Skagit Coin — Attraction in Burlington

The owners and employees at this shop are very kind, very polite and are very considerate when it comes to their customers wants and needs. However, there was a very dark side at this store. Which is why it is difficult to write this.

Skagit coin from the inside looks to be 75% jewelry and gems and 25% coin. I arrived there interested in coins I had over a decade of experience with. My specialty is not grading coins specifically, but finding coins which show signs of artificial toning, cleaning or being tampered with. During my first visit I had noticed something that was off; there was a large percentage of raw coins being sold at Mint State prices while still showing clear signs of being cleaned/tampered with. I pointed out a single one to the owner. She was nice about it and removed it from the case. However then I noticed it another and another. My grading abilities were questioned, kindly. I pointed out the areas and it seemed that was that. I decided that day to stick mainly with toned coins. However what struck me as off was that all the toners I had purchased contained the same type of toning. For those of you new to this hobby - identical toning is not normal. On top of that the color spectrum was not normal either. There ARE loads of times where I will see legit tones for the first time so I figured this could be a circumstance such as that. On top of that the owner insisted her son had loads of experience grading raw coins and was near professional doing so. So I made the biggest mistake I could at the time, trusted her and paid. I submitted the toners to be slabbed and relatively soon after, maybe a few weeks later, received word that I had wasted $25 on each of them and that they were artificial toning. I was right. The coins were wrong. Skagit Coin and the owner there was very understanding and was willing to offer me store credit or refund for what I paid for the coins once I surrendered the artificial toning/cleaned slabs. They did follow through with that as well. I decided to exchange them for mint state instead. However this is where the plot unfortunately thickens even more. A mint state coin I had taken home was clearly tampered with. To the point where you only needed a good light to see it with an unaided eye. I returned once again for the owner to once again be understanding and offer a store credit, this time saying something along the lines of 'lets not make this a routine.' When the owner inspected the coin that had obvious signs of cleaning she went on to remind me that her son was very good at grading and even close to professional. This made me feel as though I was being accused of taking the coin home and cleaning it myself! Wasn't the case. Have never done so in my life. Knowing there were many others in her case marked as MS that were cleaned as well - I offered to point them out to her one by one. I am talking coins with obvious marks. Some you don't need a lens for. Her response was: "No. Just cover your credit. Don't point them out for me."

I was quite surprised. However I did what I was told. Found a non-cleaned coin as fast as I could and realized I probably would not be returning. These are nice people. Understanding people to a point. However in the world of coins - you're either selling actual MS coins with honest intentions or you're not. I really wish that I could have better things to say. After losing this place, I now have to travel well over an hour for a good LCS. Especially after this place takes...

Disappointed and Disrespected

I recently visited this business to sell a broken gold grill. I was told they couldn't accept it because it wasn’t stamped — even though any reputable gold buyer should know gold can be tested for purity without markings. That’s standard practice in the industry.

It felt like an excuse, not a policy — and I can’t help but feel that I was treated differently because I’m Black. I came in respectfully, with legitimate gold, and was met with instant dismissal and no effort to verify or test the item.

Whether it was discrimination, bias, or just poor service, I walked away feeling insulted, disrespected, and stereotyped. I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone who expects fairness, professionalism, or basic courtesy.

Do better. Gold can be tested, regardless of whether it’s marked. Jewelers and gold buyers routinely use acid tests, electronic testers, or XRF analyzers to verify gold content — markings are not required to determine karat or purity. So if they turned me away solely because the grill wasn't stamped, that explanation was, at best, incomplete — and at worst,...

My fiancé and I went in to see if we could get our rings and a watch appraised. We definitely got what we payed for with their free appraisal. The woman at the counter appraised my .5 carat solitaire and 1 carat wedding ring at $600 for both. We payed 3,600 for both. We told her that the solitaire had a card and subsequent ID stamp. She then proceeded to tell us that the diamond has a crack in it, we believe she was looking at the ID as we can find no evidence of the black line she mentioned. At best she is very miss informed and poorly trained. At worst she was trying to scam us. As for the watch she did not even diamond test it or bother to note it’s age before telling us that it was worth $200, 400 if it were new. I would strongly recommend that anyone looking to get their jewelry appraised no matter how desperate for a cheap appraisal steer clear of...