Be very careful if you deal with The Coin Shop of Youngstown at 5130 Youngstown-Poland Rd. A while back, I took my coin collection in and had divided up all the coins by type, i.e. Mercury, Standing Liberty, etc., and for the wheat pennies I had them divided by decade from 1909 to 1959. Included in the 1920 pennies I had 3 pennies 'marked' as special by pieces of tape, including a 1922- wheat penny without a mint mark. The Coin Shop took my 1922 wheat penny and didn't pay me for it. The owner Mike, dumped out the bottle of 1920 pennies, and individually picked up each of the ones with tape, looked at them, removed the tape, and put them back in the pile of pennies which was bought. After discovering I hadn't been paid for the 1922 penny, I contacted the owner, who denied having seen it. I explained he had it in his hand, as well as 2 others 'denoted' as special with tape. I told him the Red Book listed the 1922 penny as being valued at $450. He denied he took it, stating if he had seen a 1922 penny he would have returned it to me. But he didn't return it - he took it. I pointed out it was one of three 1920 pennies with tape on them, and he said that if a coin had tape on it, he would have given it back to me. But he didn't - he removed the tape from the 3, including the 1922 wheat penny, and put them in the pile he was buying. He then tried to say the Red Book value was over-inflated, but I told him I had seen that coin on Ebay and other sites for up to $1,000. The 1922 wheat penny was even on his print-out of most sought after coins. He tried denying that his list of sought after coins were really sought after. He said he would review the surveillance video for the 1922 wheat penny as well the 139 Roosevelt Dimes he hadn't paid for. I told him exactly where on the surveillance tape he'd find the 1922 wheat penny in his hand, and the FDR Dimes.
I followed up around the holidays and was told the shop was closed until after New Years. I wasn't able to visit the shop again until spring, as I live out of town and was in Boardman for a family matter. I telephoned the shop and said I would be coming in to view the surveillance tape, which the owner said I could do. However, when I went to the shop, Mike said the surveillance tape was gone. He laughed saying he didn't know the tape recorded over itself. I told him it was hard to believe that a person having a shop wouldn't know how his own security surveillance works. He paid for the Roosevelt Dimes, but again denied taking the 1922 wheat penny. I told him it was on the surveillance tape and I could have shown him if he hadn't destroyed/or let be destroyed the tape/evidence. Then he repeats that if he had seen a 1922 wheat penny he would have returned it to me since there are some fraudulent ones circulating. I told him the coin collection had been in my mom's basement untouched for about 50 years, and my 1922 wheat penny wasn't fraudulent. He then tried saying if he had seen a 1922 wheat penny he would have put it in a little cover and returned it. But he didn't - he picked it up, removed the tape, and put the penny back in the pile of coins he took. Then he said he had a bag of 1920s pennies that I could look through and tried to say they were my 1920s pennies. Then he said that he doubted the 1922 penny was in the bag. I told him that IF the bag really was my 1920s pennies, the 1922 wheat penny would be in there. I looked through every penny in the bag, but there was no 1922 wheat penny. I believe the bag was just a 'ruse' to try to appease me. He had told me over and over that he doesn't separate out coins by date and deals only in bulk. So why would he have a bag of 1920s pennies. Also, why didn't he mention this bag back in the Fall, and at Xmas time, or when I called before coming in to see the surveillance tape. It seems the bag was 'made up.' I told him my 1922 wheat penny wasn't in the bag but that he 'already knew that.' He said I had offended him. I told him that he offended me by trying to fool me with that bag when he knew he took the 1922 penny without paying for it; and destroyed the surveillance tape that would have shown that. He started using profanities, yelling, and saying the "f" word. He said not to ever come back to his shop again or he'd call the police, but I was already at the door by that time. I told him I had no intention of ever coming to his shop again, and said I'd go to the police. He yelled he's been cleared everytime by the police. So it's obvious this isn't the first time a coin was taken without payment, and other people have filed police reports for the same thing, and since he controls the evidence - the surveillance tape - he got away with it. So, I would never trust this shop, and if people go there, take a witness, photograph everything you have, and tape your encounter with them, since he controls the evidence if something isn't paid for and brags abouts being cleared. read more
