I am adding another positive review to the collection! I came in with several coins from my father…read morein law's collection, and had been looking for a place to help me. They were really kind, patient and honest. I'm also in a business where I constantly have to explain complex values to my clients and their patience was personally instructive. I am so glad to have found my place!

I went to Oakton Coins and Collectibles to have my collection appraised and get a second opinion…read more My collection consists of several PR70 DCAM coins, older Japanese coins, and an 1808 Admiral Gardner shipwreck coin, among other pieces. Unfortunately, I felt very rushed and was quickly made to feel as though I should be on my way. The gentleman assisting me spent quite literally less than two minutes looking over my entire collection. Rather than discussing the individual pieces or explaining his assessment, he essentially took a quick glance and told me, "Yeah, you only have $20 here." I understand that I don't have the most lucrative collection in the world. However, I know enough about what I own to know that the collection is worth more than $20 and contains pieces that warrant more than a cursory glance. What particularly bothered me was what happened when I pushed back regarding an 1853-1865 Japanese Kaei Isshu. The gentleman then took another look at the coin, checked its metal content, and rather than explaining what he thought it was or having a conversation with me about the piece, asked, "How much do you want for it?" It suddenly felt as though the focus had shifted toward trying to purchase the coin rather than helping me understand what I had. To be clear, I did not come in intending to sell my collection. I was primarily looking for a knowledgeable second opinion and hoped to have a conversation with someone who shared an interest in coins and collectibles. I cannot say with certainty why I was treated the way I was. I'm young, Mexican, walked in wearing casual clothes, and carried my collection in a backpack. Whether any of those things influenced the interaction, I obviously cannot know. What I can say is that I did not feel welcomed, taken seriously, or particularly wanted in the store. I left feeling as though I had been generalized as a young, naive Mexican rather than treated as someone who genuinely enjoys collecting and wanted to learn more about his collection. The experience bothered me enough that I downloaded Yelp specifically to write my first review. I see that Oakton Coins and Collectibles has many positive reviews, and I recognize that my experience may have been an outlier. I can only speak to how I was treated during my visit, but unfortunately, the experience left enough of an impression that I will not be returning.

Friendly and courteous. Willing to appraise what you have. I found the experience to be…read moretrustworthy.

Demeaning customer service, staff attitude is bad, offers low prices for selling coins, melt value…read morenot coin collector value.

Just like any businesses, pawnshops are there to make a profit. Unfortunately many people who go to…read morepawn shops do not understand this concept, and feel extremely offended when they don't get their asking price. If you want fast cash and quick loans, and none of your family, friends or acquaintances are willing to lend you any more money, and the bank is not an option, then pawnshops are the way to go. Staff at the B&B pawnshop offer reasonable prices. But you cannot get any loans for a VHS player you bought 20 years ago, no matter how "barely used" or "like new" it is. But if you want to get rid of something fast and want a quick buck for it, the staff here are more than willing to help you, as they have done for me a few times.

I pawned my old broken gold bracelet here and got 15 bucks more than those cash for gold…read moreplaces...friendly people too

I had a last minute request so I called in and spoke to Ralph who was extremely kind and said I…read morecould come in even though they just closed. My service was super fast and the staff that worked there were all super friendly. Would definitely recommend and I'll definitely be back!

I was looking to sell a few things. A-1 Jewelry was highly rated. An appt was not needed. I was…read moregreeted by Ralph. I presented a 1 CT Diamond ring with GIA cert and appraisal, some gold items and 1 silver coin. After evaluation and attempting to find a buyer for my Diamond ring, the price offered was not to my liking. He did take the time to explain to me that Princess cut stones are not popular. He also showed the diamond sheet that they use for valuation and which cut stones are high value. He did offer a fair price for my loose gold. l took their offer and he paid me in cash on the spot. I highly recommend A-1 and Ralph

They are honest and trustworthy. Treated me well and were friendly and respectful. I highly…read morerecommend them.

I have had nothing but positive experiences when going to this pawn shop. I believe it's the owner…read morethat takes care of me and he gave me great prices on loans without high finance charges and for jewelry it's for months. I was treated like a human being and he cared about what I had to say about my problems and worked with me instead of just being a customer looking to make as much money like most pawn shops. I know in Chicago the pawn licenses are expensive and went up in the past couple of years in which I knew another pawn shop owner that wouldn't review his license and moved to work another job. I suggest going to pawn items and check out some of the merch the jewelry seems well priced and I couldn't be happier with taking loans out.

They gave me a Fair offer and quick payment. Thanks - will come back again!…read more It was a relief to come in to High Grade Coins today after dealing with a different coin shop in Palatine that only gave insulting low ball offers. I left a 1 star review for the other shop and would recommend you avoid that place and come here to High Grade Coins instead!

SECOND FIVE STAR REVIEW posted 05/29/24 Last year, I went to…read moreHigh Grade Coins in Elmwood Park to sell my old coins. The owner, Mike, had been so knowledgable and pleasant to deal with that I decided to go back to High Grade Coins a second time, this time to sell some old jewelry. Once again, Mike was patient and professional, and the payout I received from him was more than generous. So, whether you are trading in coins or gold, if you want your transaction to be stress free and you want to be paid top dollar for your goods, I highly recommend Mike and High Grade Coins. Five well deserved stars.

Very rude guy, tried to tell me the gold jewelry I've had is fake without using machine to test it…read moreout. Seemed to shut off once he knew he couldn't rip me off, do NOT go here. I have receipts for all my stuff from different merchants and have custom gold teeth obviously I don't wear fake jewelry. Go across the street for better service

My go to spot they have a jewelry selection like no other pawn shop in the area. Always willing to…read morework out a deal within reason.

This was my first time going to a pawn shop to buy a present and pawn some items. After driving…read morearound and checking out some of the other pawn shops in the area and comparing prices, I continued on to Reliable Jewelry and Loan. Upon entering the store, I was greeted politely and courteously. One of the staff had noticed that I had parked on the street and mentioned that there was free parking in the back, so I moved my car and parked in the lot. The staff was helpful and took their time in explaining the process and procedures of pawning items as I explained this was my first time. After having visited other shops in the area, I already knew the approximate value of my items and was happy with what they offered, so I decided to pawn my items here. With the additional funds, I was able to get a present for my girlfriend for our anniversary. I was pleased with the selection and cost. Another bonus is that it is less than a block from the CTA Brown Line Kedzie stop. The next time that I come here to pick up my item, I will be able to just hop off the train on my way home from work, get my items and hop back on. I would recommend Reliable Jewelry and Loan to anyone.

I've gone to this shop many times over the years- most often to buy gold jewelry for presents for…read morefamily or friends. They offer new as well as previously owned jewelry at reasonable prices. They carry 18K as well as 14K jewelry. I've gone there often to have a battery replaced on a watch - I'm usually charged about $8 and it takes them about 5 minutes to do it. They have a guy on duty who does jewelry repair so when I've taken a broken item to them I've gotten an estimate within a few minutes and return for the repaired item the next week. An older male friend of mine wanted to have a gold wedding band with a nice design enlarged so it would fit over his arthritic knuckle. He'd gone to get an estimate downtown whose repairman said they could do it for $600. This was a solid gold- fairly wide ring with a continuous pattern. I urged him to get a 2nd estimate. Reliable sized it for $60. Perfect fit. You can't tell where the additional width was added as the craftsman continued the pattern in the ring. I consider this family owned shop my neighborhood jewelry/watch repair go to place for fair prices and great service.