Wendy's Creative Collections @ Coins — Local services in Peoria

I’ve been to a lot of coin shops across the country and talked to a lot of people, so I’ve seen some shops that are very well run and others not so much.

There are some shops I go to once to check it out and try… then never go back — this is one of those. I checked the reviews and most of them were good with a few bad, as every shop has. Every coin shop gets that one customer that thinks their penny from change is worth all the money and then some.

There are pros and cons about the shop, just like any other shop. However — the cons kinda outweigh the pros in my opinion.

Pros: there is stuff. Some shops barely have any inventory, but Wendy’s has stuff. A LOT of stuff. I’m not sure how many vintage type coins they had, but there was a lot of modern US commemoratives, silver eagles, etc.

Cons: first off, no one acknowledged me or my wife at all during our time in the shop. Well, no one except for one older gentleman sitting on a chair in the middle of the crowded shop waiting for his turn to look at coins. None of the staff even made eye contact with me. Second - there’s so much random stuff it feels more like a hoarder’s antique store than a coin shop. Oh, and if you’re allergic to dogs, don’t go in…

I wish I could give a better review. I’m fairly new to Peoria, so I don’t have an allegiance to any of the coin shops in this area. But this shop wasn’t one...

I've paid occasional visits for years, it's an eclectic and comfortable, laid-back business with lots of interesting coins and collectibles at unusually fair prices. They don't bother you while you're just looking around but are quick to assist when you see something of interest or want to chat a bit. They are quite knowledgeable and genuinely interested in finding the "right" coin for your needs. If they don't have a coin in the grade that fits one's collection they won't push something sub-par and will keep an eye open for what you need. I don't sell much as I can do that myself on eBay but have sold junk silver before and was quite pleased with their fair buy price. Their prices on supplies are great and I've actually found non-coin antiques at profitable bargain prices there so even deal-hunting resellers should check them out, it's...

First experience with the place and I was a bit shell shocked. While the people seemed friendly enough... The place was a completely disorganized mess. It looked like someone had just dumped a load of leftover yard sale boxes in the middle of the floor. We literally had to dig through boxes in the floor looking to see what sort of baseball cards they had. Newer cards were on shelves behind the counter, but too cluttered to get a good look at what they had. Also, it was a bit awkward standing behind someone getting appraisals on the items they were trying to sell to the store. The place had a bad odor and a little dog that barked a lot.

Not sure if I'd go back... maybe if I'm feeling...