About Us
Who are we?
Well, I have to start off with my own little story.
I was scrounging through one of my favorite dark-cornered, dusty little antique shops, looking for that "gem" when I came across a one ounce silver bar; nothing pretty, nothing fancy, but it was marked .999 silver. Being a fan of anything silver, I scooped it up and bought it. Upon returning home, I looked up the price of silver and what to my wondering eyes did appear? Silver was melting that day for over $2 more than I paid for the bar.
"Well that's a no-brainer!" I thought.
The next day, I was fumbling through another old, dusty and very dimly lit antique shop, looking for another "sleeper". That prized little possession sometime long ago forgotten, covered in soot, begging for a polishing and reuniting with light. Something small and special that someone somewhere could love again. I would snatch it up, take it home, breathe life into it once more. I had been interested in coins since childhood, always fascinated by their luster, intricate designs, and history. Silver coins really held a place in my heart as I always appreciated the underdog of a precious metal. I had no idea who I was about to meet.
I turned a corner, my eyes finally adjusting to the low level of cheap lighting in this quaint little shop. I stopped in my tracks and stood in awe. Replacing the dimness and bleakness of this dismal, relic and junk-filled abode, was this light. Not just any light you see, but a white, blinding, crystal clear glow that illuminated its surroundings as a firefly does in the dark woods of night when looking for an opposing sex to alleviate its loneliness.
She was beautiful! Her robe, long and flowing, while the emblem of my homeland waived behind her. The sun gently rose in the distance to announce a new day and fresh ideas. She pointed the way, giving direction to a brighter and wealthier future. Her silver tone glistened, reflecting the small surrounding light and yet giving off so much more of her own as an amplifier. I was in love!
“If you need any assistance sir, let me know”, came this voice from the distance. I barely heard it. Without being able to speak, I raised my arm and with an outstretched finger, pointed to this silver maiden I had yet to take my eyes off of. A figure appeared through the dusty light as I heard the sound of keys jingling. He fumbled for the correct key, being an antique himself, and slowly, much to my growing impatience, found the correct one and opened the showcase.
“What would you like to see?” He asked me.
“That beauty right there” I spoke.
He reached in, following my gaze, and touched her. My heart hurt for a moment, not wanting anyone to “dirty” her or pollute her with their vileness or lack of knowledge or grace. Realizing she was in a tough, protective shell, I calmed, and waited.
He placed her in my hand. My heart leapt. I had rarely seen such beauty, nor held it so close. I gazed upon her for what seemed to be a lifetime. She bore a sign, “In God We Trust”, reminding me of my roots and whom my homeland really had to thank for such pleasures and accomplishments. She reflected even more so now any light she could gather from a distance. I turned her around. Her back was just as beautiful. This terrific, heraldic eagle with wings spread, holding a shield and banner of its own, showing true power and strength and independence. The name of my homeland rose above this eagle, telling me the true birth of this beautiful maiden. Below were the words that finalized my decision. They were as follows… “1 OZ. FINE SILVER”. I was speechless!
“All set young man?” came the old and familiar voice from the distance once more.
“I’ll take her home with me”, I spoke.
It took me 35 years to discover her, but sometimes we must be patient and wait to find true beauty.
Sounds crazy huh? That’s the story of my first American Silver Eagle. Not only has she become the most sought after and most desired silver coin of the world, she has become my favorite as well.
I then began watching the silver and gold prices intently. I wanted to know more about these metals. I wanted to learn as much as I could.
After some years, I found more and more people would ask me questions pertaining to this interest of mine. I wanted to help. I wanted to break it down and keep it simple for them. I wanted them to share in this great passion of mine. But how would I do this in an organized, clear manner? Thus, this website was built. Now I needed help. I knew nothing about any of this "online" stuff. So, I dug, and I read, and I reached out, and I crawled, until finally, the site was born. It has been an educational, time-consuming, and painful at times endeavor, but one that was necessary.
During this process, family, friends, and pretty much anyone around me that knew me, suggested I incorporate another favorite hobby of mine, woodworking, into this project. I began creating small pocket watch display cases, and single coin boxes. I use no jigs or templates, so every creation would always be unique. The interest other folks had in these products surprised me. So, I continued creating more and tried to improve on my skills. I designed a way to create a chest that would house both NGC and PCGS graded coins. Had this been done before? Probably. "There is nothing new under the sun". But it was new to me. More importantly, it was fun!
And so....... the journey began.
Having said all that.......
The Eagle Empire is a small town, family owned and operated company, based in rural Wyoming County, New York.
We run our business strictly online, as to avoid the overhead costs of a brick and mortar, thereby passing the savings on to you, our valued customer.
We take great pride in our handcrafted products. As much as possible, we use local trees, hardware, materials, and other resources from only the best local sources in our surrounding area.
We believe always in faith, family, and integrity first.
I am so grateful to The Lord first and foremost for all He has blessed me with, my family and friends second for their help and support, and finally, to all of you that have taken a moment to stop by and show an interest. May God bless you, may He truly bless the U.S.A., and may the U.S.A. bless God!
Stop on by and get to know us better.
Well, I have to start off with my own little story.
I was scrounging through one of my favorite dark-cornered, dusty little antique shops, looking for that "gem" when I came across a one ounce silver bar; nothing pretty, nothing fancy, but it was marked .999 silver. Being a fan of anything silver, I scooped it up and bought it. Upon returning home, I looked up the price of silver and what to my wondering eyes did appear? Silver was melting that day for over $2 more than I paid for the bar.
"Well that's a no-brainer!" I thought.
The next day, I was fumbling through another old, dusty and very dimly lit antique shop, looking for another "sleeper". That prized little possession sometime long ago forgotten, covered in soot, begging for a polishing and reuniting with light. Something small and special that someone somewhere could love again. I would snatch it up, take it home, breathe life into it once more. I had been interested in coins since childhood, always fascinated by their luster, intricate designs, and history. Silver coins really held a place in my heart as I always appreciated the underdog of a precious metal. I had no idea who I was about to meet.
I turned a corner, my eyes finally adjusting to the low level of cheap lighting in this quaint little shop. I stopped in my tracks and stood in awe. Replacing the dimness and bleakness of this dismal, relic and junk-filled abode, was this light. Not just any light you see, but a white, blinding, crystal clear glow that illuminated its surroundings as a firefly does in the dark woods of night when looking for an opposing sex to alleviate its loneliness.
She was beautiful! Her robe, long and flowing, while the emblem of my homeland waived behind her. The sun gently rose in the distance to announce a new day and fresh ideas. She pointed the way, giving direction to a brighter and wealthier future. Her silver tone glistened, reflecting the small surrounding light and yet giving off so much more of her own as an amplifier. I was in love!
“If you need any assistance sir, let me know”, came this voice from the distance. I barely heard it. Without being able to speak, I raised my arm and with an outstretched finger, pointed to this silver maiden I had yet to take my eyes off of. A figure appeared through the dusty light as I heard the sound of keys jingling. He fumbled for the correct key, being an antique himself, and slowly, much to my growing impatience, found the correct one and opened the showcase.
“What would you like to see?” He asked me.
“That beauty right there” I spoke.
He reached in, following my gaze, and touched her. My heart hurt for a moment, not wanting anyone to “dirty” her or pollute her with their vileness or lack of knowledge or grace. Realizing she was in a tough, protective shell, I calmed, and waited.
He placed her in my hand. My heart leapt. I had rarely seen such beauty, nor held it so close. I gazed upon her for what seemed to be a lifetime. She bore a sign, “In God We Trust”, reminding me of my roots and whom my homeland really had to thank for such pleasures and accomplishments. She reflected even more so now any light she could gather from a distance. I turned her around. Her back was just as beautiful. This terrific, heraldic eagle with wings spread, holding a shield and banner of its own, showing true power and strength and independence. The name of my homeland rose above this eagle, telling me the true birth of this beautiful maiden. Below were the words that finalized my decision. They were as follows… “1 OZ. FINE SILVER”. I was speechless!
“All set young man?” came the old and familiar voice from the distance once more.
“I’ll take her home with me”, I spoke.
It took me 35 years to discover her, but sometimes we must be patient and wait to find true beauty.
Sounds crazy huh? That’s the story of my first American Silver Eagle. Not only has she become the most sought after and most desired silver coin of the world, she has become my favorite as well.
I then began watching the silver and gold prices intently. I wanted to know more about these metals. I wanted to learn as much as I could.
After some years, I found more and more people would ask me questions pertaining to this interest of mine. I wanted to help. I wanted to break it down and keep it simple for them. I wanted them to share in this great passion of mine. But how would I do this in an organized, clear manner? Thus, this website was built. Now I needed help. I knew nothing about any of this "online" stuff. So, I dug, and I read, and I reached out, and I crawled, until finally, the site was born. It has been an educational, time-consuming, and painful at times endeavor, but one that was necessary.
During this process, family, friends, and pretty much anyone around me that knew me, suggested I incorporate another favorite hobby of mine, woodworking, into this project. I began creating small pocket watch display cases, and single coin boxes. I use no jigs or templates, so every creation would always be unique. The interest other folks had in these products surprised me. So, I continued creating more and tried to improve on my skills. I designed a way to create a chest that would house both NGC and PCGS graded coins. Had this been done before? Probably. "There is nothing new under the sun". But it was new to me. More importantly, it was fun!
And so....... the journey began.
Having said all that.......
The Eagle Empire is a small town, family owned and operated company, based in rural Wyoming County, New York.
We run our business strictly online, as to avoid the overhead costs of a brick and mortar, thereby passing the savings on to you, our valued customer.
We take great pride in our handcrafted products. As much as possible, we use local trees, hardware, materials, and other resources from only the best local sources in our surrounding area.
We believe always in faith, family, and integrity first.
I am so grateful to The Lord first and foremost for all He has blessed me with, my family and friends second for their help and support, and finally, to all of you that have taken a moment to stop by and show an interest. May God bless you, may He truly bless the U.S.A., and may the U.S.A. bless God!
Stop on by and get to know us better.
© Copyright 2007 The Eagle Empire
