Coin Buyers Serving South Philadelphia, PA

South Philadelphia families keep things, and they keep them close. A rowhouse off Passyunk Avenue may have been bought by a great-grandparent, and the gold in the bedroom often traces the family's life on that block: christening crosses, communion medals, wedding bands, a grandfather's pinky ring and the heavy chains everybody wore in the 1970s and 1980s. Italian-made chains are often 18K and stamped 750, while pieces bought here are more often 10K or 14K, and we read every stamp before anything is weighed.

The Italian Market on 9th Street grew up with the Italian immigrant neighborhoods of the late 1800s and early 1900s, and many families still have coins that crossed the ocean with them. Italian lire, a few European gold pieces and the odd British Sovereign are common finds. Irish and Jewish families on the same streets brought their own coins, and so did the Southeast Asian and Mexican families who came later. We identify each world coin by country, date, weight and fineness, then price it on its gold or silver or on collector demand, whichever fits.

Silver dollars are a South Philly staple too. Morgan dollars from 1878 to 1904 and 1921, and Peace dollars from 1921 to 1935, were saved as gifts and keepsakes, and each one holds 0.7734 troy ounces of silver. A Carson City mint mark or a strong grade can make a dollar worth far more than that, so we check every coin before it is counted as metal.

Packer Park, down by the stadiums, was built up after World War II, and the Navy Yard spent most of the twentieth century as a working shipyard where thousands of South Philly men and women earned a living. Wartime paychecks left their mark in some of these estates. We still see rolls of 1942 to 1945 war nickels, which carry 35% silver, and Walking Liberty halves saved from the 1940s.

On a South Philly block everybody knows everybody's business, which is reason enough to sell privately. We have no shop on Passyunk or anywhere else. The meeting is set when you book, and larger estates can ask about a home visit. Bring a photo ID, watch your gold get tested without acid and weighed on a calibrated scale, and make your decision with the written offer in your hand. Dental gold and single earrings go on the same list.