Here are answers to some frequently asked questions:
General
Q. Can I lock in the price now and buy or sell later?
A. Prices are set by the spot price at time of the transaction in our store.
Q. Will you buy back anything I buy from you?
A. Yes.
Q. What is a Redbook?
A. The Redbook is published every year and contains retail values of all U.S. coins as well as other useful information about them. It is a valuable resource for coin collectors, both beginners and veterans.
Q. Do I need to be a Florida resident to sell?
A. No. You can buy at any age. You must be 18 years or older or be accompanied by an adult with a valid ID.
Q. How can I receive information about new arrivals?
A. You can like us on Facebook and stay updated.
Q. Do you have other branches?
A. No. We are a small independent business located in Port Charlotte, FL, but you can also find us on eBay, where we have a great selection of ítems to purchase and bid on.
Q. Can I pawn an item at your shop?
A. No, we are not a pawnshop. We are a Second-Hand dealer. We buy and sell only.
Q. Do I need to bring my items to your shop to get a free appraisal or can I just bring my list?
A. Please bring your items in. We need to see them in order to give an accurate appraisal. For instance, a coin’s value can vary by thousands of dollars depending on the condition of the coin.
Q. I have a large estate to sell. Can I set up an appointment?
A. Yes, we can set you up with an appointment time and provide you with a free appraisal.
Q. Do you do mail order?
A. We generally only do fairly large dollar amount mail orders with repeat customers who we have developed a relationship with.
Q. Where do your customers come from?
A. Many of our customers drive from as far away as 100 miles from areas such as Tampa, Lakeland, Naples, Fort Myers, Sarasota, Arcadia, Okeechobee, and Marco Island. We also have customers coming from overseas locations such as Europe, England and South America.
Q. What type of payment do you accept?
A. We accept all major credit cards, cash, and local bank checks. We recommend cash or bank checks if you intent to buy a substantial amount of bullion.
Q. What is the difference between a 1 oz. gold coin and a bar of the same weight?
A. As far as content of metal, spot price, and tradability is concerned a bar and a coin do not have much of a difference. The biggest difference is that bars are better suited for investors interested in accumulating as much metal for their money, since it carries a low premium. Coins on the other hand are a collector’s favorite, since they have different designs and tell different stories. Coins do have a higher premium, since they are specially made.
Coins
Q. Should I clean my coins before I bring them in?
A. Absolutely not! Cleaning can result in lower grades and a drastically lower appraisal.
Q.Do you exchange currency or paper money for dollars?
A. We only exchange Euros, British Pounds, Swiss Franks, Mexican Pesos & Canadian money. We buy all demonetarized collectible world currency.
Q. Do you buy foreign coins?
A. Yes, although we do not provide an exchange rate on coins other than British Pounds, Euros, and Canadian, we do buy collectible coins that have been demonetarized.
Q.What is a war nickel?
A. On October 8th, 1942 the wartime five-cent piece composed of copper 56%, silver 35% and manganese 9% was introduced to eliminate nickel, a critical war material. 1942-1945 are the years these war nickels were made. They carry a premium for their silver value. We buy and sell these nickels.
Q. Do you carry State & Park Quarters, and the new Presidential Dollars?
A.Yes, we have these uncirculated coins and also the books and sets to put them in.
Q. Can you send my coin in to get graded by an authorized coin grading company?
A.Yes, we are an authorized dealer with NGC, PCGS and CAC. We can send your coin or coins in to get graded. We can also give you our opinion if it is worthwhile if you have questions about whether to get your coin slabbed (graded) or not.
Q. Do you carry mint and proof sets?
A. Yes we have a large inventory of mint and proof sets.
Stamps
Q. Do you buy stamps?
A. We buy only new unused stamps. We have a large variety of stamp supplies. We also buy & sell very old used or unused post cards. We do buy old stamp books and small collections before 1920 but not high end collections.
Baseball Cards
Q.Do you buy baseball cards?
A. Typically we buy & sell only the high-end cards, memorabilia with Certificates of Authenticity, and unopened boxes and packs. We typically trade in cards prior to 1965. Unfortunately the value of collectible cards has deteriorated over the last few years.
Scrap Gold and Sterling Silver
Q. Why should I sell my scrap gold or sterling silverware to your store instead of mailing it in to the company I saw on TV or the store with the big yellow sign?
A. We pay more! We pay more because we operate on a large volume and we ship it off directly to melt. Many other dealers even resell their scrap they purchase to us as well.
Directions & Contact
Q. Where are you located?
A. We are located at 2348 Harbor Blvd., Port Charlotte FL 33952.
Q. How do I get there?
A. Depending upon where you are coming from, follow the directions on our Directions page:
Q. What are your business hours?
A. We are open Mon, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., and on Saturdays, 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. We are closed on Wednesday and Sundays.
Terms
Q. What are some common terms I should know when buying and selling, coins, bullion, memorabilia etc.
A. Here are some:“Ask” it is the selling price of a coin or a bar.
“Bid” it is the buyback price of a coin or a bar.
“Bullion” is a precious metal, such as silver or gold, in bulk, which are regularly traded on commodities market.
“Coin Grading” is a grading system used to describe a coin’s condition. One of the most commonly used system uses a 1-70, with a 1 for coins in poor condition and a 70 for “Mint-State” condition, which is a perfect coin.
“Markup” is the amount added to a coin or bar’s cost to obtain the selling price.
“Melt Value” is the value of a coin or bar calculated based upon the precious metal content and the spot price of the metal. For example, if a coin contains 5 ounce of gold and the spot price is $900/ounce, the melt value of the coin is 5×900=$4,500.
“Obverse” is the front or “heads” of a coin.
“Reverse” is the back or “tails” side of a coin.
“Premium” is the amount charged above a coin or bar’s melt value.
“Spread” is the difference between a coin or bar’s “ask” price and its “bid” price. For example, if a coin’s ask price is $100 and its bid price is $70, the spread is $30 or 30%.
“Spot price” is the price paid based upon immediate delivery of precious metal. Spot prices are typically set by the commodities market and values for gold, silver, platinum, and palladium are listed on the right side of our Home page.<linked to Home Page>