• It could literally be anything! Chances are quite good there will be trash: nails, bottle caps, pull tabs, and so on. Sadly, trash is everywhere, and we do our part to clean it up by bagging and disposing of it. That said, we are fairly accurate with distinguishing the signals from our equipment to separate trash from desirable targets. When we are confident a target is trash, we do not unearth.

    But again, it could literally be anything. You just never know what lies below. That is what makes the prospect of searching so exciting. We may only find a handful of recently minted coins or maybe, a brilliant gem from the 1800's that is highly desired by collectors. There are always coins to be found given the right conditions.

  • Our unearthing process leaves no trace. You would probably not even know we were onsite unless you saw us. We tend to avoid using the term dig as people envision large holes with dirt strewn about. We are actually very precise with our extractions.

    Our equipment can pinpoint the target to within a 6-inch diameter circle, we also know its approximate depth. We cut a U-shaped plug around the target and fold the plug back along the intact portion of the U. A handheld detector (pinpointer) helps us to locate the relic and return the plug to its original position. The uncut portion of the U allows the grass to remain in contact with its surroundings. This process retains the integrity of the plug’s grass.

    Watch an Extraction Video

  • The entire process is a lot less complicated than it may sound. Aside from a few metal detectors, we simply use inexpensive little flags to identify sprinkler heads, shallow lines, or other areas that may be off limits. Flags are also used to create rectangular grids in larger search sections. We may also bring a little folding table for placing, photographing, and documenting all treasures found.

  • Absolutely!!! You are more than welcome to participate in the extraction process too. That said, we often wear headphones, and they tend to impede conversations. Headphones are crucial as they help us hear some of the deeper targets that only emit faint signals. These faint targets are often the older and heavier coins.

    Regardless of your participation, each and every desirable relic is photographed, logged, and inserted into a separate Mylar sleeve on site. Once relics are washed and analyzed at our shop, we provide a full report on all discoveries and recommendations for selling collectible relics. Items that have little collector value are typically tossed in a 5-gallon jug and donated to charity every year.

Unearthing Relics

  • We do but not in the conventional way. An incorrectly cleaned coin can lose a significant amount of value regardless of its underlying condition. Furthermore, coin grading services will oftentimes refuse to grade a harshly cleaned coin.

    Almost all cleaning compounds are abrasive. Even the best silver polish has an abrasive nature to it. When a coin is cleaned with an abrasive compound, fine scratches are left on the service. Abrasive cleaning can also remove the protective patina (surface oxidation layer) and the natural luster of a coin’s metal. Numismatics are not all that interested in a shiny silver coin; they prefer coins that exist in their natural state.

  • Since the majority of our listed coins come out of the ground, we often find that a certain amount of cleaning is required. However, our use of the term ‘cleaning’ can be a bit misleading as abrasive compounds are never used. We find a more accurate description to be coin restoration.

    Our process starts with soaking coins in distilled water. The water is replaced once or twice a day over a period of two-to-three days. This helps loosen most unwanted surface materials.

    Once the distilled water phase is complete, one of several conservation paths may be taken. Our selection is based on the overall surface condition of the coin, its metal composition, and the estimated value. We have several blog posts published which go into more detail on the methods we use.

  • We do not provide coin repair inhouse. However, several of the higher-end grading companies do offer repair services. Fees vary but are not insignificant. As such, repair services are only practical for high value items. We can coordinate all repair services.

  • While the grading and slabbing of coins is beneficial to salability, the associated costs must always be taken into consideration. Entry-level grading costs around $50 per coin and, the 3rd party graders charge higher rates for different levels of service and, as the underlying value of the coin increases. There is also a requirement for insured shipping in both directions; the submitter must cover these added costs.

    So, the short answer is no, grading is not required at all and certainly not recommended for lower value collectibles. We generally reserve grading recommendations for coins with a potential value above $700 or, in certain instances, on a lower value coin that we cannot confidently confirm as having a unique error condition.

Preparing Coins for Market

  • We make every attempt to provide shoppers an accurate representation of what is being sold. This includes direct links to high resolution images when available. The vast majority of photos are captured under a microscope at 50 Megapixels. Larger items are photographed using a Nikon DSLR camera.

    While lighting may be adjusted to highlight the features of an item when taking a photo, images are never altered once transferred from the source and cropped. We will never whitewash or photoshop an image to hide defects that may be present in the item being sold. What you see is exactly what you will get.

  • Each and every coin listing goes through a set of authenticity checks. All raw coins are validated against weight and dimension production tolerances published by the US Mint. Actual measurements are provided within each coin listing. For older coins we will perform a visual inspection in an attempt to match the coin against known die samples published by PCGS and other experts.

    Silver and gold coins go through more stringent tests. To validate the precious metal content of a coin, we use a Sigma Pro PMV. The Sigma helps us verify the percentage of gold or silver content within a coin. If a coin falls outside an acceptable range, we can assume the coin is likely to be counterfeit. Using magnets, we can isolate and label coins that may contain ferrous metals like iron, these are likely counterfeits as well. A more advanced Neodymium magnet test is used on silver. While silver itself is not magnetic it does have some magnetic properties (diamagnetic). If you quickly wave a Neodymium N52 magnet over a genuine silver coin, the coin will actually move in relation to the magnet’s movement. Any coin that shows no magnetic properties is not likely to be genuine.

    Testing Silver Content with an N52 Magnet

    We do our best to identify counterfeits and remove them from the marketplace. And while no one test we perform is definitive, the combination provides a high level of confidence in our designation. With that said, contemporary counterfeits - one's that were created while a coin was in active circulation - are often harder to come across than a genuine coin. As such, they are often collected by numismatics and you may see some coins labeled accordingly in our store.

    We stand behind our claim of a coin being genuine for 6 months from the date of purchase. If you ever feel a coin we sold you is not genuine (unless advertised as a contemporary counterfeit) simply send it in to PCGS, NGC, or ANACS for grading and verification. If the coin is deemed counterfeit by one of these companies, we will refund 100% of your purchase cost and reimburse you for the grading fee. These are the only third-party graders we will accept.

  • Exact grading of coins is best left to the professional grading services. What we do offer is a general opinion of the coin's condition based on our experience. If there is no visible wear from circulation, we may categorize a coin as MS (uncirculated) however we will not judge the coin further into that category. For coins that have been circulated we will attempt to match the wear patterns to online photograding resources published by PCGS. We do not assign a numeric value however.

    For example, if a coin closely resembles a PCGS example graded at XF45 we will simply tag the coin as XF. If we find indications of harsh cleaning, the coin will be tagged as CLEANED with a general grade. For example, CLEANED - XF. As grading is not our area of expertise, we would rather error on the side of caution and underestimate its condition. Since we provide unaltered, high-resolution photos of all coins, you should make your own judgement on condition prior to purchasing.

  • No questions asked. For a period of 21 days after the date of delivery, we will provide a full refund if you are not satisfied with any item purchased using our online store. You only pay for return shipping. You can initiate a return on our Contact Page.

Buying from Our Store

  • We evaluate all coins to determine the most practical platform for sale. The vast majority will end up on our storefront as there are no added sales costs (auction house premiums). However, we do clear out our older inventory once or twice a year at a clearance auction.

    Any coin that we send in for grading will almost always end up in a high-end consignment auction. Potential value, the added cost for grading and the auction, as well as the rarity/demand for a coin are all factored into the decision to grade. Honestly, the only reason to grade a coin is to sell at a high-end consignment auction.

  • Once or twice a year we schedule an online clearance auction to dispose of older inventory. This typically includes any unsold item that has been listed for at least six (6) months. If a customer still has coins in our inventory after six (6) months, they will be notified when their coins go to a clearance auction.

  • There are a number of platforms we use for clearance auctions including PropertyRoom and HiBid. We may schedule a reserve-based auction or a live bid auction. With a reserve auction, we set a minimum price but bidders can exceed that price. In live bid auctions, no price is set and the final sale amount is outside of our control. When using a clearance-type auction house, there are additional fees (up to 15% of sales price) charged by the auction house.

  • Consignment auctions operate at a different level; we use them exclusively for high value items. This is where the serious coin collectors make their purchases. We only deal with high-end auction houses like Heritage Auctions or Great Collections. There are live auctions as well as fixed price sale opportunities.

    Heritage must approve the items you wish to sell on their platform, they also take a percentage of the final sales price (in addition to charging the buyer a premium). This fee varies but at a minimum it is 10%. While costs can add up quickly, the ability to get a valuable rarity in front of a hungry audience justifies the spend.

Online Sales and Auctions