Coin shops in shopping malls. Do you remember these and have you ever been to one?

SanctionII

I remember a large coin shop in a Denver area shopping mall (Cinderella City in Englewood; built in the late 1960's and torn down 10-15 years ago). It did regular, steady business for many years (including me in the 1970's) and was going bonkers in 1979-1980 during the silver & gold price run up.

Do you remember any such shops and did you partonize same? If so, when and where?

BTW, the only such shop I know of now is located in Mission Viejo Mall in So. Cal. It has some nice stuff, but its prices are retail, plus, plus.

They probably have high rent and overhead, but also probably make good money given the demographic area it is located in (affluent areas have people who have the mind set that they will only buy something that has a high price tag on it sitting in a high rent district location [a friend of mine has a retail store selling home accent items in a pricey area; and who found that unless and until she tripled the asking prices on her inventory, the customers in the pricey area just would not buy from her]).

Also, I remember coins being sold in Woolworths, Macy's and Costco over the past 40+ years.

Walkerguy21D

Yes, I remember Ed's Coins at the Woodville Mall outside of Toledo OH many years ago. Ed used to wear a sidearm in a holster while in the shop. I'm sure he was gone well before 1980. At the same mall, it may have been the Sears or Woolworth store that had one of those glass cases with the rotating display shelves full of coins also.

EagleEye

I used to work in one in the late 70's. It was a good buying location. Safe too, or so we thought - until someone broke into the bakery next door and climbed into the shop through the ceiling.

Rockaway Townsquare Mall, Rockaway NJ. The store was The Coinery.

LanLord

Jack Beymer is located in a mall in Santa Rosa. He seems to do decent business.

coinmanic

Northland Mall outside of Detroit had a small coin and stamp dealer in the lower concourse. I had no idea what I was looking at back then so I do not know if he had a decent assortment.

291fifth

<< <i>Northland Mall outside of Detroit had a small coin and stamp dealer in the lower concourse. I had no idea what I was looking at back then so I do not know if he had a decent assortment. >>



It was in the Hudson's store. It closed some years ago. I wonder if any department stores have a coin and stamp department today?

rgCoinGuy

What is this thing you call a shopping mall?

Bayard1908

When I was a kid, there was a coin kiosk in the middle of the mall, about like how they promote cell phones in the mall today. You could walk right up to cases of coins at eye level. I was fascinated by it at the time, not exactly sure which suburban Chicago mall though.

kranky

I knew of two in Pittsburgh - one in Monroeville Mall and one in Eastland Mall. Any time my mother was going shopping at either one I would tag along and spend the entire time leaving greasy fingerprints on the display cases. Looking back I am thankful they never kicked me out even though I never had any money to buy anything.

OneCent

For those of you familiar with Philadelphia, there was a famous department store by the name of John Wannamaker's. Housed in a classic 15 story stone building that was erected sometime around 1900...classic, classic old school department store. The national chains finally caught up with them and they went out of business around 2000 after 100+ years in operation.

Anyway, as a kid my grandmother would take me there on a Saturday. I was invariably attracted to the massive toy department and nice sized coin and stamp department. Interestingly, the stamps at the time were more predominant than the coins. I think that the coin and stamp department went out sometime around 1975/76.

mozeppa

Engles had a shop in the castleton square mall here in indianapolis indiana...up to about 4 or 5 years ago.

now they are on founders lane near the pyramids.



.also i'm told they prefer to just deal in bullion metals these days....t that info second hand...could be wrong.)

Coinosaurus

<< <i>When I was a kid, there was a coin kiosk in the middle of the mall, about like how they promote cell phones in the mall today. You could walk right up to cases of coins at eye level. I was fascinated by it at the time, not exactly sure which suburban Chicago mall though. >>



Yorktown Mall in Lombard (western suburb) had such a setup around 1970.

coinmanic

<< <i>

<< <i>Northland Mall outside of Detroit had a small coin and stamp dealer in the lower concourse. I had no idea what I was looking at back then so I do not know if he had a decent assortment. >>



It was in the Hudson's store. It closed some years ago. I wonder if any department stores have a coin and stamp department today? >>



There may have been a coin department in Hudsons, but there was also a coin and stamp shop in one of the lower levels next to the Coney Island. He dates back to at least the late 60's. I remember my Grandmother yelling at the guy because he was selling a nice $2 bill for $12 and would only give her $4 for her wrinkled up, example.

partagas

There still is one in Fort Wayne, Indiana

Been there since the 80's. As a kid I would go and buy stuff, still do to this day. The name is A-Z Stamp and Coin. Same owners, but there kids run it mostly now.

mrpotatoheadd

<< <i>Do you remember any such shops and did you partonize same? If so, when and where? >>

No coin shops, but Sears and Newberry's each had a coin/stamp department in SoCal the 60s.

Dropdaflag

There was one in Edgewater Mall Biloxi MS, It closed about a year ago the old man and his wife passed away I think.

Connecticoin

There was a coin shop in the Westroads Mall in Omaha that I frequented when I was a kid in the 1970s. There was also one in the Rockbrook strip mall in Omaha.

highbidder1970

Yes I loved these as it made a boring shopping trip with the wife an added value retreat I could possibly find something I wanted even if it was just circ or unc junk under $20. I would just double up on these and throw them in my junk box.

Unfortunately I don't know of any locally as I would think the high overhead coupled with the slow economy and a larger population of collectors who won't pay retail would drive them out of business.

291fifth

<< <i>

<< <i>

<< <i>Northland Mall outside of Detroit had a small coin and stamp dealer in the lower concourse. I had no idea what I was looking at back then so I do not know if he had a decent assortment. >>



It was in the Hudson's store. It closed some years ago. I wonder if any department stores have a coin and stamp department today? >>



There may have been a coin department in Hudsons, but there was also a coin and stamp shop in one of the lower levels next to the Coney Island. He dates back to at least the late 60's. I remember my Grandmother yelling at the guy because he was selling a nice $2 bill for $12 and would only give her $4 for her wrinkled up, example. >>



The one in the Northland Hudson's store had been there since 1983, when the Downtown Detroit Hudson's store closed.

I also recall a coin shop, not connected to Hudson's, that operated in the Westland Mall in the 1970's-early 1980's?

ocon4008

WoodenJefferson

Yes, we had one here in one of the malls at one of the lesser used entrances, oh maybe 20 years ago. The prices on everything they sold reflected the amount they had to pay monthly in order to rent the place. It lasted for a couple of years and one day it was just gone, lock, stock & barrel.

I never bought a thing, went in numerous times to see if anything had changed…nope, even higher prices!

Goodbye Joe!

Gemini

My very first Civil War token "Our Little Monitor" I picked up in a jewelry store that was located in a mall about 35 years ago.

66RB

<< <i>I used to work in one in the late 70's. It was a good buying location. Safe too, or so we thought - until someone broke into the bakery next door and climbed into the shop through the ceiling.

Rockaway Townsquare Mall, Rockaway NJ. The store was The Coinery. >>



That's the one I was thinking of, couldn't remember the name of it as it went out of business sometime on the 80's. I was in there quite a few times in the early 80's and I don't remember ever buying anything.

edix2001

Gimbel's in the Green Acres Mall in Valley Stream, NY had a basement coin counter back in the 1970s that I would spend time looking at the the items in the glass showcases. That's the first time I saw cameo silver proof sets and was absolutely wowed over.
I recall reading recently that this sort of thing was like a sublet deal.

jfoot13

<< <i>I knew of two in Pittsburgh - one in Monroeville Mall and one in Eastland Mall. Any time my mother was going shopping at either one I would tag along and spend the entire time leaving greasy fingerprints on the display cases. Looking back I am thankful they never kicked me out even though I never had any money to buy anything. >>



I seem to remember one in Southhills Village too

SanctionII

Lots of coin shops in malls across America a generation ago. Most no longer in business.

Jack Beymers in Coddington Mall in Santa Rosa, Cal. is one I forgot about. I stopped by multiple times years ago when I would go to court in Santa Rosa. Have not been there for years. Maybe I will go back some day.

RMLTM79

<< <i>Yes, I remember Ed's Coins at the Woodville Mall outside of Toledo OH many years ago. Ed used to wear a sidearm in a holster while in the shop. I'm sure he was gone well before 1980. At the same mall, it may have been the Sears or Woolworth store that had one of those glass cases with the rotating display shelves full of coins also. >>



Cool a fellow Toledoan.

I don't remember any coin shops in malls as I have only been in the hobby for 3 years. But I do remember alot of baseball card shops and card shows in malls. Both of which I don't see anymore.

commoncents123

Century Coins in Birmingham AL...located in Century Plaza mall (which is also now closed). I was a regular as a kid...but Tom got sick and had to close down.

ElmerFusterpuck

I could have sworn there were a couple of them in the Mall of America in the late 90's, but are gone now. They sold mostly bullion, but I did see slabbed gold coins there.

Here in San Antonio, the now defunct Joske's store sold coins within their store. Picked up many a nice circulated Lincoln cent there in the early 80's. The best one I remember is an EF 1926-S cent I got there for $1.89

I've been to the shop mentioned in the Castleton mall in Indianapolis years ago. Also remember a Reed Walton Coins in the old Pembroke mall in Hampton, Va in the late 70's.

Those places were interesting in their own way, but I prefer the WWW by far...

Lmman

<< <i>There was a coin shop in the Westroads Mall in Omaha that I frequented when I was a kid in the 1970s. There was also one in the Rockbrook strip mall in Omaha. >>




There is still a coin shop in the Westroads Mall

morganbarber

Mickey's Money Market in Randallstown MD. One of the nicest guys in numismatics.