Horseshoe Coins and Antiques marks its 25th anniversary

When Bill Becht began hunting for a location for an antique shop 25 years ago, he already had an idea for the shop’s name. It needed to include “horseshoe,” a word that reminded him of the Old West. Within the first 30 minutes of acquiring the space at 810 Peace Portal Drive, Becht discovered the word “horseshoe” written on wood in the backroom. It was meant to be.

This month marks the 25th anniversary of Horseshoe Coins and Antiques. On April 15, the specialty shop that has sold quirky, historical items to Blaine residents and visitors since 1995 celebrated its silver jubilee, despite a temporary halt to business.

Becht has hundreds of items ranging from railroad express stamps to a 1946 Mt. Baker ski patrol pass. Many of the relics were purchased from the public, while others have been sourced from Becht’s own finds.

“There’s so many historical items that are lost or buried,” Becht said. “We mine it out of the ground into coins, ingots, bullion and jewelry and then we lose it or bury it back into the ground.”

Becht received his first metal detector at age 10 and started digging for bottles and coins. Later, he even went on diving expeditions for underwater antiques. Bottles, dolls, plates and other oddities thrown away decades ago are commonly found during Becht’s escapades. Advertising items are Becht’s favorite because they represent the merchant’s dream of starting a business in America.

“Everything’s got a story and it’s all part of history,” Becht said. “In a way, I’m preserving stuff for future generations. We don’t really own stuff, we’re just caretakers of it.”

Pharmacy bottles

A mini museum commemorating Blaine and Whatcom County history is displayed in a protected case near the front of the store. Dozens of not-for-sale items line the shelves, including a collection of glass pharmacy bottles from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These include embossed bottles from W.L. Fox and Barnes. The two stores were leading pharmacies at the turn of the 20th century. Work crews occasionally find the bottles that were once garbage while digging, Becht said. The bottles are now worth up to $50 or more.

Boat propeller

Becht was diving in south Lake Whatcom in 1989 when he found a 500-pound boat propeller while searching for bottles. The four-bladed bronze propeller came from the Charlotte, a tugboat from the 1880s that hauled logs between Blue Canyon and the Bloedel-Donovan Lumber Mills, Becht said. When Becht found the propeller, part of it was buried in the mud, while another part was exposed to the water. He enlisted the help of one other person and used a 1,000-pound lift bag to bring the propeller to the surface, where he noticed it was marked with the maker’s name: Seattle Propeller Co.

Class ring

A class ring from the 1931 graduating class of Blaine High School sits in Becht’s museum, decorated with the Peace Arch that was constructed 10 years earlier. The 10-carat gold ring was given to Becht by a Blaine resident whose mother once owned it, along with a 1957 letterman sweater from the high school. Becht said it’s not often that he sees class rings come into his shop.

Trade tokens

Blaine advertising tokens take up a row on the museum’s shelf. One of the tokens comes from Jensen & Son, an old Blaine pool hall that operated during the early 20th century. People who bought pool games and drinks and were owed change could receive a token as a substitute for the change. The merchants made money because it only cost them about three cents for a token and the tokens served as a way to keep customers returning.