Couple bonds over collecting, opens Cedar Park store

Michael and Dawn Egger were tired of traveling the country to sell coins and collectibles. Dawn said they have more than 1 million frequent flyer miles to use from all the roaming they have done. But since giving up the coin lifestyle was not an option for passionate numismatist Michael, he and Dawn decided to open a permanent store in Cedar Park.

"Michael's been doing coins since he was 9. He eats, sleeps, breathes and dreams coins," Dawn said. "The traveling just got old. He said, 'Let's open a store,' and I said, 'Ok.'"

The Eggers opened Mad Coins—"Mad" stands for Michael and Dawn—in February 2011. They run the shop with the help of Dawn's son, Jacob Klement, and the store's mascot and security guard, Coco the chihuahua.

Mad Coins buys and sells coins, obviously, but also specializes in antique guns, Native American antiques, knives and Western artifacts. Dawn said, however, they will buy anything interesting they think will sell. The Lago Vista couple chose their location, 251 N. Bell Blvd., Ste. 114A, carefully.

"It's one of the fastest-growing areas around Austin, and it's only 12 miles from our house," Michael said.

The Eggers have purchased a variety of items, but one of the more unusual items they have bought was a check from 1792 drawn on the Bank of the United States for $150. Dawn said they bought a lot of coins worth $40,000 a woman brought in a Crown Royal bag one time.

Dawn said children love the store, and each child who visits gets to choose a free coin from a box of coins displayed on top of the case. She said the store has regulars from as far away as Jarrell and Manor that come in every week, passing other stores, because they enjoy the Mad Coins experience so much.

Mad Coins, 251 N. Bell Blvd., Ste. 114A, Cedar Park, 258-2646, Tue.-Fri. 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.–4 p.m.