Troy Emilson, Army veteran and former U.S. history teacher, opened Emilson’s Coin Shop in Belton in 2023. Since opening his shop in 2023, Emilson has seen interest in silver growing because of its rise in value.
A love of coins and history began in childhood for Emilson. He found his first collectible coin when his family moved to Oxford, Indiana.
Emilson said, “I was sitting on the floor, and I picked up a coin, and it was a two-cent piece.” His mother secured it away for safekeeping.
Another time, while helping family clean his grandmother’s house, Emilson said, “I found a Colombian Exposition half-dollar from 1893.”
Throughout childhood, Emilson would examine coins and research the mottos, people, and dates on the coins. He still has those first two treasured coins.
Emilson said, “When I got into the business, I had no idea how many people had gold, silver, coins, that they collected, inherited, or whatever. But there’s no shortage of people who want to sell me coins, or who want to buy coins.”
For those who are starting with buying and selling gold bullion, silver bullion, or coins, Emilson gave suggestions.
“Do your research first. Look at more than one site, more than one place, more than one person, and then start small until you know for sure what you want to do. I don’t want to influence people what to do and not to do. But…do your own research and figure out what makes sense for you,” Emilson said.
“You want to go to a coin shop or a person or a place that you trust and that you know is going to work with you and help you find things that you’re looking for, but also give you a fair price as well.”
“Right now, a lot of folks have a fear that they’re going to miss out, even though silver has jumped so high. Normally the idea is, buy low, sell high. But silver’s three times what it was, and it’s really high,” Emilson added.
“The reason customers feel that it has that big opportunity to grow is because you have countries now that are stockpiling silver. There’s so many uses, such as AI, electric vehicles, solar power. There’s a huge demand for it, and it’s driving prices up.
“A lot of different things help drive silver up, including speculation, which I don’t get involved in.”
Located inside the bank from the 1800s, Emilson’s Coin Shop attracts clientele such as hobbyists, collectors, numismatics, and more so now, preppers and investors.
Emilson’s Coin Shop is open Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 201 E Central Ave. in Belton.
