Getting Ready For 2026, Crazy Metals Markets & More

Hello!

We hope you all had a great Christmas. It's really hard to fathom that 2025 is almost over. It has been a year of big changes, not the least of which has been the unbelievable upswing in precious metals prices. It's like 1980 all over again. There are lots of buyers and sellers and there are occasional liquidity issues as a result due to backups.

With these unprecedented record high markets-as you might guess, we have been inundated with offers to buy, leading us to establish new policies that require appointments for pretty much everyone wishing to sell, unless it is literally just a small handful of items. Walk-ins will be rolling the dice depending on how busy we are and will have to wait behind those with appointments, and large coin/bullion deals coming in without any advance notice or an appointment will likely be declined unless we can fit you in. All items need to be at least somewhat sorted/organized by type...dimes with dimes, dollars with dollars, bullion with bullion etc. or they could be declined. Go to the "We Are Buying" link at the top of the page for details and call us with any questions. You can also email us a list of what you have to help expedite the process and save you time and effort by not having to bring in items we aren't currently buying.

Also, due to the volatile market we cannot lock in buy or sell numbers over the phone or email. All offers are based on the market at the time we see the items in hand, and all on-the-spot buy and sell offers expire once you exit the store. If you want something written, that is considered an appraisal and may incur a fee based on time spent. See "We Are Buying" page for details.

Stay tuned for more updates. Here's to a great 2026!

Jack

Holiday Market Update & More

Hello All!

Hopefully you all had a nice Thanksgiving. It's hard to believe that Christmas is staring us in the face already! Time has been flying by. A few notes about the current metals markets... Silver is in record high territory again and gold remains strong despite Fed interest rate cuts, telling us that the stackers are still doing their thing both domestically and internationally. We havve some new silver bars and rounds, constitutional silver, pre-1933 US gold and various gold bullion related pieces. The trend is still to the upside so now's a good time to grab some for yourself and/or obtain gifts for that special collector while the selection is still good!

Unfortuately we are now out of 2025 proof and mint sets...We'll try to get more '25 regular proof sets if possible; let us know if you need some so we can gauge how many to obtain-but the 2025 silver sets are gone and are bringing significant premiums right now in the aftermarket. You might be able to find them a bit cheaper after the holidays but doubtful though due to the low mintage. We do have some 2025 dated Christmas silver rounds left and of course lots of other great vintage coin gift items, plus gift certificates available in any amount! We also just acquired some nice large size US currency including a nice Series 1901 $10 "Bison", Series 1899 $5 Indian Chief, and more...stop in for a look. We also have some in house specials that may just surprise you!

More to come!

Jack

Happy Thanksgiving! Market And Buying Updates

Greetings and Happy Holidays!

It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is upon us shortly. It's been a roller coaster year.

Metals are still strong but the market is currently backlogged with sellers, leading higher volume dealers (to whom we move surplus inventory) to quote us payment times of at least 30-60 days out. As a result we must factor this inability to easily "flip" surplus inventory into our buying decisions. We are currently adequately inventoried in bullion silver and constitutional (90%) silver; that said, we will look at all buy offers on a case by case basis.

We are NOT buying 1971 or newer non-silver proof sets or mint sets nor are we buying any modern foreign non precious metal coins. We also do not buy US moderns like state/national park/american women quarters, Susan B.Anthony/Sacagawea/Presidential dollars, non silver Eisenhower dollars or any modern "internet errors" you see hyped on social media. Click the WE ARE BUYING link above for better details of what we are currently purchasing. If you are interested in selling, contact us to schedule a time (see below). 

Due to increased traffic we will not be scheduling any large estate or bank appraisals until after the holidays.

We prefer that all other evaluations of things you wish to sell are done by appointment and will need to be booked. All items need to be organized and sorted by type to expedite the process....if unsorted they may be declined, or you may have to leave them with us until we have time to get to them. Smaller deals of just a few items can roll the dice on a walk-in basis but will have to wait until we finish with existing customers and appointment holders. Large collection deals coming in without an appointment will likely be declined due to time constraints and will need to be scheduled.

Sorry if this all sounds a bit regimented but we are frankly getting slammed with buy offers so we need to manage time and cash flow accordingly. When in doubt, call us first before bringing items in!

For all you holiday gift buyers, We are going to have some fun in-house holiday specials so come early for the best selection! We are open normal hours of 10-5 on Black Friday Nov. 28th. Also remember we have gift certificates available in any amount!

For all you silver stackers, we currently have a good variety of one ounce bars and rounds, along with some 5 and 10 ounce bars at the time of this writing, as well as some constitutional 90% silver coins in bulk. You may choose by type, ie, Mercs, Franklins, Washingtons, Walkers, etc., but no picking of dates from junk silver- we sell them as they come to make it fair for everyone!

2025 Christmas silver rounds are here but going fast, as are 2025 proof sets. If you want any of these, we strongly recommend coming in sooner than later as we will most certainly be out before Christmas.

We also have some US gold in house, along with some bullion gold in varying sizes. If you're looking for particular items call us to discuss our current inventory as things change quickly. 

We will close at 1 PM on Tuesday, November 25th and will remain closed through Thanksgiving Day but will be open for Black Friday (Nov. 28th), normal hours of 10AM-5PM.  We hope you and yours have a great Thanksgiving holiday!

Thanks and happy holiday wishes,

Jack and Linda

Dennis W. Witter, 1947-2025

Hello Friends:

It is with a heavy heart that we have to announce the passing of our founder (and my best friend and cohort in this crazy business for the past 37 years), Dennis Witter. All my sympathies and love go out to his wife Linda as well as all of his children and grandchildren. We've been a family all these years.

I can remember a sunny afternoon in April of 1988 where Dennis and I sat in two chairs in an empty storefront in the old Westlake Shopping Center and we discussed his vision for this business. That was the birth of Westlake Rare Coins. Dennis enjoyed the hobby since his early youth, sparked by the gift of an Indian Cent by an uncle, leading to a lifelong love of numismatics. Prior to Westlake Rare Coins he was in the construction business for a quarter century with his father; their company, D.W.Witter, Inc., built commercial grain handling systems both domestically and all over the world.

Dennis and I first met in 1984 when I was running another coin business; he was originally a customer but we quickly became good friends. When he told me of his desire to open a coin business and have me be a part of it, I was all in. I could write a thousand pages of stories about our adventures here over the years.

Here we are, four decades later.

Dennis, you were like my cantankerous older brother and I'll miss you more than you'll ever know...and I hope that you felt that I did well for you all these years. 

Rest in peace, my friend.

Jack

2025 Silver Proof Set Update & More

Hello:

2025 Silver Proof Sets are scheduled to release the first week of August so we should have some shortly afterward assuming the Mint ships them on schedule. If you want silver sets this year let us know ASAP; we are not ordering as many this year but we can modify the quantity if there is enough extra demand to warrant.

Metals continue their strength and the stackers are still stacking. We do have silver bullion and older date silver eagles available, along with some constitutional (90%) silver coins. Now's a good time to grab some before things go up! For the gold bugs...As of this writing we have some tenth ounce and half ounce gold eagles along with a few pre-1933 US pieces but they're selling fast. More things in the pipeline so be sure to stop in or call to learn about our latest inventory additions of these quick moving silver and gold items!

We also have some fresh Bust and Seated type coins as well as some new Morgan and Peace Dollar acquisitions, both raw and certified. New silver and bronze ancients as well. Stop by for a look!

We will be closed Memorial Day, May 26th but will reopen with normal hours starting Tuesday May 27th.

Have a nice weekend as we remember those who gave their all for our freedoms today.

Regards, Jack