“There was buried treasure in the backyard just waiting to be dug up, and the family knew about it. So one day the granddaughter decided to excavate what her grandmother, an escapee from an oppressive Russian tsarist rule, had buried in the ground years ago. It turned out to be $57,000 worth of Russian rubles.”
That was just one story Colleen Rivera likes to tell. Witnessing such impressive finds is part of her job as a show manager for the Ohio Valley Gold & Silver Refinery’s travelling roadshow.
The Springfield, Illinois based company is looking to buy precious metals, jewelry, historical artifacts, antiques and other collectibles.
“When someone brings in an item, The Ohio Valley Refinery & Roadshow evaluates it, makes an offer, and then writes out a check to those who decide to accept the offer. Our job is to find buyers for the items that are brought into the show. We’re the middle man—we try to find someone in that market who is interested”, said Jeramy Weese, another show manager for the Ohio Valley Refinery & Roadshow.
David Ford, a buyer for the company, said he enjoys travelling to different towns each week and finding new and interesting items. Just a few weeks back, he had a woman come in who had bought a coin for a dollar from the casino she was working at, the night before. She walked out that morning with a check for $50. She joked that this was the quickest $49 she had ever made.
So search through your closets and bring down your items to the Holiday Inn this week. Ohio Valley Gold & Silver Refiner will be at the Holiday Inn, 200 Holiday Inn Dr., Forest City  on Tuesday-Friday, June 7-June 11, 9 AM-6 PM and Saturday 9 AM-4 PM. Admission is free and chances are, you will walk out with a little extra money in your pocket. For more information, call 217.726.7590.