Coin Buyers Serving Oak Lawn

Silver and gold from Oak Lawn families

Oak Lawn sits just southwest of the Chicago city limits in Cook County, and 95th Street runs east and west through the village. Many households here moved out from South Side neighborhoods and settled into bungalows and ranch homes. The Oak Lawn sellers who call us as coin buyers are often the children and grandchildren of those families, sorting through what a parent kept in a bedroom closet or a basement safe.

That generation saved silver as a habit. A coffee can of quarters and dimes dated 1964 or earlier is 90% silver, and war nickels from 1942 to 1945 hold 35%. Silver dollars were often kept as gifts or keepsakes, and many sat in the same envelope for decades.

Morgan dollars were struck from 1878 to 1904 and again in 1921, Peace dollars from 1921 to 1935, and each holds 0.7734 troy ounces of silver. A Carson City Morgan or another better date is set aside and priced for collectors.

Gold comes out of Oak Lawn homes mostly as jewelry: class rings, wedding bands, chains with broken clasps and the occasional crown from a dentist. We sort every piece by karat, so a 10K class ring at 41.7% gold and an 18K band at 75% are each priced at their own purity. Dental gold is usually an alloy and is bought by weight.

Half dollars picked up at the bank in the late 1960s deserve a look as well, since the 1965 to 1970 Kennedy halves still hold 40% silver. Gold-plated costume pieces hold very little gold, and we will point them out at no charge so you can keep them for the family.

A private appointment suits an older seller who wants a son or daughter at the table, so bring whoever you like. We explain each line of the written offer as we go, and you decide item by item what to sell. Everything is weighed on a calibrated scale you can read.

Payment is cash the same day, and a government-issued photo ID is needed to sell. Appointment times fall between 10am and 6pm, Monday through Saturday, and the meeting place is agreed on the phone. A larger sale can be paid by same-day wire to your bank, and a home visit is worth asking about if the collection fills more than a few boxes.