The Practical Benefits of Minted Silver as a Small or Large Investment
November 2015

Silver bullion or minted coins are a very versatile investment, and can be purchased for many different reasons.

In the modern world there many financial tools such as stocks, bonds, electronic trading, and of course your very own bank account. Silver is also a financial tool, and unlike the high-tech methods of the modern stock market, silver has been used as a currency for thousands of years! One of the greatest benefits of silver as an investment is that regardless of economic, social, and natural conditions, the silver will remain available to you and valuable as a currency.

One of the most important ideas to consider, would be the economic advantage of silver bullion or minted coins over other traditional forms of investment, such as stocks or dollars in the bank. All financial tools are affected by the price of the dollar, and more importantly the current rate of inflation or deflation. Global events, or domestic events can cause a change in the spending power of the dollar, and silver will retain its value in weight regardless of the actual value of the dollar. This makes silver a very safe investment to consider, from an economic perspective.

Pure silver itself is a precious metal, and it has a clear, beautiful, distinctive shine. Everyone loves silver, especially in its final form as either minted currency or jewelry, which is the perfect gift for all ages. Silver coins are great as small gifts, such as stocking stuffers, or sentimental gifts. However, even if you are not interested in gifting silver, it will be a valuable investment for securing your assets when all other forms of investment or currency have failed.
You can find many forms of silver at Olde World Trading Company. We carry newly minted silver coins, old mint, silver bullion, and silver based jewelry. You can browse our coin and silver gallery, which will give you an idea of what we have in store.

The Story Behind the Gift
November 2015

The holidays are among us, and once again it is time to start shopping for the perfect gifts for your family and friends. Depending on how many people you care for in your circle, it may be a challenge finding the right items to make everyone happy. Instead of focusing on a specific item, ask yourself if the receiver of your gift would appreciate where it came from?

Everyone shops at big box retailers, such as Wal-Mart, Target, Amazon, or Costco, and sure there are lots of nice things to buy, but none of the merchandise found in these stores is truly unique. Imagine for a minute the presents under your christmas tree, or christmas presents from past times. When those lucky people unwrapped their gift, and they peer at the packaging, ignoring the Made in China label, could they guess where it came from? With the vast majority of gifts coming from Big Box retail, how could they expect that it came from anything different?

If you came into Olde World Trading Company stores(Find them Here), you would notice a large selection of tasteful and exciting gifts. You may have a significant other that loves jewelry, You may have a family member that would enjoy a vintage clock, or perhaps a large manly knife. Whatever you feel is the right item, instead of saying you bought the same item everyone else did at Wal-Mart, you can say that you got this gift from a different place, someplace special.

Often we forget the main purpose of gift giving, which is the thought, and consideration the giver must spend in order to gift someone else. It is not the gift itself, but the story behind the gift, and how the giver obtained the gift that matters most.

Find our stores HERE

Discover Grant County
October 2015

Grant county has some of the most unique and awe inspiring landscapes, that allow for pristine outdoor adventures such as camping, fishing, hiking, or majestic sightseeing. The great geologic splendor, along with the well known coulees of the Columbia Basin are observed to be created by ongoing cataclysmic events known as the Missoula Floods. The Missoula Floods is a mainstream term used by geologists that refers to the cataclysmic flooding events that took place at the trailing end of the previous ice age, floods that would continually consume all of Eastern Washington and the Columbia River Basin. The source of the flood comes from the ancient glacial lake, known as Glacial Lake Missoula. However, the ice dam, on Clark Fork River, containing the Glacial Lake Missoula would suddenly crack and rupture, releasing an unimaginable amount of water in a single, earth shaping flood. After the initial release from the ice dam, the waters of Glacial Lake Missoula would rush down the Clark Fork and into the Columbia River, putting most of Eastern Washington under water. To this day, if anyone were to simply observe the exposed basalt formations of the Upper or Lower Grand Coulee, they would get a sense of the awesome power of geology, and the majesty of the planet we live on. We have listed the 5 top hiking/fishing/wildlife areas in Grant County with links to additional info Below:

• Quincy Lakes
• Billy Clapp Lake
• Sun Lakes
• Potholes Reservoir
• Banks Lake

Choosing Wedding Rings
September 2015

Choosing a wedding band or a wedding set may be one of the most important, and perhaps expensive decisions of your life. However, a wedding ring is something that you are going to wear a very long time, so it is crucial to obtain and wear a ring that brings satisfaction. With that being said, it is understandable why making that choice can be difficult, having to please a partner with the plethora of gems, cuts, metals, styles, and prices that one must settle on. When selecting wedding rings, it will help to talk with the experienced and knowledgeable jewelers, with a larger selection of rings to choose from. Very attractive and well made rings do not have to be exorbitantly expensive either, a jeweler offering true customer service will have less expensive options, such as smaller but well cut diamonds mounted on a silver ring, instead of a larger stone on a gold ring. Be sure to do your research, and shop around before your purchase, you will find that many jewelers will charge much more for jewelry then they should, because for some customers vanity overrides their purchase logic, or they simply they do not realize that they are over paying for their jewelry. Before you take that big step and purchase your romantic and symbolic wedding rings, take a look at our selection of rings here on our site, or visit one of our retail stores.

Here is a Link to our Jewelry Gallery:
Click HERE for Gallery
You will find the location and hours of our store on the right.

Why Do you Shop for the Holidays?
August 2015

The later months of the century, and post millennium, has seen a transformation in the American Holiday Season. This season is known as a time of family, togetherness, and faith, a tradition that started with the ancient history of Christmas, and was enhanced by the earliest settlers of America. These pilgrims celebrated their victory over the harsh winters of New England, and appreciated the well-being of their family, within what was to them, an alien land. In modern times, the lasting virtues of family, togetherness, and faith of the holiday season are integrated or overshadowed by the most economically active part of the year. One of these economic events is called Black Friday. During this active time, retail stores want your business in their store before you shop somewhere else, and often they will offer strong discounts on popular items, in the favor of selling larger numbers of that item. With these kinds of discounts it is understandable why people would want to take advantage of great sales during the season. In America, you can always find good deals, as there are countless numbers of retail shops, chains, and outlets across america, offering countless products and services. However, even during the holiday season, shoppers fall prey to enticing prices on sub-standard products, often wasting money on gifts that will soon break, and be discarded. Whether you are viewing our merchandise online, or you are an active customer in our retail stores, we have a unique selection of gifts that you simply won't find inside corporate retailers. If you value quality gifts for your loved ones, or gifts with unique character, and you want the best deals, come check out what we have to offer in our Ephrata or Moses Lake Stores.

Here is a video about Small Business Saturday, an event competing with Black Friday:

Identifying Old Mint Circulated Silver Coins
May 2015

Modern coins that are used for change in current times contain no precious metals; in fact current minted U.S. coins are mostly zinc. Despite this, there is still a substantial amount of older minted silver U.S. coins in circulation, and many people are oblivious to the silver coins that they may possess in their piggy banks. Most coins minted before 1965 contain 90% silver, and therefore the current value of the coins is 90% of the weight multiplied by the current price in silver. However, some coins minted before 1965 contain less than 90% silver, such as coins minted between 1942 and 1945 contain 35% silver. Perhaps you may not have realized that you have a silver coin collection, check your piggy banks, and pay attention to the change that is given to you by cashiers, because on occasion you may receive a silver coin, which is worth far more than the currency value it represents.

The following website is an extensive online catalog of old coins, which will help you identify the type of coin you have, and the value that it may have.

NGC Coin

Watch the following video for more information:

Buying Gold Jewelry
April 2015

If you wish to have success with the purchasing of gold jewelry, you must first visit a reputable jeweler. Olde World Trading Company has been providing large selections of jewelry for over 30 years. Since there are different grades of gold, you must decide on the karat weight of the gold, and you must also determine whether the gold will be an investment, or will it will be something for you to wear in a personal collection. A sure way to ensure that you are buying true value, would be to obtain documentation on the karat weight of gold jewelry. These documents will come in handy later, if you wish to sell your gold jewelry.

Spotting Antique Jewelry
March 2015

If you like to collect Jewelry, or like to keep your eyes open for an opporunity for a nice piece, you must keep a few keys in mind. Real jewelry is made by real craftsman, and they take extreme care about their work. As you scan different pieces of authentic jewellery you will notice the smooth material finish, and perfect symmetry. Ask yourself the question? Do I personally like this piece, would myself or another enjoy wearing this jewelry?

Gold and Silver Investing
February 2015

There are many types of investment opportunities available, Whether that is equity, securities, or commodities, there will always be risks. However, depending on your investment choice you may procure additional benefits. In the case of gold and silver investing, you are investing into a physical commodity that will continue to offer value when paper based investments are unreliable or failing. Gold and Silver has been used as currency by humans for thousands of years, and still holds its purpose in present day.

Properly Identifying Jewelry Materials
January 2015

Jewelry can be made of many different materials, however gold is the most sought after material for Jewelry. Depending on the design, jewel craftsman may mix the gold with other metals during the smelting process, resulting in 'White Gold' and other alloys. You should make sure the ring, necklace, bracelet, ECT. that you are purchasing is made of real gold, or make sure the jewelry piece is made of a material worth the money you are paying. It is very common for Jewelry to be made with sub-standard materials, with the intention of deceiving possible buyers. You can trust the large selections of jewelry that Olde World Trading Company has in stock at the Moses Lake and Ephrata stores, and we offer Jewelry Related Services.

How to Sharpen Your Blades
December 2014

Knives, Swords, Machetes, and other blade tools will lose their edge over time. Sharp tools allow you to work more efficiently, and a dull blade can be more hazardous then a sharper blade. A dull blade requires more force to push through the material you are cutting, and you may slip and lose control of the knife more easily, which could be very dangerous. Always use extreme care when working with sharp tools. Old World Trading Co. has a large selection of blades available.

How to Clean Rifles
November 2014

Knowing how to clean your firearm is just as important as knowing how to operate your firearm. Not cleaning your weapon properly will negatively affect its accuracy, and it could pose a significant safety hazard for those operating it. You should consult a gunsmith on proper cleaning techniques for your particular firearm. Olde World Trading Company Moses lake, Ephrata

How to Clean Old Coins
October 2014

Seemingly there are a number of ways to clean old coins in-order to increase their value. However if the cleaning process is not done properly, or the wrong type of metal or coin is cleaned, the coin may lose much of its value. Take your coins to a coin specialist, who can clean your coins without reducing its value. Gold and Silver Bullion