Niobium value?

**husseycm** · 05-03-2012, 08:24 PM

Anybody know the going rate for scrap Niobium 99.95 percent pure?

Thanks!

**Mick** · 05-03-2012, 08:27 PM

Are you serious? What do you have that is 99.95% pure Niobium?

**husseycm** · 05-03-2012, 08:35 PM

I may be able to get used vacuum coating sputtering targets through my employer. Still in block form, just has some of the material removed. Blocks range in weight from 1.75 to 4 lbs each.

**husseycm** · 05-03-2012, 08:36 PM

Just trying to determine what the going rate is for this material... I'm drawing a blank searching online

**Mick** · 05-03-2012, 08:42 PM

Scrap metal dealers don't deal in rare-earth elements. You might do better with this site and buying a subscription: http://www.metalprices.com/FreeSite/metals/cb/cb.asp

**DWJ** · 05-03-2012, 09:56 PM

I read this and laughed. Haven't heard about Niobium for a long time. In 1997, maybe 1998 I met a rich Brazillian (son of a cattle baron) who was in the US to make his own fortune selling all of this "pure" Niobium jewelery (earrings, pendants, bracelets, etc.) The kid had to have about a 1/2 ton of FINISHED merchandise. He tried billing it as the "new" platinum (didn't make sense then, doesn't make sense now). Anyways, nobody was buying, his visa expired, and I was told by a mutual aquaintance that the kid sold his whole inventory to a Maxwell Street flea market vendor for $300 before he went back to Brazil. I wonder what that would be worth now. For what it's worth, that Brazillian kid was a pompous JERK so it seems like a little bit of justice

**husseycm** · 05-04-2012, 08:46 PM

Great story! Niobium is supposed to make for very good jewlery, as it is very anti allergenic.

The best I can find so far is this website

http://metalprices.com/FreeSite/metals/cb/cb.asp

that shows prices back from 07, which were around $25 per pound. Is it safe to assume that prices have increased since then?