About Us

Our Story

In 1959 Dean Witter created an innovative coin album to hold US proof sets. With the success of the albums, Dean decided to open Witter Coin in a small store on Bush and Kearny in the Financial District. Dean later moved to the historic Hobart Building on Market Street in 1982.

In 2016 Seth Chandler took over the business from Dean and expanded its offerings. For our 50th anniversary in 2020, we moved to our current location on Lombard Street in Marina. Today Seth and his team run our vastly larger showroom and attend events all over the world as a premier source for rare coins.

Witter Coins is proud to be a historic San Francisco business and to continue to operate in the city we have called home.

Sell to Us

Witter Coin buys collectible items from the public every day. We buy rare coins, gold and silver bullion, watches, jewelry, and other collectibles. Whether it is a large lifetime collection or just a single item, we make the selling process easy.

Please bring the items into our store and our experts will examine and appraise your item. “I just want to know what is worth,” inquiries are always welcome. At that point you can make the decision to sell or keep your item, there is never pressure to sell.

If you do decide to sell your item we generally pay on the spot with a check or cash.

What We Sell

Witter Coin has been selling rare coins and numismatic items since 1960! We have one of the top inventories of PCGS graded coins in the country. We are nationally known for handling incredible US Gold rarities and building amazing sets of rare coins. We sell coins from $1 to $1,000,000 across the world and at major national coin conventions.

Many of our rare coins can be viewed by clicking on this link

At our store, we have a large selection of coins, gold and silver bullion, paper money, fine watches, and jewelry. We also handle other collectibles, like sports memorabilia, rare paintings, and local historical items, so be sure to come in often as these items don’t last long.

Visit Us at 2299 Lombard Street

We are conveniently located at 2299 Lombard St, San Francisco, CA 94123 at Lombard & Pierce in San Francisco's Marina/Cow Hollow District. We have a secure gated parking lot on site for our guests on the South-East corner.

From The Bay Bridge

  • Take the Van Ness Exit.
  • Turn Left onto Lombard.
  • Witter Coin is at the intersection of Lombard and Pierce.

From The Golden Gate Bridge

  • Follow 101 South onto Lombard St.
  • Witter Coins is at the intersection of Lombard and Pierce.

Our Staff

Seth Chandler is the Owner and Chief Numismatist of Witter Coins. He started collecting coins when he was four by placing Wheat Cents in blue Whitman coin folders given to him by his parents. Things started getting serious when Seth was ten. Money earned from mowing lawns was used to buy coins at his local coin store, Edgewood Coin Shop. Seth spent so much time at Edgewood; they offered him a job, working there from the age of 14 to 18.

Seth has been an avid coin collector for over 40 years and his collecting interests includes early United States gold coins and all coinage minted at the three San Francisco Mints. When not playing with coins, Seth spends time with his three young children and lovely wife, Jen.

Joe Pielago, Vice President and Numismatist, an avid collector who turned his passion into a career.

James Andrews, Showroom Manager, is a native San Franciscan. He studied Anthropology at the University of Oregon and then spent the first part of his professional life working in education. He casually collected coins as a child and has truly grown to appreciate numismatics fully while working at Witter Coins. One of his favorite parts of working at Witter Coins is seeing the variety of coins and notes that enter the shop daily. He enjoys reading and walking during his spare time.

Brendan O'Shea, Numismatist.

Ben Brodie, Numismatist.

Ira Kaplan, Shipping and Listing.