National Rarities

What National Rarities does

National Rarities LLC is a privately held, St. Louis-headquartered estate buying and resale business founded in 2009 that purchases pre-owned fine jewelry, diamonds, watches, precious metals, coins, fine art, and collectibles from individuals and resells selected pieces through an e-commerce storefront. The company operates a credentialed evaluation stack anchored by eight GIA Graduate Gemologists, a CW21-certified watchmaker, and specialists in fine art, collectibles, and military memorabilia, using GIA 4Cs grading, touchstone acid testing, certified legal-for-trade scales, and designer authentication tools.

The company's go-to-market blends event-driven and direct-to-consumer channels. The primary motion is three-day buying events hosted at partner retail jewelry stores, with over 400 events run annually across a network of 300+ partner locations that earn a 10% commission plus referral fees. A complementary online channel accepts remote submissions via web form with prepaid FedEx shipping, Parcel Pro logistics, and Jewelers Mutual insurance coverage; National Rarities covers all customer-acquisition marketing costs. Acquired inventory is resold through an owned e-commerce storefront (with an Etsy storefront extension) across necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and rings.

National Rarities serves two primary customer segments: individual estate sellers (downsizing, inheriting, or liquidating valuables) and retail jewelry store partners seeking foot traffic and revenue. The company is privately held by founder and CEO Dennis McCaffrey with no disclosed external funding, and operates with 11-50 employees. It maintains trade affiliations with the Continental Buyers Group, Retail Jewelers Organization, Independent Jewelers Organization, and Missouri Jewelers Association, and holds an A+ BBB rating, 3,000+ five-star Google reviews, and 99% eBay approval.

Name

National Rarities

Legal name

National Rarities LLC

Website

https://nationalrarities.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

National Rarities is a St. Louis-based estate buyer founded in 2009 that purchases pre-owned jewelry, watches, precious metals, coins, and collectibles from individuals through 400+ annual events at 300+ partner retail stores and an online platform, then resells curated pieces via its own e-commerce storefront.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Estate Jewelry Buying Services

NAICS

Jewelry Retailers (458310), Used Merchandise Retailers (459510), Jewelry, Luggage, and Leather Goods Retailers (4583)

SIC

Retail-Jewelry Stores (5944), Wholesale-Jewelry, Watches, Precious Stones & Metals (5094)

akta.pro primary industry

Jewelry, Watches & Accessories Resale (CRAFAGAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Pre-owned Fine Jewelry Dealers (CRAKAKAC), Vintage Jewelry & Antique Dealers (CRAKAKAD), Pre-owned/Vintage Jewelry & Watch Retail (Resale) (CRAKAGAI)

Keywords

• Estate jewelry buying
• Precious metals purchasing
• Diamond evaluation service
• Luxury watch buying
• Coin and collectibles purchasing

Headquarters

HQ city

St Louis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Estate Item Purchase and Resale: National Rarities purchases estate jewelry, watches, coins, precious metals, and collectibles from individuals at events or online. Items are evaluated, purchased at market value based on material content and resale potential, then resold through their e-commerce platform or to collectors.
2. Partner Store Commission: At the end of each three-day event, National Rarities pays the hosting retail jewelry store partner 10% of everything purchased, plus ongoing fees for future referrals. This creates a recurring revenue share relationship with partner stores.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

National Rarities purchases estate jewelry, diamonds, luxury watches, precious metals (gold, silver, platinum), rare coins, and collectibles from individual sellers. Acquisitions occur through three-day buying events hosted at partner retail jewelry stores nationwide and through an online selling platform with insured shipping. Items are evaluated by GIA Graduate Gemologists and specialty experts, then resold via the company's own e-commerce storefront across necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and rings categories.

Product overview

National Rarities operates as a nationwide estate buying and selling platform, combining a core buying service for pre-owned valuables with an e-commerce resale operation. The company purchases fine jewelry, diamonds, watches, precious metals, coins, rarities, and luxury goods through two channels: (1) in-person luxury buying events hosted at partner jewelry stores, and (2) an online selling platform with insured FedEx shipping. Resold items are offered through their e-commerce platform across four main jewelry categories: Necklaces & Pendants, Bracelets, Earrings, and Rings. The business model connects sellers of estate items with certified gemologists and specialists who provide free evaluations and immediate payment, then resells curated pieces through their online shop.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Luxury Buying Events

Quantifiable outcome

• 5M+ items evaluated since founding
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and regional.

• Continental Buyers Group (CBG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional partner organization for gold and estate buyers. National Rarities exhibits at CBG events and is part of this industry trade group network.
• Retail Jewelers Organization (RJO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional jewelry retail organization. National Rarities is a professional partner presenting at RJO events and networking with independent jewelers.
• Independent Jewelers Organization (IJO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndependent jewelry retailers organization. National Rarities maintains professional partnership status with this organization.
• Missouri Jewelers Association (MJA)regionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional state jewelry association. National Rarities participates as a professional partner in Missouri's jewelry industry association.
• 200+ Jewelry Store PartnerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNetwork of over 200 independent retail jewelry stores hosting National Rarities buying events. Partners receive 10% commission on purchases and benefit from increased foot traffic. Over 400 events hosted annually through this network.
• FedExcoreOthersShipping partner for international customers providing fast, secure, fully insured, and trackable shipping. FedEx handles logistics for remote item evaluations.
• Parcel ProcoreOthersSpecialized jewelry and valuables shipping partner ensuring items are shipped safely and insured for loss during transit.
• Jewelers MutualcoreOthersInsurance partner providing coverage for items once received. Items are kept under 24/7 video surveillance in a safe in a UL alarm-secured environment.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Worthy: Online jewelry and watch buyer that provides competitive offers through a remote evaluation process. Directly comparable to National Rarities' online selling channel in target seller, product category, and free-evaluation model.
• Abe Mor Diamond Cutters: New York-based diamond and jewelry buyer purchasing estate pieces directly from consumers. Comparable on product focus (diamonds, fine jewelry), free in-person evaluation, and immediate-payment model.
• WP Diamonds: Online diamond and jewelry buyer offering direct purchase with insured shipping. Closely comparable to National Rarities in core service (free evaluation + immediate payment for diamonds/jewelry) and target customer (individual sellers).
• Circa (formerly London Gold): National jewelry and watch buyer operating offices in multiple US cities. Directly comparable as a competing in-person estate buyer targeting the same sellers of pre-owned fine jewelry and luxury watches.

Broad incumbents

• The RealReal: Public online luxury resale marketplace for jewelry, watches, handbags, and art. Comparable in the e-commerce resale leg of National Rarities' business, but operates consignment-first and across broader luxury categories.
• 1stDibs: Online marketplace for luxury jewelry, watches, and fine art from vetted dealers. Comparable in the high-end estate resale segment, though 1stDibs is a third-party marketplace rather than a direct buyer.
• Sotheby's: Global auction house with dedicated jewelry, watches, and luxury accessories auctions. Comparable in the high-end watch, jewelry, and luxury goods segments where National Rarities operates, but at the upper price tier and via auction.
• Heritage Auctions: Major US auction house for jewelry, watches, coins, and collectibles. Comparable in adjacent categories (watches, coins, collectibles, art) that National Rarities also purchases, but operates a consignment auction model.

Others

• EstateSales.NET: National directory of estate sales connecting sellers of household contents with buyers. Comparable in targeting estate sellers and adjacent categories (collectibles, art), but does not purchase items directly — useful ecosystem reference.

Regional players

• Cardoza Jewelry Buyers: Direct jewelry and gold buyer with a regional, event-based model similar to National Rarities' partner-store events. Comparable as a competing event-driven estate buyer, but with more limited geographic footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about National Rarities