Family-Owned Biz Has Been Operating For Generations
/By Janee Law
jlaw@longislandergroup.com
Arthur Buz, owner of Collectors Coins & Jewelry in Huntington, who also serves as the stores on-site gemologist and numismatist, says knowledge is very important to the business.
When it comes to buying and selling fine estate and vintage jewelry, Collectors Coins & Jewelry are experts, having passed down the family-run business to four generations.
“I used to go to work with my father and see him interact with the customers,” Arthur Buz, owner of Collectors Coins in Huntington, said. “I use to play with the coins and the jewelry and I kind of liked it.”
From a 350-square-foot storefront at 331 New York Avenue in Huntington Village, Buz buys and sells fine estate and vintage jewelry, diamonds, gold, sterling silver, rare coins, bullion, watches, antiques, and other metals.
First opened in Massapequa Park in 1946, Collectors Coins grew over the years and expanded to several other locations, including a Baldwin store in 1982, Lynbrook in 1985, and Huntington, which opened up four years ago.
“Did I always think I was going to do this? No, but I’m glad that I do it and it’s a passion,” Buz, of Huntington, said. “It’s very important that you’re passionate about what you do.”
Along with buying and selling fine estate and vintage jewelry, Collectors Coins & Jewelry also collects and sells historical artifacts.
Buz is the store’s on-site gemologist and numismatist. As a gemologist, Buz grades the diamonds by color and clarity, and as a numismatist, he estimates the value of a coin based on its condition.
“In this business, knowledge is what separates us from the other guys,” Buz said. “When a customer is buying from me, I can educate them about the piece I can tell them that’s what it is.”
The business also trades in historical artifacts, whether it’s a letter from Abraham Lincoln written in 1864 or weapons and armor from the Civil, Revolutionary or both world wars.
“You don’t know what you’re going to get, who’s going to come in or what’s going to come in,” Buz said. “You can have one day where you buy a rare five-karat diamond for $8,000-$100,000 or you can meet interesting people. A lot of the time, people live amazing lives where they were spies during World War II and you’re buying their collection of coins and you talk to them.”
Buz added that what’s important is that the customer leaves happy.
“They need to leave feeling confident that they’re dealing with a trustworthy person,” he said. “It’s balancing between what the market will bear for what you think you can get for something, and then making the person a fair offer. A lot goes into what we’re doing here but we enjoy it.”
Collectors Coins & Jewelry
331 New York Ave.
Huntington
631-421-4774
Collectorscoinsjewelry.com
