A mill town that went its own way in 1948
Raritan grew up around water power. The Raritan Water Power Canal fed the woolen mills that opened here in 1846, and from 1868 the town was a section of Bridgewater Township for eighty years before it became its own borough in 1948. Italian families who came for work in the mills and on the railroad settled in large numbers, and the parish of St. Ann still holds its feast every summer.
The borough's best known son is Gunnery Sergeant John Basilone, awarded the Medal of Honor for Guadalcanal and killed on Iwo Jima in 1945. His statue stands downtown, and the Basilone parade still brings Raritan out onto the sidewalks every September. The other daily rhythm is the train: Raritan station is on NJ Transit's Raritan Valley Line, and a good share of that line's trains begin and end their runs here, beside the rail yard.
Saint medals, 750 chains and the service-award watch
In a borough with this much Italian and Catholic history, the jewelry box usually holds religious gold: a St. Anthony or Blessed Mother medal on a heavy chain, a cornicello charm, a confirmation cross, a baptism bracelet sized for an infant. Chains made in Italy are often stamped 750, which is 18K at 75 percent gold, while American pieces from the same drawer tend to be 14K at 58.5 percent. Each one is read separately, so a 750 chain is never paid at a 14K rate.
Raritan also sits on the Route 202 corridor, where the big pharmaceutical campuses have employed local families for decades, and that shows up as service-award pins and retirement watches. Add class rings, usually 10K at 41.7 percent, and wedding bands handed down from mill-era grandparents, and a Raritan estate is a mix worth sorting with care. The coin buying page covers how dates and mint marks are checked, and the silver buying page explains sterling at 92.5 percent against plate.
Questions answered, in a customer's own words
“This place was excellent! The service and knowledge was perfect. I had a lot of questions and Joe patiently answered them all. I highly recommend checking this place out when you’re in need of gold. Fair prices too.”
Scott, five-star Google review of Cash 4 Gold Trading Post in Middlesex
Sorting a Raritan jewelry box on the kitchen table
Make three piles. Medals, crosses and chains marked 750, 18K, 14K, 585 or 10K go together. Anything marked 925 or Sterling, holiday flatware included, goes in the second. The third pile is everything with no stamp you can read, which is exactly where older Italian-made gold tends to hide; the XRF analyzer reads it in seconds, backed by an acid test. Keep coins in their sleeves, and do not polish anything.
Clearing out a parent's house on one of the side streets off Somerset Street? The estate buyers service can go through a whole collection at the house, and the New Jersey estate jewelry guide explains the paperwork an executor needs.
One road the whole way: Route 28 east to Middlesex
Somerset Street is Route 28, so there is almost nothing to navigate. Head east through downtown Somerville, stay on 28 through Bridgewater and Bound Brook, and it becomes Bound Brook Road in Middlesex, where the store sits at number 748. The run is roughly 10 miles and about 20 minutes, and parking is right out front.
Which Raritan streets and neighbors do we hear from?
The whole borough: downtown along Somerset Street, the blocks around the Basilone statue, the streets by the train station and the rail yard, and the homes toward the canal and Duke Island Park on the west side. Next door, Somerville sellers make the same Route 28 run, and Bridgewater, Hillsborough and Branchburg are close behind.
What do Somerset Street households bring?
Religious gold, Italian chains and watches lead the list. Pick a category to see how it is judged.
What happens at the Middlesex counter
Hand over your ID and your piles. The XRF analyzer reads the gold one piece at a time, sterling is split from plated silver, and coins, watches and stones get their own look before any melt figure is written down. You can read the certified scale yourself, and the offer is tied to that day's live market, with any collector or diamond value named on its own line. Say yes and you are paid in cash on the spot. Say no and you owe nothing.
A saint medal on an 18K chain, a retirement watch, a sleeve of old coins? Bring it down Route 28 from Raritan and watch it tested, free.
📞 Get a Free Appraisal: (732) 629-7600Raritan cash for gold: frequently asked questions
How long is the drive from Raritan to the Middlesex store?
About 20 minutes and roughly 10 miles. Somerset Street is Route 28; follow it east through Somerville and Bound Brook into Middlesex, where the store is at 748 Bound Brook Rd. Phone (732) 629-7600.
Is an Italian chain stamped 750 real gold?
Yes. 750 is the European mark for 18K, which is 75 percent gold. The XRF analyzer confirms it on the counter in front of you, and the chain is paid as 18K rather than lumped in with 14K pieces.
Do you buy saint medals, crosses and baptism bracelets?
Yes. Religious pieces are bought for their gold or silver content, each one tested on its own. If a medal is signed or old enough to matter to a collector, that is checked before any melt value is quoted.
What are the Middlesex store hours?
Monday through Friday from 10 to 6 and Saturday from 10 to 4, closed Sunday. No appointment is needed. Bring a valid government photo ID, which New Jersey requires for every precious-metals sale.
Should I clean old coins before bringing them from Raritan?
No. Cleaning can erase collector value. Bring them in their sleeves or envelopes, and each date and mint mark is checked for a premium before any coin is valued as metal.
Do you also buy from Somerville, Bridgewater and Hillsborough?
Yes. Sellers from Somerville, Bridgewater, Hillsborough and Branchburg come to the same Middlesex counter, most of them by way of Route 28.
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