Persistance really does pay off. The shop owner of the coin store I've been going to for about a year, 3 times a week finally offered me a part-time position (I asked if he had any work available a long time ago).
Truthfully I don't know how he ran his shop with only himself and one other full-time employee. He said he hired me now so that he could go to sleep at night-considering the state of silver and especially gold at the moment. The store is very high volume in terms of both buying and selling. Its inventory is massive (this shop was the only one within about a 15 mile radius that had Silver when the price dropped like it did recently).
I won't even list specifically what is available because the answer is just about everything. As far as the bullion aspect of the store goes, they sell everything from 100ozt silver bars (and even a 1,000ozt bar one time, he said) to 10ozt bars, 5ozt bars, sometimes even 3ozt bars (RARE), and of course 1ozt bars. Also there's always 90% junk US silver on hand. And, in the "buy back" bin (1 ozt are ALWAYS $1.50 over spot) I sometimes get lucky and find Norfed Rounds, Old Engelhards, and recently the rarest Silver Bullet Silver Shield round. I asked why he doesn't pull coins like that out (he could obviously make more money if he did)-he said because he thinks the notion of Numismatic Bullion is 1) ridiculous and 2) too much to keep up with. Silver is silver for him. Its not always for me, so I get very lucky sometimes!
Regarding gold bullion they carry 1ozt bars (usually always PAMP Suisse), American Eagles, Maple Leafs, Krugerrands, Pandas, Libertads, Philharmonics, Perth Mint Stuff, and a few more. These are almost always available in-stock as 1ozt, 1/10 ozt, and 1/20ozt (not all countries make this size...but I know Canada and Mexico does) pieces. Also, he sells gold that has numismatic (rare coin) value, too. Some of those pieces are really cool.
Occasionally, too, he's got an item thats not one you see everyday. By this I mean things like 5oz Libertads, 5oz Perth Mint stuff, etc. There's a small section for old American paper notes. Its pretty cool-there's everything from a ticket to the world fair when Lincoln was president to more common and rare denomination Confederate Bills. There are a couple binders full of world paper notes, most of them professionally graded.
The owner's true passion are his rare coin; Numismatics. He does sell "raw" (not professionally graded coins), but only if they are "BU" (Brilliant Uncirculated) or a key date/mintmark or interesting (like communist/fascist stuff-and more). His collection of "raw" world coins is extensive. He said (and it makes sense) that it is those coins that passers-by who decide to check out the shop end up buying. There are plenty of them in everyone's price range (examples-I bought a USSR coin with Lenin's face on it for $2.95. I bought an AD 235 Roman Silver Denarius for $35. The list goes on). They're one of my favorite things to look at when I browse the shop.
In closing with the above, keep in mind that a "numismatic" coin could and most likely does (most rare coins are old-and they usually made them out of precious metals) hold rare metal value, too!
Finally, and it might be the majority of what is ALWAYS in stock, he has a HUGE collection of professionally graded coins. There are a ton of "coin grading" companies. Most of them are scams-they put your coin in a capsule and hastily grade it. Some fake rare coins (it was done as a test) were sent off to be graded by some of these "companies". A number didn't even recognize them as fakes! Anyways, there are only 2 real respected grading companies in the "numismatic world". They are [acronyms] NGC and PCGS. An argument could be made that ANACs is respected, too. It is, but not to high enough a standard for him...only coins graded by either NGC or PCGS are in his store, he said (doesn't buy back any others and certainly doesn't sell them). Let that be a testament to the shop and what they sell.
Wow, I'm sorry this is so long a post. To summarize what I wanted to get across: I would love to be the "precious metals/rare coins guy" on here. If you wanted any sort of item, I could get it for you. The store's prices and premiums over spot are very reasonable-you can get an ounce of silver for $1.50 over spot. And I definitely wouldn't be making a killing off of this service (by any means). A huge part of it is I just like coins. If you want, before you buy a coin/bullion piece, whatever it may be, I would be happy to consult with you if something seems sketchy, or just to double check. The last thing I have to say is right here: If you are looking for ANY tough to find silver and/or gold pieces, as well as rare coins, and obviously are trying to find the best deal, please at least PM me to see if I can help (I bet I can )
*As far as prices go, show me the lowest price you can find and I will see if I can beat it!*
**Also, I feel obligated to say that I will not be able to accommodate all orders to be paid for in BTC. I wish I could, but I just graduated (college) and already have loans I have to pay back. I'll certainly accommodate orders in BTC as best as I can. But, what I'm trying to do is build-up a reputation for offering the lowest prices (cash) on bullion/coin items, as well as cash-handling trust. I've done I can't even begin to count how many transactions in BTC-but I feel like cash is a different game to people.**
Thanks!