Update 7/24/26:
The…read moreowner's response does not accurately represent what happened or why I wrote this review. My complaint was never that I was emotionally attached to the coin, seeking validation, or expecting the store to pay full retail. I explicitly acknowledged that dealers need to buy below market value to make a profit.
My concern was the inaccurate and contradictory information I received.
If you read other reviews I am not the only one who has had negative feedback with Santos.
Santos looked at my coin for only a few seconds before saying, word for word, "You should not have graded this coin." He then told me it was an $8,000 coin and said its value tracked the spot price of gold. This was a PCGS-graded 2020-W V75 Proof American Gold Eagle Privy $50 First Strike--a collector coin whose grade, rarity, and numismatic demand materially affect its value. It does not simply trade like ordinary gold bullion.
After Santos researched the coin using Greysheet, he found a figure of approximately $12,000. He then changed his explanation and said the original $8,000 figure was what he would offer me. Those are two different statements. Saying, "This coin is worth $8,000," is a valuation. Saying, "I would offer you $8,000," is a dealer's purchase offer.
I explained this distinction to him in the store. I also made it clear that I understood why a dealer's offer would be below market value. I did not object to the amount they were willing to pay. My issue was that the $8,000 figure was initially presented as the coin's value and was only reframed as an offer after his own research showed a higher figure.
I later took the coin to another reputable coin shop in Bellevue. They confirmed that Santos's statements about the coin not being worth grading and simply tracking the spot price of gold were incorrect.
The owner's repeated explanation that they are "a shop, not an auction house" and use wholesale pricing does not address my complaint. I was not demanding an auction price. I was asking for accurate information and a clear distinction between the coin's market value and what the store was willing to offer. I also found the auction-house distinction strange considering the store sells coins through eBay AND WhatNot, although that is secondary to my main concern.
There is no need for either side to argue about what happened. If the store's cameras recorded the interaction, I welcome the owner sharing the full, unedited footage so readers can judge for themselves.
Original review:
I recommend getting a second opinion before relying on a valuation or selling a coin here.
I brought in a PCGS-graded 2020-W V75 Proof American Gold Eagle Privy $50 First Strike for an appraisal and possible sale. Santos barely examined it before confidently telling me that I should not have had it graded, that it was worth approximately $8,000, and that its value tracked the spot price of gold.
After checking Greysheet, he found a figure closer to $12,000 and then said that $8,000 was actually what he would offer me. Again, I had no problem with the store making a below-market offer. My problem was that the original figure was presented as the coin's value and only described as an offer after further research contradicted it.
When I pointed out the difference, the conversation became defensive rather than informative. His manner came across as dismissive, overconfident, and unnecessarily confrontational.
I received a second opinion from another established coin shop in Bellevue immedlately after this debacle, which confirmed my understanding of the coin's collector value and the importance of its grading.
Based on my experience, I would be careful about accepting advice or a valuation here without verifying it elsewhere.
This store barely has any selection of items as well. Plenty of parking as its in a strip mall.
I would not recommend this business.
