From a young age, Bennie Strumpher had a passion for coins.

"I became interested in them when I was about 10 years old,' he said. "My dad worked at a coal mine and he came home with a sock full of coins - they paid him in silver dollars. So he laid the coins out on the table. They were pretty and I fell in love with them."

From sorting through silver dollars in a bank vault as a child to traveling along the trade show circuit with his family as an adult, Strumpher's love affair with coins helped guide his life.

In 2007, he found a place for that love to take root when he bought Decatur Coin and Jewelry, a business that has been located at 104 N. Main St. in downtown Decatur since 1972.

Bennie Strumpher wasn't the only Strumpher with an affinity for coins. His daughter, Samantha, happily followed in his footsteps.

" I went to a lot of coin shows with my dad " she said.

" I'd take coins around to dealers and sell them for him. I'd leave with a box full of coins and I'd come back with a hand full of checks or cash."

"She was really little, probably 10 or 12 then, " Bennie Strumpher added.

And she's been by her father's side at Decatur Coin and Jewelry since the very beginning, mostly handling the vintage costume jewelry customers bring in.

"I love being with my dad and experiencing with him daily the passion he has for this place, and that he's helped me create, as well," she said.

Handling everything from coins, pocket watches and vintage paper money to costume, gold and silver jewelry, Bennie and Samatha believe it's their
ethics and service that make their business stand out frorn others.

"Were a 'pay-it-forward' organization," Bennie Strumpher said. "If you have something worth a lot of money, we're going to offer you a lot of money, about 90 percent on the dollar. We have paid out over 14 million dollars to people just like you in the past few years," Strumpher said.

"We are professional numismatists and travel the coin show circuit buying investor grade coins that we seldom encounter here at the shop".

"We 'know' where the value is and many of my long term clients have become wealthy by paying for our experienced eyes. High eye appeal coins I sold just a few years ago for a couple of hundred dollars are worth thousands today" Bennie Strumpher said.

Bennie and Samantha are staying busy, enjoying their customers and enjoying their work.

"I don't have to work. I do this because I enjoy it," said Bennie Strumpher. "I could have retired a long time ago, but I've been doing this for 40 years, and I hope to keep doing it as long as my eyes and health are good."

"I love what I do, " Samantha Strumpher agreed. "I love all the jewelry, and the coins, too."