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Billboard

The loud jingling of gold coins and jewelry, the ticking of antique gold pocket watches, and even chatter over the occasional loose gold tooth continues to be heard at West Seattle Coins as crowds visit the storefront at 4500 Southwest California Ave. at Oregon St . The allure of the current market rate of $1,700 per-ounce gold, about four times the 2005 price, has attracted many to the shop, sometimes with a long line snaking around past the Senior Center entrance, with booty in hand they hope may pay the rent, and then some.

Now a large ad will catch the eye of potential commuters. Today at about 11:00 a.m., a 48-foot by 14-foot billboard West Seattle Coins sign was hung just southwest of the West Seattle Bridge and 1st Ave. on the roof of Buffalo Industries, Inc., replacing a Jiffy Lube banner. It was built and installed by ClearChannel Outdoor located six blocks due east of the new sign.

ClearChannel employees Tim Bredow, Randy McHenry, and Dan Towse constructed and installed the sign. Towse is a West Seattle resident. Bredow is credited with making the cutout letters that spell "West Seattle".

"We use a jigsaw and the artwork that comes when it's printed for a template to lay out the pattern and we cut it out and try to make it fit,"" said Bredow. As you see from the photo above, the "West Seattle" was carved and anchored at the top left to the huge horizontal image.

Coin Shop

Ryan Hoolahan owns West Seattle Coins and Bellevue Rare Coins. He is opening a second "Bellevue Rare Coins" in Lynnwood in December. He manages the Bellevue store, while his brother, Daniel, manages the West Seattle location. Their mother, Joy Carpino, works with Daniel. Ryan and Daniel's father, Patrick, who passed away four years ago, was known nationwide in the coin business.

"I lived on Vashon up until I was 12 years old, then we moved tho West Seattle," said Daniel, 27. "This shop has been here 32 years. There was a five-year period in there where we bought the antique mall half way down the block and closed this spot. About 12 years ago we then reopened this corner spot. The antique mall has a different owner.

"My aunt (Beverly Dinger) was heavily into antiques and my brother and I pushed the coins," said Daniel. She still comes in. "I grew up around antique shops and shows and so I am familiar with a lot of old and rare items. I know what to move to the side, or what to bid on.

"In '07, '08 is when it really picked up," he said. "We never intended to be in this business because of gold. It's really been a good bonus for us as gold doubled and tripled in value. When we wake up in the morning we check the gold and silver prices, but check it online throughout the day.

"It happens where some people get emotional expecting their items are more valuable then they really are," he said. "It's never fun to see that, but we try to be as comforting and helpful as we can. If they have that Buffalo nickel and it's the 'common 1936' and we tell them it's not valuable, they get an inflated idea of what they have. If you look it up you might find one for $500, but their coin might be worn and circulated, and only worth a dollar and a half.

Then there is the other side of the coin.

"A local couple came in about five years ago and we got $55,000 for their rare silver coin. Someone came in with an old cigar box full of coins. We emptied it out, about 50 coins on to the black tray, a very typical thing, old German coins and stuff from their travels. Nothing valuable, except for the five pennies in there, the 1909 S Vdb Lincoln penny, uncirculated coins, valued at a couple of thousand dollars each."

The coin was issued to commemorate Lincoln's 100th birthday.