Bill Ortell originally met Ralph Lefler in 1973 when he owned Lefler Liberty Coin Sales Inc. in Ypsilanti and Ortell was building up his own coin collection.

Fast forward to four years ago and the two men—now both residents of Milan—reconnected at D&R Coins, the store Lefler opened in 2003 in downtown Milan.

They started going to coin shows together such as the biannual Michigan State Numismatic Society coin show held at the Dearborn Hyatt Regency, where they would share the cost of a booth and sell coins from their respective collections.

Talk soon turned to the possibility of Ortell taking over D&R when he retired from Black & Veatch, the engineering firm where he had worked for 42 years.

“Ralph said he would like to have more time to himself, and made me a nice offer,” said Ortell. “I talked to my wife and she was very supportive.”

Retiring June 30, Ortell didn’t spend much time ‘retiring.’ On Aug. 1, he took ownership of D&R, located at 17 West Main St. “This is working out real well,” said Ortell, explaining that Lefler stayed on as a part-time employee. “We each are able to work two to three days a week and Ralph doesn’t have to worry about managing the business aspects.”

Ortell says the combined collection totals between 20,000 and 30,000 coins.

Ortell’s most valuable coin is a 1909 S Vdb Lincoln penny MS66RD, which is kept off site. Very rare, it's valued at roughly $20,000.

Ortell says that one of his first coins was a similar 1909 S Vdb penny that he originally bought for $300 some 30 years ago. Four months later, he sold it for $500. Now, he says that coin would sell for more than $30,000.

“My best advice is to buy the rarest coin in the best condition for the most money you can afford,” said Ortell.

Their biggest seller is mint sets and proof sets that many people buy for a new baby or a child’s birthday each year, ranging in price from $8 to $50.

“The 1999 proof set sold for $40 and skyrocketed to $400 a year later because they didn’t make that many of them,” said Ortell. “Now they are down to $200 because they go up and down and you’ve got to watch the market.”

Ortell has seen a rise in people buying silver and gold over the last few years as an investment rather than to build a collection.

“Because of the market, they don’t trust the government,” says Ortell, adding that the best investment is to buy both silver and gold coins.

Another growing area of their business is buying scrap gold.

“We buy jewelry—we’ll buy gold teeth if you have it,” said Ortell. His experience with customers in the store has shown him that their prices are better than others.

“One lady came here recently to have us evaluate her ring and necklaces and we offered her $1,600. She said ‘You’re kidding me, another place offered me $900 and said I wouldn’t get more than that.’”

Ortell recommends visiting their store or any coin dealer to find out what the scrap gold is worth before going to conventions or private gold parties.

“They usually only pay one quarter of what you should get for it,” said Ortell, who has experienced it himself when he approached someone at a convention regarding his own items. “You’ve got to know what you’re doing.”

Customers visit D&R from places like Chelsea and Belleville, and as far away as Howell and Toledo. Although Ortell cautions to be careful with online coin sales since “you can’t be sure you get the same coin you see in the picture,” he has started posting coins on the Michigan Masters Numismatic Services site, a grading house which stores the coins and handles the auction itself.

Although Ortell says there is some emotional attachment to selling pieces of his collection that he has built for more than 40 years, he realizes he can’t keep it forever.

“Once you put the puzzle together, what is there to do but tear it apart? It’s the fun of putting a collection together that I like.”