Going for gold

POST FALLS - After finishing second on Donald Trump's "The Apprentice" last January and riding a public speaking wave for the business mogul's associates since, Clint Robertson is back in Kootenai County going for the gold.

The 42-year-old has gone from strutting his business skills at Trump Tower to buying, of all things, a pawn shop in Coeur d'Alene with a focus on buying gold and silver.

"I am now the 'Gold Guy,'" he said, referring to his marketing plan.

Some may see Robertson's chain of events as bizarre, but he calls it divine.

Robertson and his family were renting a Post Falls home during the airing of the show, but moved to Florida afterward to hit the speaking circuit.

"I looked all over the nation at pawn shops for sale and, lo and behold, the one that worked out is in Coeur d'Alene," he said. "That's called providence. This is where the Lord wants us."

Robertson said after getting a taste of the high life and rubbing elbows with the likes of Steve Forbes, chairman of Forbes Media, he's ready to settle down in laid-back North Idaho.

"You just know when you're home, and this is home," said Robertson, adding that he has purchased a place in Post Falls.

Robertson purchased City Loan and Pawn at 1604 N. Fourth St. in Coeur d'Alene.

The name has been changed to Golden City Gold Buyers, which also buys silver, coins, jewelry and silverware.

"Troy McLean (an earlier contestant from Boise on 'The Apprentice') gave me some advice on what to do," Robertson said. "He said go speak, but at the end of the day you still have got to have a j-o-b."

Robertson, whose dad was a coin collector, said the plan is to eventually move the pawn shop portion of the business to a separate location.

Post Falls' Anita Whitmore, who sold coins and jewelry to Robertson this week, said she never would have guessed Robertson would wind up back in the area owning a pawn shop after being one of Trump's favorite candidates.

"It surprised me - he should've went further - but I'm glad he's here," Whitmore said. "He was awesome to me as far as explaining things (when buying metals)."

Whitmore said it was also nice to have Robertson pray for her and her mother for healing after the two lost a relative.

Rick Bennett, who sold the shop to Robertson and still works at the business, said the transition has worked nice.

"What I like about Clint is that we did the deal over a soda at the (Coeur d'Alene) Resort," said Bennett, who didn't realize Robertson was on "The Apprentice" until it was brought to his attention. "They don't come any better than Clint. He's just a good old Texan."

Robertson lived in Texas, running a real estate firm, before going on the show due to struggling to make ends meet during the recession.

Robertson said he hopes local churches and charities will consider holding gold-buying fundraisers to help during tough times. Such events have caught on in other areas due to skyrocketing metals prices.

"In this tough economy, you've got to be a fireman and find opportunities when people are running out. In this economy, gold, silver and precious metals are that opportunity," he said.

After believing he did what he had to do to win on "The Apprentice," Robertson said Trump's final decision and settling on $10,000 compared to the $250,000 winner Brandy Kuentzel received was "surreal."

"I won the task, but lost the beauty contest," he said.

But he said he now realizes opportunities - first in Florida and now in North Idaho - wouldn't have come had he won.

"I don't have a lot of money, but I have a lot of faith," Robertson said. "I also get up every day loving what I do. I love the free, entrepreneurial spirit."

Selling gold or silver? Here are some tips

If you plan to sell your gold or silver, Troy Gordon, co-owner of Integrity Coin and Bullion in Hayden, offers these tips before heading out:

• Know the current "spot price" - the price quoted for immediate payment - of gold and silver going in. Gold has been hovering around $1,700 per ounce and reached more than $1,900 about two months ago. Silver has been around $35 per ounce and broke $50 two months ago.

• Most jewelry is not pure gold, so you're not going to get back what you paid for it when it's melted.

• The higher karat weight, the more gold and value to the piece. Copper is added to a lot of gold products to make the metal harder. For instance a 14-karat ring, has about 53 percent gold.

• Silver or gold coins from mints typically have more value than jewelry. If they're pure gold or silver, they should be able to fetch the spot price or close to it. Some dealers may pay slightly less for spot, some slightly more.

• It pays to get a second opinion. Prices from buyers can vary a lot, just as the quality of metal and stones can.

• Be careful about ads asking to mail in your gold or silver and large groups that come to an area hotel to buy one day and are gone the next.