Our Story
A Family Business Built Around Helping People
Valley Goldmine began with a practical family need: create flexible, meaningful work in a safe office environment while caring for family. That idea became a local business centered on trust, education and helping clients make informed decisions about jewelry and precious metals.
How It Began
A business designed around family.
Mary and her husband Erik were both working at IBM Microelectronics in Burlington, Vermont when they welcomed their son. Soon after, Erik took a job in Mesa, Arizona and Mary left supply chain to become a full-time mom.
Like many families, they were thinking ahead about the rising cost of a college education. When their son reached first grade, Mary wanted to return to work—but she also needed the flexibility to pick him up from school and continue helping care for her mother-in-law, who had Alzheimer’s.
Erik came up with an unconventional answer: buy gold. The idea was not to create a traditional pawn-shop experience, but a safe, professional office where clients could meet by appointment. The model gave Mary the flexibility she needed as both a mother and caregiver.
Mary has jokingly called Valley Goldmine her “mommy gig” and credits her “gold-bug” husband with getting her into the industry.
About Mary
Learning the market by putting clients first.
Valley Goldmine started small. Mary learned both the jewelry market and the precious-metals market, and from the beginning she focused on helping clients understand the best path for their items.
If she believed a client might receive more by selling a piece as jewelry rather than for its precious-metal value, she would refer that client to local jewelers. Sometimes the jeweler was the better option. Other times the client returned because the melt value Mary had discussed made more sense for the piece.
Over time, Mary developed a stronger understanding of what was in style, what had resale potential and when an item was more likely to be valued primarily for its precious-metal content. That experience helped her better direct clients toward the option that made the most sense for them.
“If you do your best to help people, the rest will take care of itself.”
Mary
Experience That Grew With the Business
Helping clients navigate more than just gold.
As more clients arrived with inherited collections, Mary saw that some items required different expertise. Coins were a good example. Collectible numismatic coins can have value beyond their precious-metal content, particularly when rarity, condition or collector demand matters.
Rather than treating every coin as scrap metal, Mary built relationships with coin dealers she trusted to evaluate collectible pieces fairly—even when the seller might not know exactly what they inherited.
That same philosophy continues to shape Valley Goldmine: understand what the client has, explain the options and help them make an informed decision.
About Logan
Growing up alongside the family business.
Logan was in kindergarten when his parents purchased the Valley Goldmine franchise for Mary to run. In the early days, he occasionally accompanied her to appointments, helping keep his grandmother occupied with shows on an iPad while Mary worked.
As he grew older, Logan became an active part of the family business. While in high school, he helped with technology and administrative work, including entering information for required police reports, assisting with website and Google page posts, and even experimenting with building a separate Valley Goldmine website.
His interest in technology grew into an aspiration to study computer science—the same future college education that had helped motivate his parents to invest in Valley Goldmine years earlier.
Our Approach
What the Valley Goldmine story means for clients today.
Meet in a Professional Office
Appointments take place at Valley Goldmine’s Phoenix or Chandler office rather than in a traditional pawn-shop environment.
Understand What You Have
The goal is to help clients better understand the item, its precious-metal content and any other factors that may matter.
Ask Questions
A private appointment gives clients room to ask questions and understand the evaluation before making a decision.
Decide Without Pressure
Review the information and offer, then decide whether selling makes sense for you.
Visit Valley Goldmine
Private appointments in Phoenix & Chandler
Choose the office that is most convenient for you and schedule an appointment online or by phone.
View locations and office details →Phoenix, AZ 85034
Chandler, AZ 85225
Ready When You Are
Have something you’d like Valley Goldmine to evaluate?
Schedule a private appointment online or call us to arrange a time at our Phoenix or Chandler office.