With a shared love of history, a mother and son have teamed up to exchange jewelry and vintage coins at their new Whitehall Township store.
Whitehall Coin & Jewelry opened Monday at the MacArthur Center at 3690 Lehigh St., co-owners Aziza Khalil and Alexander Hatch said.
The mother and son appraise, purchase and sell coins and bullion — some pieces from their collection date to over 200 years ago — as well as jewelry such as customizable engagement rings, bracelets and necklaces.
Their work traces to 2007, when Khalil started at Northampton Coin & Jewelry at 1918 Center St. in Northampton. The business in 2018 split into Northampton Jewelry and Northampton Coin Exchange, the latter of which Khalil took over and closed Oct. 4 so they could open in Whitehall.
“Over there, we were restricted to just doing coins, and then we wanted to include the jewelry,” Khalil said. “And since there was already a jewelry store there, we couldn’t do it. So we moved in. And honestly, we wanted to have our own spot because people had to walk through the front of their store to get to us because we were in the back.”
After graduating in 2020 with a degree in business administration from Penn State-Lehigh Valley, Hatch joined his mother at Northampton Coin Exchange while waiting to get a job, he said.
“I was going to help her out so I had something to do during the day, and then I kind of fell in love with it and here we are,” he said.
That love was palpable when Khalil showed off their coin collection, and the two explained some of the history behind the currency.
One coin was minted in 1798, just a decade after the U.S. Constitution’s ratification. A cased set shows off previous versions of pennies, including before Abraham Lincoln’s image was on them, as well as “odd” coins valued at .5 cents, 2 cents, 3 cents and 20 cents.
“I feel like every coin has a story to tell,” Khalil said. “Only if they could tell their stories. It’s just … where they’ve been, how many times they were switched hands … and I just feel like it’s really cool. And I really enjoy it.”
“I’ve always loved history my whole life,” Hatch said. “Stories of how things came to be versus how things are now, or just any kind of history.”
These days, the value of coins can be a bit tricky. A few cents doesn’t have nearly the same spending power as they did in the past — in fact, the cost to make and distribute pennies and nickels exceeds their value.
And yet, Khalil pointed out, the right coin could be worth thousands of dollars. In 2016, a pair of copper coins, dated 1792, sold for $869,500 during a California auction.
“It really all depends on the rarity of the coin,” she said.
The store operates 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday.
The space previously hosted Hess Jewelers and Unbreakable Fitness.
Lehigh Valley retail and restaurant news in brief
The drug store chain Rite Aid closed all of its remaining locations nationwide. It tried to sell more than 1,200 locations, including those in the Lehigh Valley, after it announced its bankruptcy filing in May.
Drink Fresh by Djurdjura opened Wednesday at Lehigh Valley Mall in Whitehall Township, where it offers smoothies, juices, acai bowls and Dubai chocolate bowls and cups.
The Juice Pod opened Oct. 1 at the Marshall Valley building at 117 E. Fourth St. in Bethlehem, it announced online, where it offers smoothies, juices, bowls, salads and wraps. It operates 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Founded in 2016, the chain operates throughout Pennsylvania and in New Jersey, Delaware and Florida, according to its website.
The Unwine Vineyards wine bar and art emporium will open Friday at 309 E. Third St. in Bethlehem, it announced online, after previously operating in Easton. It will be open 4-8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, noon to 8 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.
In other news
The restaurant franchise group Lehigh Valley Restaurant Brands recognized several local residents for its YUMMM-Town Heroes program, for which Red Robin customers at locations like in Allentown, Easton and Quakertown could nominate people.
Those residents include teacher and volunteer Rhonda Fehr, Lehigh Valley Trash Pact founder Kyra Kunsman and Gray Strong Foundation founder Eric Aquino.
Retail Watch is a weekly column covering retail and restaurant news in the Lehigh Valley. Have a question, tip, or want to see something in the area? Contact retail reporter Graysen Golter at retailwatch@mcall.com.
