How we decide which dealers to publish, and which to leave out.
Honduras Collectibles is an editorially-curated directory of US rare-coin dealers, gold and silver buyers, and bullion shops. We do not accept payment for placement. We do not run a transactional business. The standards on this page are the only thing that decide what shows up where.
What goes into a single dealer record.
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01
Source the listing.
We start from a public business listing — Google Maps, the Better Business Bureau, the Industry Council for Tangible Assets, the American Numismatic Association membership rolls, or a state license registry. The listing must include a physical street address, a working phone number, and at least 18 months of operating history.
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02
Read the dealer's own writing.
We then read the dealer's website end to end. We look for specific, non-marketing language about appraisals, payouts, fee structure, and licensure. A site that says "we pay top dollar" without specifying spread is weaker evidence than a site that posts the day's spot and a buy/sell band.
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03
Read public reviews carefully.
We sample public Google and similar reviews and code excerpts that mention specific behavior — grade discussion, written receipts, posted spot price, time spent on appraisal. We do not count star ratings; we count the presence and corroboration of described behaviors.
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04
Score and publish, or hold.
If the three layers agree on at least two capability signals, we publish a full record. If only the listing exists with thin website and review evidence, we keep the dealer in the index but mark it "limited evidence" and do not give it a standalone page. We re-score every record on a 12-month cycle.
What we publish, and what we deliberately leave out.
We publish
- Storefront coin and bullion dealers in the United States.
- Buy / sell desks at established jewelers when precious-metal trade is a primary line.
- Numismatic specialists with verifiable PCGS, NGC, ANACS, or ICG submission service.
- Appointment-only estate appraisers with documented credentials.
We don't publish
- Pawn shops without a dedicated precious-metals desk.
- "Cash for gold" mall kiosks and traveling buyers operating out of hotel conference rooms.
- Online-only marketplaces — we link to them in guides instead.
- Investment newsletters, advisors, or any service offering a "guaranteed return."
The six signals we record.
Honest appraisal
Reviewers consistently describe the desk explaining grade, rarity, or population data before quoting a number.
Fair market pricing
Daily spot board, posted buy/sell spread, payouts in the 92–96% range on common bullion forms.
Numismatic capability
PCGS / NGC submission service, specialist vocabulary in dealer's own writing, references to grading standards.
Bullion fluency
Same-day spot pricing, willingness to buy fractional gold and constitutional silver in mixed lots.
Scrap & jewelry
Visible weighing at the counter, itemized receipts listing weight, purity, and percentage of spot applied.
Estate collections
Documented written-appraisal product, probate references, willingness to travel for large lots.
What we are and what we aren't.
Honduras Collectibles is independently run. We do not accept payment, gifts, or anything of value from dealers in exchange for placement, ranking, or coverage. We do not run affiliate links. We do not buy or sell coins, bullion, or any other collectible. Listings cannot be purchased and cannot be removed without good cause.
We do not publish daily gold or silver spot prices. They move every minute and aren't useful by the time a static page renders. Use kitco.com, APMEX, or the dealer's own posted board for the day's number.
We do not provide investment advice. Decisions about whether to buy, sell, or hold precious metals — and whether to add them to a portfolio at all — are conversations with a licensed financial advisor, not with a directory.
If we make a mistake, we correct it on the page. Significant corrections (a misattributed quote, an incorrectly-flagged signal) are also acknowledged when readers request a record of the change. Submit corrections via the contact page.
How to use this directory.
If you are carrying something specific, start with the dealer index filtered by signal — Honest appraisal, Numismatic, Bullion, Scrap, or Estate. If you are not sure what you have, start with the glossary — most of the language a counter will use (slabbed, raw, melt, spot, premium, MS-65, AU-58, PCGS, NGC) is defined there in plain English. If you already have a record in mind, the lot card on each detail page is the cheat sheet for the call: phone, website, address, specialty mix, and a comparison against the alternatives.