Brad Johnson began collecting coins with his father.
For the past decade, Johnson has turned that passion into a profession, managing two of the five Coin Galleries of Oyster Bay locations, including the one on Northern Boulevard in Manhasset and its sister store in Levittown.
Johnson said Coin Galleries of Oyster Bay, owned by Ira Einhorn, will buy anything made of gold, silver, platinum, palladium, rhodium or diamonds, including rare coins, but the main focus is on buying jewelry.
“I have people come in all the time who sell their jewelry and go on vacation,” Johnson said. “Sadly, I also get people bringing in jewelry to pay the rent, and that’s always heartbreaking.”
Johnson, a lifetime member of the American Numismatics Association, said while the Manhasset location buys jewelry regularly, the Jewelry Gallery of Oyster Bay in Oyster Bay has the largest collection of for-sale jewelry in the company.
Because of his affiliation with the American Numismatics Association, Johnson is held to a higher standard and can be reported by customers if he overcharges for merchandise or sells forged items.
About a year ago, the shop expanded into the business of buying and selling used designer handbags with the help of Elise Bortnick, and Johnson said the two display cases devoted to designer bags and sometimes shoes are constantly rotating through products from Louis Vuitton and Christian Louboutin, among others.
Walking into the shop, it feels like a museum as the walls are covered in sports, history, music and pop culture memorabilia.
“There are many times when I don’t feel I’m a dealer, but I’m more of a curator because if you walk around here and look, there’s a signed check from Jackie Robinson, there’s an autographed letter from Harry Houdini, and then we have the rock stars,” Johnson said.
He said all of the memorabilia in the store is authenticated, including the historical artifacts and sports autographs.
Many of the coins, Johnson said, are also graded by a third-party company such as Professional Coin Grading Service and Numismatic Guaranty Corp.
