Gold rush in St. Charles?

A Springfield-based gold and silver refinery says it intends to buy about $300,000 in antiques, coins and collectibles from the general public next week when it stops in St. Charles.

The Ohio Valley Refinery & Roadshow will be at the Holiday Inn Express, 1600 E. Main St., from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday.

Organizers said the public can unload jewelry, flatware, watches, war collectibles and vintage guitars, among numerous other items, for an on-the-spot payout. There is no cost for admission or participation.

"It's amazing the amount of money people can get for small stuff they're not doing anything with," said Matthew Enright, vice president of media relations for Ohio Valley. "They can come in and walk out with several hundred or thousand dollars."

Enright said items are individually evaluated, then offered to a network of collectors who decide how much they're willing to spend. Sellers are paid immediately.

The event often turns up rare and high-value items. Enright said his company recently facilitated the sale of a bed owned by country music legend Johnny Cash, who left the bed to a secretary after his death in 2003.

A few weeks ago, Ohio Valley also brought in $100,000 for a rare Gibson Les Paul guitar, even though the owner was asking for only $60,000, Enright said.

"Our goal is to get the most money we can," he said. "We are paid on a percentage, so the more money we get for a guitar, the more money our company makes."

The refinery also is in the market for broken and mismatched jewelry, scrap gold and silver, dental gold, flatware and tea sets, as gold rates are "skyrocketing" in the downed economy. Enright noted that a little can add up to a lot.

"Gold and silver makes it really easy for people to walk out with a check for $400 or $500," he said.

Ohio Valley was founded in 2005 and puts on more than 1,000 shows a year in the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada, its Web site says. A television series on an as-yet undetermined network also is in the works for this fall, according to Enright.

For more information, visit ohiovalleygoldandsilver.com or call (217) 726-7590.