
Our Story
It was the best of times; it was the worst of times. Just kidding. The story of Midlands Gold actually begins with a soldier returning home.
I left the US Army at the end of 2003, after serving as an Airborne Infantryman. Three months later, I was admitted to the ER at the Philadelphia Veterans Hospital. The doctors there diagnosed me with a life-changing medical condition and worked to save me…
Getting Started
The Bible says, “God works all things together for the good of those who love Him…” (Romans 8:28) He has proven this in my life many times. This was one of those time, because I met and married my wonderful wife, Iryna, during this difficult period.
Skip ahead a bit. As a new husband, with new medical issues, I wondered how to provide for us. I began searching for a good business idea. After a few false starts, God graciously led me to gold buying.
We lived in Indianapolis then. So we set up shop as Metal Man. (See our first logo below.) We offered cash for gold to the general public.

Growing the Business
Years before that, an experience in a pawn shop had made me consider the value of customer service. I had taken some items there, because I needed money. I ended up selling them for a pittance and felt stupid afterwards. Lowballing and haggling seemed like clever ways to take advantage of customers rather than thoughful ways to serve them.
So, right from the start, Metal Man was focused on taking care of our clients. I didn’t want any of them to feel the way I felt back then. This led us to do some things differently.
First, we checked other buyers’ prices and paid more. Second, I pledged to offer my best price up front, with no pressure. Third, I decided to be a mobile gold buyer and met customers at their homes and workplaces, for their convenience.
Customers overwhlemingly enjoyed the unique experience. So they told their family, friends and coworkers. Thus, word about Metal Man spread quickly. Half of our customers in that first year came as referrals from happy clients.
That was back in 2008, when our first child was born. Then the stock market crashed, and gold prices climbed as a result. People were finding themselves in difficult financial positions. Meanwhile, the media continually discussed the rising price of gold and the many people cashing in their old jewelry.
We were in the process of building a name. The media coverage and resulting discussions at the water cooler were like free advertising. Consequently, Metal Man soon became the “gold guy” in upscale Indy districts and suburbs.
Moving South
Skip ahead several years. As a much larger family, we moved to the great state of South Carolina. Then we re-opened Metal Man in Fort Mill. This was a new start with a new logo.

A lot of things had changed over the years. New laws prevented mobile gold buying. Websites were more refined. Google reviews and Yelp had become a thing too. So we took note and adapted.
Business was fine. It was a quieter time in commodities, but we managed to make it work. Most importantly, we kept our customers happy. In fact, our first online reviews were posted during this time. Within a few years we were given an opportunity in Lexington and decided to go for it.
We Wrote the Book

“Most importantly, remember that your customers are people–not targets. Remember also that happy customers will prosper your business. Consequently, no transaction is totally successful without a satisfied seller.” (Excerpt from page 42)
We wrote the book on gold buying, literally.
A little while after our initial success, our family moved overseas. We didn’t expect to buy gold anymore. So I started writing down important notes about the business, for my kids. Those notes grew into a book to help aspiring buyers and to promote ethics in the industry.
Secrets of a Successful Gold Buyer sold more than a thousand copies. This was the first and most comprehensive how-to book about the gold buying business. A wave of similar books were published afterwards.
Some time passed, and some things changed, and we had returned to the states. We decided to re-enter the industry and removed our book from publication at that point. However, you can still view the listing on Amazon. So feel free to check out what readers said about it.
Lexington at Last
So we headed farther south, to the midlands. This time we intended to put down deep roots–to raise our kids in Lexington and grow our business as a part of the community. On September 1, 2022, we opened our current office downtown at 203 West Main Street, in Lexington.
We’ve changed our name to Midlands Gold to reflect our service area. Yet our commitment to you remains the same. We have been warmly welcomed by our community and will continue working hard to be your preferred local gold buyer.
