After decades in the coin, bullion, jewelry, and estate business, we have accumulated a great deal of knowledge, observations, and real-world experience helping people buy and sell all kinds of items. This section contains articles, selling guides, industry insights, and answers to common questions we hear every day at our shop.
Some of these guides focus on selling coins, gold bullion, silver bullion, jewelry, estates, and inherited collections. Others discuss topics such as market volatility, common misconceptions, counterfeit items, collector behavior, bullion investing, and what people should realistically expect when selling valuables.
Over the years, we have seen thousands of collections, answered countless questions, and helped customers through many different situations — from estates and downsizing to inheritance issues, market swings, and everyday decluttering. Many of these articles are based on those real experiences and conversations.
We believe that informed customers make better decisions. Whether you are researching gold and silver prices, trying to understand the difference between collector value and melt value, learning why you should never clean coins, or simply wondering what an old collection may contain, these guides are designed to provide straightforward information without pressure or hype.
Estate, Inheritance & Family Collections
- One Place to Sell Inherited Coins, Jewelry, Sterling Silver, Bullion & Paper Money
- One Place to Sell Coins, Jewelry, Sterling Silver, Bullion, Paper Money & Other Estate Valuables
- Inherited a Coin Collection? Leave It Alone and Bring It In.
- The Best Way to Bring an Inherited Coin Collection to a Coin Shop
- What Happens During an Estate Appraisal.
- How Estate Executors Can Sell Coins and Jewelry
- Dividing an Inherited Coin Collection Among Siblings: Keeping It Fair During a Difficult Time
- Should You Keep, Sell, or Split an Inherited Collection?
- What To Do With a Safe Deposit Box Full of Coins.
- Before an Estate Sale, Have the Coins and Jewelry Looked At
- How Selling a Small Part of an Estate Can Help Preserve the Rest.
- Why Space Matters When Selling an Estate Collection.
- Should You Get Inherited Coins Graded Before Selling Them?
- Why Some Families Convert Jewelry Into Gold Bars.
Coin Questions, Values & Identification
- Why Coin Values on the Internet Are Often Misleading.
- Are Old Coins Rare?
- Are Old Coins Worth a Lot of Money?
- Why It Is VERY Unlikely That You Found a Real 1943 Copper Penny
- I Found a Quarter That Says 1776 on It. Is It Worth Anything?
- I Have a Bunch of Eisenhower Dollars. What Are They Worth?
- Is My Wheat Penny Valuable?
- Are Half Dollars Worth Anything?
- Is My 1921 Morgan Silver Dollar Valuable?
- Is My Silver Dollar Real Silver?
- Are Morgan and Peace Dollars One Ounce of Silver?
- Do We Buy All Foreign Coins?
- America’s First Silver Dollars Were Made from Foreign Coins
- Mint Error or Post-Mint Damage?
- What Is Cherry Picking in Coin Collecting?
- The Dead Years of Proof Sets: Why So Many Modern Sets Have Modest Values
- Some Coins Have to Be Graded.
- An Object Does Not Decide Its Future Value. The Next Generation of Buyers Does.
- America’s Unsuccessful Money.
- Counterfeit Coins Are More Common Than Most People Realize
Gold, Silver, Bullion & Jewelry
- How We Test Gold – XRF, Acid, Magnet & More.
- How to Tell If Jewelry Is Gold.
- Do You Buy All Forms of Gold, Even Old Broken Jewelry?
- We Buy All Colors of Gold Jewelry.
- Jewelry Isn’t Meant to Spend Decades in a Drawer.
- Why Selling Jewelry at a Coin Shop Can Be More Interesting Than You Expect.
- Do You Need to Go to Devon Avenue to Sell High-Karat Gold?
- Can AI Tell If Your Jewelry Is Real or What It Is Worth?
- Why Diamond Resale Values Have Changed: Watching a Luxury Market Shift in Real Time
- What Is Weighted Sterling Silver?
- Why Replacement Prices for Sterling Silver Can Be Misleading
- Understanding Different Types of Silver
- What Is a Pennyweight? Why Coin and Gold Dealers Use DWT
- Troy Ounces vs. Regular (Kitchen) Ounces: Why the Difference Matters
- Why Coin Dealers Talk About Face Value When Buying 90% Silver Coins.
- Why Do Coin Dealers Count 90% Silver Coins Instead of Simply Weighing Them?
- How Much 90% Silver Equals One Ounce of Silver?
- Bullion vs Numismatic Coins.
- Does Modern Gold and Silver Bullion Need to Be Graded?
- Why Is a 1 oz American Gold Eagle Only 22 Karat?
- Mexican 50 Peso Gold Coins: The Centenario and Its 1.2+ Ounces of Gold
- Who Buys Costco Gold Bars?
- What Happens to Gold After You Sell It?
- Should I Sell Gold Now or Wait?
- Why Precious Metal Prices Change: Supply, Demand, and Volatility.
- Does Gold Always Go Up When Bad Things Happen?
- Why Gold and Silver Dealers Use Spot Price.
- Why Spot Price Is a Reference Price, Not a Cash Price.
- What Is a Gold Spread?
- Why Silver Is More Volatile Than Gold.
- Why Do People Buy Gold?
- Why Did My Parents or Grandparents Buy Krugerrands?
- Fake Gold Bars Bought Online Are Becoming More Common
- Don’t Buy Gold Chains at Gas Stations, Bars, Casinos, or Parking Lots
- Buying Gold From Strangers: What You Should Know
Selling Guides: How to Prepare & What to Expect
- How to Choose the Right Gold Buyer in Chicago.
- Best Place to Sell Gold in Chicago? Here’s How to Decide
- Where Should I Sell Gold in or Around Chicago?
- Need Money Fast? What You Can Sell for Cash in Chicago.
- What Does Oakton Coins Buy? Coins, Gold, Silver, Jewelry, Bullion and Collections
- What Can I Sell to a Coin Shop Besides Coins?
- Not Everyone Who Comes to a Coin Shop Wants to Sell Everything.
- Should I Sort My Coins Before Bringing Them to a Coin Dealer?
- Why You Should Never Clean Coins Before Selling Them.
- Selling Coins on eBay – What to Know Before You List.
- Selling Coins, Gold, and Jewelry from Outside Chicago.
How Coin Shops Work
- What Is a Coin Shop?
- Coin Shop vs. Pawn Shop: Why Estate Sellers Usually Need a Specialist
- Coin Shop vs. Coin Show: What’s the Difference?
- The Difference Between a Coin Dealer and a Coin Flipper.
- How Coin Shops Actually Make Money.
- Why Coin Shops Cannot Pay Retail Prices.
- Why Dealers Sometimes Turn Down Deals.
- Selling to a Coin Shop Isn’t Reality TV
- The Most Interesting Part of the Coin Business Isn’t the Coins.
- How Long Does a Coin Appraisal Take?
- Can I Sell Coins Without an Appointment?
- How to Understand Coin Shop Reviews
- Why Does Oakton Coins Use a Buzzer-Controlled Entrance?
- Is It Safe to Bring Valuable Coins, Gold or Jewelry to Oakton Coins?
- How Do I Get to Oakton Coins in Skokie?
- Why Many Chicago Residents Visit Oakton Coins & Collectibles in Skokie.
Paper Money, Stamps & Other Collectibles
- Who Buys Paper Money in Chicago?
- Are $2 Bills Rare?
- The $1,000 Bill: Why America Printed Them and What Happened to Them
- What Are Silver Certificates?
- Why Are Some Foreign Banknotes Stamped, Crossed Out or Overprinted?
- Civil War Money: U.S. Fractional Currency and Confederate Notes Families Still Find Today
- Japanese Occupation Money: The WWII Currency Americans Still Find Today
- Are German Hyperinflation Notes Worth Anything?
- What Is German Notgeld?
- “You Mean a Nickel?” The Strange History of America’s Half Dime
- Are First Day Covers and Old Postage Stamps Worth Anything?
- Why the Stamp Market Is Different from the Coin Market.








