Big Larry is always helpful and friendly. I have bought several proof sets from him, as well as some silver bullion rounds and/or bars. His prices are competitive, and he's always generous in sharing his time and knowledge. Highly recommended! read more

With the recent spike in silver prices, I thought I'd see what my collection might be worth. I told Larry I was interested in selling silver He immediately told me "I have a lot. You won't get much for it.". We chatted for 15-20 minutes about collecting (I'm a noob). He even recommeded some other coin shops for me to check out. I also was interested in getting a coin graded and he gave me his opinion on coin graders. Very generous with sharing his knowledge and much appreciated. read more

Sold them some silver coins. They charged less commission than other shops in Oakland and received good price. Looked like they also buy and sell other interesting collectibles, especially some sports items. Friendly. read more

He recommended a local silver Baron who purchased my friend and my sterling silverware for $600.00. A very good experience that would not have happened without his expertise and kindhearted advice. Really one of the exceptional beings alive on this planet, super cool guy to listen and talk with. Don't hesitate to give him a call for anything precious metals related. A virtual cornacopia of amazing knowledge... read more

What I like best about this store? well, .............................................? I absolutely love their positiveness and I really like the name of the business. I have interacted with them for years. I am rarely disappointed with the quality of their services they have historically provided me. Its not difficult to sell gold and coins when my ex-husband was a scoundrel. However, once my divorce went thru why keep the junk my ex-husband purchased me each christmas and each anniversary. The gifts to have kept reminded me of his manipulative butt needed kicking. The best way to kick his `butt was sell everything instead of keeping it. I remember my exhusband as an ungrateful man not worth shedding tears over. read more

Larry is one of the best in coins business, been dealing with him in serval occasions and he always give you honest opinions and prices.

They bought my silver at spot when it hit $35 per oz. They paid under spot for my gold, which was disappointing, but I guess not unusual. They were straight forward with me, no pressure, and the process of selling my gold and silver coins, bars, and rounds was quick and easy. read more

Very nice and helpful always and very knowledgeable about coins all coins just try and you'll like them

It was a delight to work with Larry. His longevity in the neighborhood speaks to his knowledge of coins, stamps and sports collections.

Súper nice gentleman helped us with an appraisal!! He took the time to talk to my family and guide us. read more

No shown inventory on website waste of time. Looking for inventory of coins. Go to website nothing just how to get in contact? Why are in a microwave society now. People are impulsive and want things now. No wonder all these business are closing read more

larry is a great guy and they have great deals here!!! i have bought 100+ ounces here over the past few months!!! hopefully i will get some more before it goes crazy!!! read more

He was so knowledgeable and informative. I was so impressed with his honesty and genuine concern. I will definitely go again.

mike is a asshole he is rude and refused to appraise my coins on a saturday stayed if he had help but when i wallk the store was fucking empty read more

Larry is an absolute joy to work with. He worked with me and assisted with everything I needed. He is very knowledgeable about the precious metals industry and has quite a few stories to tell. He's also very personable and gives excellent customer service. He kinda has that favorite-uncle vibe to him. His pricing here for precious metals is excellent and when I'm ready to buy/sell he will definitely be one of the first I call on. read more

I went into the Silver Baron with a little reservation, and came out relieved to know that there is still honest people out there in the collectibles business. Larry was absolutely awesome. I wanted to have a Pre-Civil War British Fifteen Shilling note appraised and was told Larry could take a look at the item free of charge. He was occupied appraising a large coin collection when I got there. Thinking I would have to wait, I prepared to jump on my phone to kill some time. However, to my delight, he asked me to write down all the specifics of the currency and said he would do some research over the weekend and get back to me early next week. He also gave me a nice plastic protector to keep it in (I was keeping it inside of a hard cover book!!) for free (nice!!!). Larry gave me some great advice and before I left, and also gave me some information on an upcoming coin/currency convention in San Jose. Overall, I have to say my trip to The Silver Baron was a pleasant experience and I will surely do business with them again. read more

I called Silver Baron when I had some questions about some coins that I had collected over time. Larry made time to meet with me and did an exceptional job of explaining everything to me. He is as honest as they come- one of the nicest men I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. If you have silver, stamps, or collectibles- Larry is your man. It also feels great giving business to such an outstanding person. If I'm ever in the neighborhood, I will stop by just to say hi, that is how wonderful my experience was at Silver Baron! read more

The Silver Baron is the only place you should trust when buying or selling coins or bullion. I went there to ask their advice about purchasing some physical gold and silver to put away. They took great pains to explain that seemingly identical .999 1 oz gold pieces were not all the same value - Krugerrands have a different value than Maple Leafs, or Gold Eagles. They told me to shop other dealers and buy from them if their price was better. I did, and The Silver Baron was the lowest! read more

There's a reason he gets a 5-star rating. You definitely feel he's not there to rip you off. I definitely had a good experience. I brought in some silver bars and he said best to go to another place on the east side of Alameda. I'll probably get a little higher price since he has a huge stack of them and other place has less. He was right, higher by $24. I appreciate his honesty. I had some jewelry appraised also and he gave the best offer out of three places i went to. Wish there were more folks like him. read more

It is so great to deal with a very honest dealer. If you need to sell or have a collection appraised I would whole hearty recommend Larry

I live on the East Coast and inherited some coins that were in safe deposit boxes in the Bay Area. I knew nothing about coin collecting or the coins themselves. I scheduled a 6-day trip out to the Bay Area with my college-age daughter to retrieve the coins from the safe deposit boxes and sell them locally (too many, too heavy to bring back to the East Coast, and I didn't know of any good coin dealers here, anyway). In preparation for the trip, I did a lot of research online. No surprise, there's a lot of solid information about selling a coin collection. Yelp was my go-to site for identifying reputable coin dealers. We sold to Larry Bovo, owner of the Silver Baron coin shop. He offered us more than the other coin dealer to whom we took the coins -- a dealer we also found on Yelp (my research recommended going to a couple of places, to compare amounts offered). We were very impressed with Larry. He told us twice, "don't leave a dealer alone with your coins." I'd seen that advice online, but it shows his concern for the consumer. (You don't want someone to take a valuable coin into the back room and switch it for one worth less.) We had gotten a high quote from a third dealer, a coin wholesaler, for one coin. Larry essentially met that price. He told us, "don't let anyone cherry-pick your collection," buying the best coins and leaving you with a collection that is harder to sell. I'd also seen that advice online, but, again, it shows Larry's concern for the consumer. Larry purchased the entire collection. The total he paid was pretty high, and, as a cautious person, I asked for a cashier's check as opposed to Larry's company check. He said he'd never been asked that before, but he was amenable to my request. We walked across the street to his bank and he got a cashier's check. (Since we both had accounts at that bank, a banker there told us we could have just done a transfer from his account to mine.) Bottom line: I had total confidence in the entire transaction. Larry is a long-time professional who seems to me to be totally honest and a nice guy as well. By the way, I'm rating Larry in the $$$$ price range, because I believe he paid us top dollar, or near top dollar, for the coins. In case you're in my situation, wanting to sell coins and knowing nothing about the process, here's what I learned: The first thing we would need to do after getting the coins would be to inventory them. The Official Blue Book (Handbook of United States Coins) by R. S. Yeoman and Kenneth Bressett gives approximate values of what dealers will pay, and we used that. My daughter put together a spread sheet showing each coin, its date, its mint mark, its denomination, its approximate grade and value (which we estimated using guidance from the blue book). The spread sheet also had columns for what each dealer said they would pay. The spread sheet was invaluable. We were able to easily compare the offers we got for each coin. Even more important: My CPA says that like any collectible, selling a coin collection is a taxable event. He tells me that the tax rate for capital gain on collectibles currently is 28 percent (unless your adjusted gross income is $250,000 or more, in which case there is an additional 3.8 percent excise tax). For tax purposes, the gain or loss is calculated based on the value of the coins on the date my relative died. My CPA says I can calculate that value for each coin by using the blue book for the year of my relative's death. The spread sheet my daughter put together will be essential for determining my tax liability. I hope this helps you and that your experience is as good as mine! read more

If you are looking to purchase Silver & Gold Coins, Larry Bovo is the guy. He is great, honest, he will tell it like it is. If you need to have someone asses old coins, Larry will be honest with you. read more

Great place! My husband took some of his father's old coins in here to sell as we are trying to liquidate his estate. The gentleman who helped us, Larry, was honest and fair and a pleasure to work with. Highly recommend as these guys know their stuff. read more

Outstanding and knowlegeable ceaqler Knows a lot about a lot of things like coins, sports, bullion, and even movie posters!! he's a trivia expert in additon to coins and memorabilia. I rate hime teh highest in honesty and straightforwardness in dealings read more

I love this place!! I go here all the time to sell little treasures we find through my husband's business. The owner and other people who work there have always been honest and super nice. I highly recommend this place to everyone. read more

Larry was recommended to me through a friend. My mother and I needed to liquidate a decades old coin collection as part of her downsizing. We couldn't have been more pleased. He was very efficient and honest. He explained why some things were valuable and some weren't. He made it very stress free which is what we really needed. We were dealt with fairly and professionally. I highly recommend him. read more

I am reviewing The Silver Baron as a retail outlet, rather than a place to sell silver. The owner Larry is an exceptionally plain-spoken and honest man. He is friendly and willing to help if you have any coins that you want examined. However, his prices are fairly high. I wouldn't rate it as $$$$, but it's definitely above average compared to all coin stores. But these are the businesses that benefit the community the most. For his excellent service, The Silver Baron deserves 4 stars. read more

Great place to buy coins and bullion.

Larry is as honest as they come. Explains everything and actually says " please get a second opinion before doing the exchange". I did and The Silver Baron is the place to go. read more

An Honest Coin Dealer. Have dealt with him many times over the years. He's a straight up guy & charges a smaller Mark Up than other Coin Shops. I have called & asked if he has such & such. Sometimes he'll say "No" & then refer me to other dealers. I don't believe the other dealers send any business his way. So I'll have to tell him "NO, I want to do business with YOU. And have him get/order what I want or just buy what he has in stock. Yes the place is a little "Hole in the wall" that we've all walked passed a few hundred times. But if you are buying/selling coins you'll come out ahead at The Silver Baron. And he won't look down his nose at you like the other Alameda Coin Shop. read more

I've actively delt with Larry for the part 4 years for some substantial investments and advice. Honest honest honest. I trust him based on my experience. Great advice and he will give you the best cost/pricing on your sales and purchases (once agin based on experience). I actually met Larry and used his services back in the late 70's - early 80's and was completely impressed with his knowledge to guide me in the correct direction for my investments. (profitable). In 2008 i was back in the coin - investement market again and I went to Larry. I've had dealings/interactions with him since. I've alsoinvestigated-worked with numerous other coin dealers. Many are out for themselves or are rude - untrustworthy, BIG egos etc. I tend to be a sceptic so I always double check my investments and Larry has always done the best!!!! He is a man of his word. I have been very profitable on with his assistance. Nobody has a crystal ball about the future but but there is a reason he has been in business (sucessfully) for over 30 years. I have to include that I've had business dealings with others in the east bay who are really full of themselves and pretend to "know it all". There is another shop in Alameda that is over priced and one in Castro Valley that screwed me royally. O he probably only takes advantage of some of his clients but if a dealer is dishonest with one how do you know if you are not going to be the next? Do your own research - always - but before you part with your hard earned cash or sell your collections or metals come back to Larry for the truth and honest-unbiased business deal. I've yet to find anyone who is willing to give a better and fairer price on either end of a transaction. Don't let the small shop fool you. Larry Bovo is THE consumate professional. He has taken care of me - advised and given very fair deals. For that reason I have given him much more business that I ever imagined I would have. My investments have been (over all) very profitable. My advice is to have some idea about what you are looking to do. Share that with Larry. He will give you the benefit of his decades of exprience. See Ron R's comments below read more

Larry is a great guy. He gives you honest appraisals and good advice. He is knowledgeable about coins and sports memorabilia. He takes the time to discuss both in a relaxed barbershop type setting. He buys and sells items for fair prices and doesn't rip you off with a pawn shop mentality. read more

i buy silver here all the time, normally they only charge about 2-3bux over spot. they let you hand pick it, which is a plus for me since i go for looks. definately coming back read more

VERY honest, and VERY knowledgeable!! Friendly and awesome service. Would highly recommend Larry's services for anyone. Larry is also professional, and won't keep you waiting. I am greeted with a smile every time. He gives good advice as well. Definitely going back!!! read more

Knowing nothing about coin collecting, I brought in boxes of coins dating back to the 1800s. The owner, Larry, personally sorted out the coins, and explain which were collectable. He explained how much he would pay for each coin and how much he would sell them for. Larry made sure I understood how coins are valued. He showed me the blue guide book that has up to date prices. I am impressed with his honesty and his care in making sure I was happy with the transaction. He's very low-key and there is no pressure to make a decision on selling any coins. I was delighted with his offer and will return with the rest of my collection read more