An employee checks equipment used to separate gold from other metals at the Baird & Co precious metals refinery, in London. Baird & Co, which buys much of the UK’s scrap gold from collectors and pawn shops, is planning a 50% expansion at its 20-ton-a-year refining plant, which is near the London 2012 Olympic village. After falling to a low of $1 050/oz in December last year, the gold price has been steadily ticking up to well above the $1 300/oz mark, with many expecting more to come if global uncertainty worsens.