Are there some pairs of cuff links at the back of a drawer somewhere in your home? Have you almost forgotten what they look like after years of hurriedly putting them on for relatively formal occasions?

If they are the type of plain link made of etched precious metal that countless fathers have given their sons, they're probably worth about the weight of the silver or gold they contain. If they are novelty links with working clocks, compasses or the faces of cartoon characters on them, they are probably worth much less.