Crowded together, Hillsdalians waited with everything from comic books to lead pennies in hopes of exchanging their prized items for cash at the Premier Gold, Silver and Coin Association road show, hosted March 25-29 at the Dow Hotel.
Started in 2009, the business often hosts events called “road shows,” where it appraises and buys valuable items ranging from precious metals and jewelry to vintage stamps and war memorabilia.
Wait times often exceeded business hours as the sole appraiser Jon Armola vowed to serve everyone who had registered that day. On Saturday, people waited as late as 6 p.m., even though the event was slated to end at 3 p.m.
Hillsdale resident Christine Levack brought any item she had that she thought could be of value, including some custom jewelry.
“I was with Mary Kay Cosmetics for years, and we always wore this beautiful jewelry,” Levack said. “I brought a couple of earrings that I don’t wear anymore to see if he wanted to buy them.”
Levack also brought a variety of coins that she had collected over the years.
“My granddaughter traveled a lot on mission trips when she was in college, and she brought home coins from all over,” Levack said.
Among her collection of coins were some Guatemalan pesos from a mission trip. The most peculiar of all of her items was an antique backgammon set she found at a rummage sale.
Levack said she hoped she could help the next generation in her family by selling these items.
“I thought I could sell them and help my great-granddaughter’s college fund,” Levack said.
Another seller, John Cerne, had an entirely different set of goods: sports memorabilia.
His collection included signed helmets from Don Shula, a signed baseball from Don Rose, and a collection of baseball cards.
“Carl Yastrzemski, George Brett, Rickey Henderson — I used to collect cards like a crazy person,” Cerne said. “I always intended on displaying it in the barndominium or the garage or the bar but I never did.”
Donna and David Weir brought in a variety of coins dated as far back 1924.
Their collection included mercury dimes (minted between 1916-1945), lead pennies (coated with steel due to wartime shortages), and Morgan silver dollars.
Among her jewelry and vintage Tonka trucks, Jess Hindes said she wanted to identify a strange, compass-looking device.
“I don’t even know what that one thing is,” Hindes said, “I bought it at a yard sale and it’s been hanging on my wall. I just liked how neat it looked.”
Hindes said she was surprised by the set up of this roadshow.
“It’s not what I expected and not what everyone expected to see,” she said. “Usually there are a whole bunch of people appraising stuff.”
Hindes said based on her experience, a typical roadshow will have multiple appraisers and different rooms you can walk into.
“It would just be better if there was more than one person because I’ve been waiting since two,” said Hindes, who had been waiting for an hour and a half.
Eugene Hill said he was trying to sell a large collection of antique packaged comic books he got several years ago from a relative. The titles ranged from “Spider-Man” to “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” to “Batman,” and dated as far back as the 1970s. Though Hill said he found the books neat, he had more pressing needs for the money.
“It will help pay bills,” Hill said.
