Stirling & Wynd began in 2016 with one Pocket Watch;  a Hamilton Railroad Grade 992B.  I was amazed at the way it functioned; all of the gears, dials, and spinning things. Curious, I went online and learned that there were many, many more like it. Soon, I had two, then three, and at one point, I realized that I had collected over 100 Pocket Watches. My love and amazement in the detail and intricacies of the Pocket Watch had become my passion or, as my wife would more accurately say, my obsession.

With a bit of nudging, I realized that it was time to “thin the herd” and, after choosing my personal favorites (about 30-ish),  I listed the rest on eBay, where I still buy and sell to this day.  https://www.ebay.com/str/travelinggumpent

I found that this allowed me to find, buy and sell great Pocket Watches, with many going into and out of my personal collection. Unfortunately,  eBay’s fees were brutal and, for lack of a better word, were “sucking” the fun out of the process. This is my solution and why we’re here; the same watches but for about  8-15% less (basically, their fee).

I prefer to own and sell watches made by Hamilton, Waltham, Omega, Longines &, if exceptional, an Illinois or Elgin. I love Art Deco & watch cases that have been thoughtfully engraved & dated; they tell a story. I also prefer to buy Solid Gold watches over gold bars/coins as the gold and coins have to be locked away but with the watch, at least I’ll know the time. So, browse our store and email ( StirlingandWynd@gmail.com) if you have any thoughts or questions.

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A Note about “Solid Gold” Watches: The entire watch is NOT Solid Gold. While some mechanisms contain gold parts, most of the Gold is usually found in the watch’s case. Gold sells by the Troy Ounce (31.1 grams) & purity is graded by Carat (k). Pure Gold is 24k (.999) but is generally considered too “soft” for use in a pocket watch. Usually, copper or nickel is added (Gold filled/plated/rolled, etc.) and is reflected as 18k, 14k, or 10k depending on how much copper, nickel, or whatever is mixed in with the Gold; lower the number=lower the actual gold content. Also, a watch listed as having a “total weight” of 60g may have only 20g+- of actual Gold when taken apart (steel gears, glass crystal, brass this or that, etc.)

The Math: Remember, 24k is considered pure Gold (.999), so If Gold is priced at $1800 an ounce, you would essentially need 31.1 grams of 24k Gold to potentially receive that amount from whoever is willing to pay it. Here are our base values to remember: 18k use.75 (18 / 24), 14k.583 (14/24) and for 10k, .416 (10/24).   Example: You have a 14k watch that has a total weight of 60g, but you’ve taken it apart or have somehow concluded that the actual gold weight is 20g, and you’ve determined that the current value of Gold is $1810 an ounce. Let’s do the math: 1. Determine the price of Gold per GRAM: $1810.00  (Current price of Gold) divided by 31.1 (troy ounce) = $58.19 per gram. 2. Gram $ value ($58.19) X whatever weight in actual gold you feel you possess (you concluded 20g) $58.19 X 20 = $1163.80.  STOP: That number ($1163.80) assumes that you possess 24k (.999) pure Gold. Since yours is 14k, additional math is required. Take $1163.80 and multiply it by the base value number listed above. For 14k, it is .583.  So, 1163.80 X .583 = $678.49.  This is only an approximate value of the Gold you possess.

Remember, Gold, silver, or whatever is only worth what someone will pay for it, so use this guide in the spirit it was intended, just a basic math example of what could be.

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

Why do this?

• Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
• Because it will help you focus your own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.

The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

To help you get started, here are a few questions:

• Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
• What topics do you think you’ll write about?
• Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
• If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?

You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.