All About Coins is a historic, old-school shop located in downtown Sugar House, replete with stained glass windows, a large collection of coins, and at the center of it all, Bob Campbell. Campbell has been in business for the past 42 years, and created this unique coin shop out of his passion for coins and currency.
His father passed away in the early years of his childhood, and with little information about his dad’s past other than his passion for numismatics, aka the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, medals and related objects. He took his father’s passion and ran with it. When he was 11, he formed a coin club in his neighborhood. (He was its president, of course.)
As a young child and well into his teenage years, Campbell began selling coins and enjoyed competitions. He said that one buyer of his coins was surprised when he was still sticking around in his shop, and he had to admit that he still couldn’t drive. He believed he was honoring his father by getting to know his passions.
“It looks like a museum here, except everything’s for sale,” Campbell said of his eclectic shop.
All About Coins has a variety of items including ancient coins, Utah trade coins, US coins and currency, world coins and currency, handheld collectibles, gold specimens, rocks, gems, and minerals. For currency collectors, All About Coins is the perfect destination. The oldest coin in the shop dates back to 500 B.C.E. and features Alexander The Great. The rarest coin is an 1860 Mormon five dollar gold piece which is “the finest known” according to Campbell.
The world of numismatics is unknown to most people, and I definitely learned a lot speaking to Campbell about this subject. So how do you detect fraudulent coins, I wondered?
“The number one way is by comparing them, so just constantly looking back and forth, and if you have a ratchety mind like me, look for small details and flaws,” Campbell said. “I’m really a builder’s nightmare because I can see flaws in everything, but comparison is the number one best way.”
Campbell explained that the person with a fraudulent coin is only trying to fool a normal citizen, not a numismatics expert.
Campbell has even taught federal agents how to spot a counterfeit. With his expertise, he can help almost anyone to be a coin detective.
In opposition to counterfeit coins, owning a coin shop can be very exciting, Campbell says. “It’s like a treasure hunt, but the treasure comes to you.”
He enjoys interacting with his customers, both old and new, every day. “It’s really fun to be here because you never know what’s coming through the door. There is a possibility that someone will have something valuable or rare, and it’s exciting to discover that,” Campbell said.
Campbell also specializes on all things inflationary. Gold, silver, and other precious metals have always been hedges against inflation. “You can carry concentrated wealth in various metals, including silver,” Campbell said. Although Campbell tries to encourage people to invest in silver and gold, he says he can’t ultimately be an expert on inflation because of how quickly things change.
“I can tell what might happen if this happens,” Campbell said. “People buy gold and silver to have a safety net.”
He advises people to make sure they are financially stable and can survive without a job for six months. What’s most important, he emphasized, is that you have enough savings for a rainy day.
