What a century of summer houses leaves in the jewelry drawer
Mantoloking was carved out of Brick Township and incorporated as its own borough in 1911, and it has been a summer colony more than a town ever since. The 2020 census counted 331 year-round residents on a strip of the Barnegat Peninsula squeezed between the ocean and the bay, with Route 35 as its only north and south road. In July and August the houses fill, and many of them have stayed in one family for three or four generations.
A house used that way becomes a second jewelry box. Rings are left in a dish by the sink so they do not go into the surf, a gold bracelet gets put away in a bureau and forgotten, and the good sterling lives at the shore because that is where the big dinners happen. When a family finally sorts through the place, it is common to find a small pile of gold nobody has worn in years, a flatware service, serving trays, and a cup or two from a Barnegat Bay sailing race.
Salt water, flooded bureaus, and what still has value
Superstorm Sandy cut straight across the island at Mantoloking in October 2012, opening a new inlet from ocean to bay and flooding or destroying a large share of the houses. Jewelry that sat in a drawer through that, or through a smaller nor'easter since, often gets written off. It should not be. Gold does not rust or dissolve in sea water. A 14K ring is 58.5 percent gold and an 18K piece is 75 percent, and those numbers do not change because the piece spent a week wet or came back dull.
Sterling, at 92.5 percent silver, turns dark or almost black after salt exposure, but the silver is still all there and it is weighed the same. What does suffer is plated jewelry, where the thin gold layer lifts and flakes, and costume pieces with glued stones. Please do not scrub or polish anything first. Bring it as you found it, stones that fell out in a separate bag, and the XRF analyzer will tell you what is real, backed by an acid test.
What a first time seller found at the Brick counter
“I recently brought some old jewelry into this Brick store. I wasn’t sure what I had but the owner was awesome. He was very knowledgeable & super fair. I would highly recommend to anyone looking to get some money for old or unused jewelry
Thanks Cash 4 Gold !!!!!!!!!!!”
Dennis Pizzarelli, five-star Google review of Cash 4 Gold Trading Post in Brick
Timing a visit around the shore season
The Brick store is open Monday through Friday from 10 to 6 and is closed Saturday and Sunday. For families who come down only on weekends, the easy fit is a Friday afternoon stop on the way to the house, or a Monday morning on the way home, before the drive back north.
Opening the house in May and closing it after Labor Day are the two moments when most drawers get emptied. If you are clearing a whole house, or the pieces are too many to carry, our estate buyers service can come to you, and the silver buying page explains how flatware, trays and hollowware are counted.
Across the Mantoloking Bridge to Cedar Bridge Avenue
From Route 35, turn west onto the Mantoloking Bridge, which carries County Route 528 over Barnegat Bay into Brick Township. Keep on 528 west across Brick to Cedar Bridge Avenue, where the store is at 921 Cedar Bridge Ave. Plan on roughly 4.4 miles and 10 to 12 minutes outside of summer beach traffic.
Where on the peninsula do our sellers come from?
Oceanfront and bayfront houses in Mantoloking itself, north along Route 35 into Bay Head and Point Pleasant Beach, south toward the Brick beaches and Lavallette, and across the bridge from the Brick mainland.
What comes over the bridge from Mantoloking?
Family rings, forgotten gold from a bureau, and silver that served a lot of summer dinners. Open a category to see how it is judged.
How a Mantoloking sale goes at the counter
Put everything down, show your ID, and each item is separated: gold by karat, sterling from plate, diamonds and signed pieces set aside to be judged on their own. Every piece is tested and weighed where you can see it, and the offer is built from the live market that day. Say yes and you are paid before you leave. Say no and everything is packed back up for the drive home, at no cost.
A drawer from the shore house, silver that went through a storm, a ring nobody wears? Bring it across the bridge and watch every piece tested, free.
📞 Get a Free Appraisal: (732) 444-2094Mantoloking cash for gold: frequently asked questions
How long is the drive from Mantoloking to the Brick gold buyer?
About 10 to 12 minutes and roughly 4.4 miles. Cross the Mantoloking Bridge on County Route 528 and stay on 528 to Cedar Bridge Avenue, where our store is at 921 Cedar Bridge Ave. Phone (732) 444-2094.
Can weekend-only Mantoloking families sell at the Brick store?
Yes, on a weekday. Brick is open Monday through Friday from 10 to 6 and closed Saturday and Sunday, so most weekend families stop on a Friday afternoon on the way down or a Monday before heading home.
Is jewelry that sat through Sandy flooding still worth selling?
Usually, yes. Gold does not corrode in salt water, so a 14K or 18K piece holds the same gold content however dull it looks. Sterling darkens but keeps its silver. Plated and costume pieces are the ones that lose out. Bring everything unpolished and it will be tested for free.
Are sterling sailing cups and trophies from Barnegat Bay worth selling?
Some are. Solid sterling cups are paid on their silver weight, while many trophies are silver plate or have weighted bases, which carry little metal value. Each one is checked with the XRF analyzer before any number is given.
Where do Mantoloking residents sell gold?
The borough is zoned residential and has no commercial district, so there are no stores of any kind. Our Brick store across the Mantoloking Bridge is the nearest counter that buys only gold, silver and diamonds.
More for Mantoloking sellers
Sell gold near me · Jewelry buyers · Sell platinum · All 8 Central NJ locations