollars from a man in North Carolina. The price was fair, but Shellhorn says the coins were packed poorly. “The coins were hanging out of the envelope, loose, with no packing whatsoever around them,” he said.

The seller wanted feedback. Shellhorn couldn’t honestly say the deal was good or bad so he took the middle ground. “This is neutral feedback, not even negative feedback, but neutral. He sued me for $10,000,” he said.

The judge in Buncome County, NC did dismiss the law suit, but it still raises a serious question about the future of consumer feedback, if the consumer is fearful of leaving any feedback at all.

It’s amazing that someone would sue an individual for one “neutral” rating, but that goes to show just how important ratings are on eBay. It’s also scary that an attorney was willing to take on the case. What if the judge hadn’t shown any common sense? What if the court had ruled in favor of the plaintiff?

It may not have happened this time, but you can bet that this case will inspire someone to think they can remove legitimate negative (neutral?) customer feedback by taking them to court. And it will be a scary time for all, should a naive judge rule in favor of the company.

By Brian Kamsoke Contributing Writer for the Daily Star

The first U.S. coin was struck in 1792 when President George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and others met in Philadelphia. The coin was a silver half-disme (a disme is the original spelling of dime, so a half-disme was equal to 5 cents). President Washington melted his own silverware to supply this first batch of U.S. coins.

Coin collecting first became popular around 1825, though it was considered a hobby of kings.

By 1875, coin collecting began to enter the mainstream, and today there are an estimated more than 5 million Americans of all ages and backgrounds who collect coins.

Indeed, coin collecting today has enjoyed renewed interest, especially with rising commodity and precious metal markets. Gold recently topped out at nearly $1,000 per troy ounce and silver touched $16 per ounce.

As well, commemorative coins and various promotional coin programs (such as the state quarter program, which ends this year) have maintained and inspired coin collecting through generations.

Nine-year-old Bryce McCarthy of Norwich was introduced to coin collecting by his grandfather.

Full Daily Star Article