Sell Silver Coins in Santa Monica for Same-Day Cash
South Bay Coin is a licensed silver coin buyer serving Santa Monica and the Westside. Walk-in appraisals, no appointment, and cash the same visit. Every coin is sorted and quoted at the counter while you watch.
The Best Place to Sell Silver Coins Near Santa Monica
If you want to sell silver coins in Santa Monica, South Bay Coin is a licensed, bonded and insured precious metals dealer a straight drive south on Lincoln Boulevard. Since 1980 we have bought silver from sellers across the Westside and the South Bay, from a single Morgan dollar to a coffee can of halves that has sat in a closet since the 1960s. Walk in during business hours, no appointment, and leave with cash the same visit.
Most of what arrives here is a drawer rather than a collection. A tube of halves, a few dollars in a cloth bag, a commemorative someone was handed at a wedding, an Eagle bought one year and forgotten. That mix is exactly what this counter is set up for. We identify each group, tell you what it is before we price it, and quote it on its own terms rather than sweeping the whole lot onto one scale.
We are a coin store with a resale platform, not a melt-only operation, and with silver that distinction decides the number. A good share of what crosses this counter is worth more than its weight. Common date Morgan and Peace dollars carry a collector floor. Better dates, original surfaces and government-issued holders sit higher still. When a coin really is worth only its silver, our in-house refinery means nobody stands between your coins and the metal.
Every offer is explained group by group before you decide, and you can decline any part of it and walk out with your coins. Our silver coin buying desk in Los Angeles handles United States, world and modern bullion issues, and our Santa Monica gold and silver buying page covers everything else Westside sellers bring us.
Silver Coin Buyers Near Me in Lawndale, Minutes From Santa Monica
South Bay Coin
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Sat: 10 AM - 3 PM
Sun: Closed
Are Morgan, Peace and Eisenhower Silver Dollars Real Silver?
Silver dollars are the coin Santa Monica sellers bring in most often, and also the coin people are most often wrong about. Four very different dollars turn up in the same drawer, and only some of them contain silver at all.
Morgan dollars, struck from 1878 to 1904 and again in 1921, and Peace dollars, struck from 1921 to 1935, are 90 percent silver. These are the classics. Even common dates in worn condition tend to sit above their metal value, because collectors compete for them in a way nobody competes for a plain ounce of silver.
Eisenhower dollars are where nearly all the confusion lives. The big Ikes that actually circulated, the ones with no mint mark or a D, are copper and nickel with no silver whatsoever. Only the collector versions struck at San Francisco with an S mint mark, sold from 1971 through 1976, contain 40 percent silver. Those came in a blue envelope if uncirculated and a brown box if proof. The fastest check is the edge: a clad Ike shows a copper stripe, a silver one is grey the whole way around. There is also no Ike dated 1975, because the Bicentennial coins carry a dual 1776 to 1976 date.
Carson City Morgans sealed in a hard plastic case with a black insert came from the government's own sales of Treasury silver dollars in the 1970s. Leave them exactly as they are, with the outer box and certificate if you still have them. Cracking one open removes the thing that made it worth showing us.
The 2021 and later Morgan and Peace dollars are a modern series in .999 silver. They resemble the originals closely but are priced on a separate basis. Bring them, but do not assume they are the old ones.
Which Silver Coins Are Worth More Than Their Melt Value?
Two conversations happen at this counter almost every week, and they run in opposite directions. Knowing which one you are walking into saves everybody time.
The first involves commemorative half dollars. The classic United States silver commemoratives, issued between 1892 and 1954 for expositions, anniversaries and monuments, sound rare because of the word on the label. Most are not. Types like the Columbian Exposition half and the Stone Mountain half were produced in quantity and then saved carefully by the very people who bought them, so a great many survive in clean condition. They are handsome coins with real history and they are worth bringing in, but the word commemorative describes why a coin was struck, not how few exist. A handful of types and low-mintage issues genuinely are scarce, which is why each one still gets looked at individually rather than waved off.
The second runs the other way. Sellers routinely apologise for worn common-date coins and expect us to be uninterested. Circulated Mercury dimes, dark Walking Liberty halves, a Morgan with a flat cheek. None of that condition is a problem. Wear does not remove silver, and a worn classic dollar still carries the collector floor underneath it. People also tend to write off the odd single piece, the one dollar or the three dimes left at the bottom of a jar, assuming there is a minimum. There is not.
If there is sterling silver mixed in among the coins, flatware or hollowware or jewelry, it is priced in the same visit on the same receipt.
Silver Coins We Buy for Cash in Los Angeles
Any quantity, any condition, from a single dollar to a full accumulation. Each group is identified and quoted on its own basis rather than lumped together.
Sell Silver Dollars
Morgan, Peace and Trade dollars, 40 percent silver Eisenhower issues, and Carson City coins still in their government holders. Singles, rolls and full date runs.
Sell 90 Percent Dimes, Quarters & Halves
Mercury and Roosevelt dimes, Washington and Standing Liberty quarters, Walking Liberty, Franklin and 1964 Kennedy halves. Loose, rolled or by the jar.
Sell Silver Eagles & Bullion Coins
American Silver Eagles from every year, Canadian Maples, Britannias, Libertads and private rounds. Singles, tubes and sealed monster boxes.
Sell a Whole Silver Coin Collection
Mixed groups, partial sets and boxes nobody has opened in years. Bring it exactly as it sits. We do the sorting here and price each group separately.
How to Sell Silver Coins in Lawndale in Three Steps
Walk In or Text Coin Photos Ahead
Drive down Lincoln to 16916 Hawthorne Blvd in Lawndale. No appointment needed. Or call (310) 363-7808 first, or text photos to (310) 363-2697.
Watch Your Silver Coins Sorted and Quoted
We separate your coins by type and silver content on the counter in front of you, then explain what each group is priced on. Nothing leaves the room.
Get Paid Cash the Same Visit
Accept and you are paid on the spot by cash or check. Decline any group and it goes home with you. Bring a valid photo ID.
South Bay Coin vs Pawn Shops vs Meet-Up Silver Coin Buyers
Santa Monica sellers weigh a counter against the nearest pawn shop, a mobile buyer who meets you off-site, or a mail-in service. Here is what separates them before any money is counted.
| Feature | South Bay Coin | Pawn Shops | Meet-Up Buyers | Mail-In |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nothing ships or gets held | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Fixed storefront you can return to | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Coins sorted in front of you | Yes | Sometimes | Sometimes | No |
| Prices silver dollars above melt | Yes | No | Varies | Varies |
| Walk in, no appointment | Yes | Yes | No | Not applicable |
| Owns an on-site refinery | Yes | No | No | Varies |
| Comes to your home or your bank | No | No | Yes | Not applicable |
| 45+ year track record | Yes | Varies | Varies | Varies |
What Silver and Gold Sellers Say About South Bay Coin
Common Questions About Selling Silver Coins in Santa Monica
Where can I sell silver coins in Santa Monica?
South Bay Coin buys silver coins from Santa Monica sellers at our Lawndale showroom, a straight drive south on Lincoln Boulevard. Walk in Monday through Saturday with no appointment, watch your coins sorted and quoted at the counter, and leave with cash the same visit. The appraisal is free and carries no obligation.
Are Eisenhower dollars silver?
Most are not. Eisenhower dollars struck for circulation with no mint mark or a D are copper and nickel. Only the collector versions from San Francisco carrying an S mint mark, issued 1971 through 1976, contain 40 percent silver. Check the edge: clad shows a copper stripe, silver looks grey throughout.
Is it better to sell silver coins on eBay or to a local coin shop?
An online listing looks higher until you subtract the platform commission, which is charged on your price plus the buyer's shipping and sales tax, then insured postage, packing, and the risk of a not-received claim arriving after the coin has shipped. A local shop pays the same visit with nothing shipped.
Should I take a Carson City Morgan out of its black GSA holder?
No. That hard plastic case with the black insert came from the government's own sales of Treasury silver dollars in the 1970s, and it is part of what the coin is now worth. Keep the outer box and the certificate as well if you still have them, and bring the whole thing exactly as it sits.
Do I need an appointment to sell silver coins near Santa Monica?
No. We are a walk-in showroom open Monday through Friday and every Saturday, and you never need to book a time. Several Westside coin buyers work by appointment only or meet clients off-site, so a seller with a free hour on a Saturday has fewer options nearby than they might expect.
What do I need to bring to sell silver coins in California?
Valid government-issued photo identification and the coins themselves. That is all. Licensed California dealers are required to identify sellers and create a written record of the transaction, which protects you as much as it protects us. You leave with an itemized breakdown of what you sold and how each group was priced.
Is it safe to meet a coin buyer at my bank or a coffee shop?
It is a common arrangement, but it puts you in a public place handling cash or an instant transfer with someone who has no counter and no fixed address to return to. A licensed storefront gives you cameras, staff, a business license, and somewhere to go back to if anything needs sorting out.
Are the 2021 Morgan and Peace silver dollars worth more than the originals?
They are different coins entirely. The 2021 and later issues are a modern series struck in .999 silver, while original Morgan and Peace dollars are 90 percent silver dated between 1878 and 1935. Both are worth bringing in, but they are priced on separate bases and should never be compared directly.
How long does it take to sell a silver coin collection?
Most visits run fifteen to thirty minutes. A jar of mixed coins or several hundred pieces takes longer, because we sort by type and silver content and quote each group on its own rather than weighing everything as a single lot. You are welcome to watch the entire sort happen.
Can I sell just part of my silver coin collection?
Yes. We quote each group separately, so you can accept the silver dollars, decline the Eagles, and take the rest home with you. There is no minimum, no requirement to sell everything together, and no pressure to close the same day if you would rather think it over first.
Ready to Sell Silver Coins in Santa Monica?
Bring your silver dollars, junk silver, or Eagles down from Santa Monica. Free appraisal, no appointment, cash the same visit.
