About us
Since 1972, The Silver Queen Inc. has specialized in fine sterling silverware. With more than 12,000 patterns and over 165,000 pieces in inventory, we maintain one of the largest selections of active and discontinued sterling silver patterns in the United States.
Our collection includes both estate and factory-new sterling silverware. Each estate piece is professionally restored to "like new" condition and backed by our 100% satisfaction guarantee. Much of our estate inventory is acquired through private estate collections and jewelry store buyouts, allow us to offer exceptional value well below traditional retail pricing.
In addition, we offer factory-fresh, first-quality silverware from many of the world's most respected silversmiths, providing customers with an extensive selection of timeless sterling patterns and fine craftsmanship.
The Silver Queen Story
How it All Began
Our story begins in 1972 when Mater Sergeant Art Arbutine retired from the U.S. Air Force after more than twenty years of service. While stationed overseas, he has spent two decades collecting British Crowns and developed a passion for coins. After retiring from the Air Force, Art and his wife Patricia (Pat) opened a tiny 700-square-foot shop in Belleair Bluffs, Florida, called Belleair Coins. What started as a personal hobby soon became a family business when Art hired his brother, Gil and nieces Beth Arbutine Race and Kathy Arbutine Edwards.
Expansion Begins
Pat quickly saw potential beyond coins. While Art focused on the numismatic side, Pat began buying and selling silver flatware and holloware, recognizing its true value beyond scrap. In 1979 she founded The Silver Queen Inc., which grew into a nationally recognized source for silver through catalogs and magazine ads. Customers from around the country called in to track down missing patterns, replace heirloom pieces, and build complete silver services.
Continued Growth
Throughout the late 1970s and mid 1980s, the business steadily grew. In 1983, just a few short years after the 1980 Gold and Silver Rush created by the Hunt brothers, the store became too small, so Art and Pat purchased the property next door and built a 1,750 square foot store front.
New Era
After graduating from the University of South Florida in 1987, Art & Pat's eldest son, Greg, caught the passion for silver and went to work full-time for the two companies. In 1990, Greg was named President and CEO of The Silver Queen Inc. and the store would expand again to over 5,750 square feet. Through Greg's aggressive national marketing, internet and computer skills, catalog designs, purchasing expertise, efficiency improvements, and excellence in customer service, the business grew substantially. From 1987 to 2002, the store experienced such expansive growth, it was time to start planning another expansion.
Our New Building
In 2002, after four years of planning, CEO Greg Arbutine and his partner Alan Johnson, procured the land (an old AmSouth Bank building), developed the building plans, designed the showroom, personally financed the down payment, and relocated the business to its current location at 1350 West Bay Drive, Largo, FL, 33770. It was especially gratifying due to a previous failed attempt at another property in Belleair Bluffs. When Greg drove by the bank property and saw the for sale sign, he immediately jumped into action, beating out the Doctor's Group who came up just a bit too late in making an offer.
53 Years and Counting
The Retail Jewelry Department flourished in the new location, growing from $350,000 to more than $1,750,000 in annual sales after expanding to include jewelry repair, appraisals, a much larger showroom, and an exceptional jewelry inventory. Manager and cousin Kathy Edwards Arbutine has played a vital role in the department's success through her positive attitude, expertise, and outstanding customer service.
To learn more about our relocation, you can see the full article published in The St. Pete Times: https://www.belleaircoins.com/Info/New-Location-Article-in-St-Petes-Times-2002
Take a Virtual Tour of The Silver Queen, Inc.!
Printed Catalogs
In 1990, Greg launched our first printed catalog. For nearly 20 years, the catalog served as a major driving force behind our sales growth. As e-commerce and online shopping became firmly established, however, printed catalogs gradually took a back seat to internet sales.
Today, we still proudly produce a catalog, though it is smaller and published less frequently — currently once each year for the holiday season.
Wholesale Books
From 1990 to 2013, we also produced a wholesale catalog that was distributed periodically throughout the year. Over time, demand declined to the point where continued printing was no longer practical, and we transitioned away from printed wholesale materials.
Today, we work exclusively with qualified antique shops, show dealers, jewelry stores, coin shops, and pawn shops through our dedicated online wholesale platform, where current inventory and pricing are maintained.
China and Crystal
In 1998, Greg expanded our product mix to include fine china and crystal. At the time, it became increasingly common for customers calling the store to ask if we carried tableware, so we decided to meet that demand.
We initially added well-known brands such as Waterford, Lenox, and Royal Doulton, and later expanded our selection to include many additional manufacturers over time. See some of our brands here: /brands
Silver Museum
In our new location, we were also able to open the Silver Museum. Over the years, Greg and Pat had set aside many exceptional pieces of sterling flatware and holloware that they considered too beautiful or historically significant to sell.
These curated pieces now form the foundation of the museum collection, offering visitors a closer look at craftsmanship, design history, and rare silver patterns preserved over decades.
For more information, please visit: https://www.facebook.com/TheSilverMuseum
Jewelry Flyers
Greg also played a major role in the growth of the jewelry department beginning in 2003 with the introduction of full-color direct mail jewelry flyers. He personally handles the photography, graphic design, layout, and overall creative concept for each campaign. Distributed seven times a year primarily to local customers, the flyers promote major sales events including Valentine's Day, Spring Sale Events, Christmas in August, the Annual Garage Sale, the Thanksgiving Giveaway Sale, Black Friday, Christmas, and more.
Belleair Coins, Gold and Diamonds
Under the direction of Greg's brothers, Chris and Jay — both highly skilled in purchasing and marketing — the jewelry and gold buying operations at Belleair Coins, Gold and Diamonds experienced extraordinary growth in the new building. Annual sales increased from approximately $4 million to an astounding $30 million to $50 million per year.
The new facility played a major role in that success by providing increased visibility, greater credibility within the community, and significantly expanded parking lot capacity — especially important during the gold rush years from 2007 through 20013, when precious metals prices surged dramatically.
During the same period, Chris also served as Mayor of Belleair Bluffs, located just one mile from the store. Through his extensive network of more than 10,000 contacts and strong reputation within the community, he helped generate invaluable word-of-mouth promotion for the business — the kind of exposure that traditional advertising simply cannot replicate and that is often essential to long-term business success. Chris also had a remarkable talent for overseeing the production of the company's memorable and quirky local television commercials, which consistently helped attract customers and strengthen brand recognition.
Adapting to a Changing Marketplace
Ironically, The Silver Queen portion of the overall business, which had previously generated $7 million annually at the former location, now averages between $3 million and $4 million in annual sales. The company had originally projected sales of $10 million to $12 million, but the emergence of eBay, increased online competition, and the continuing decline of formal dining all contributed significantly to retrenchment. In addition, because The Silver Queen is heavily retail-oriented, economic downturns tend to impact that side of the business particularly hard. The dramatic rise in silver prices from 2003 through 2013 also substantially reduced consumer demand for sterling flatware.
Locally, however, sales have increased, and the business has shifted its focus toward better serving the greater Tampa Bay area and surrounding communities by expanding its selection of prestigious gift and jewelry brands such as Swarovski, Baccarat, Waterford, Lladró, Versace, and many other renowned manufacturers of fine gifts and jewelry.
Nationally, the high price of silver has also prompted the company to concentrate more heavily on exceptional high-end pieces, including items from Tiffany & Co., Gorham Martele, Old English Georgian pieces, Kirk Repoussé hollowware, Francis I coffee sets, and many other rare and collectible sterling treasures. The company now offers one of the finest selections of extraordinary hollowware pieces it has ever carried.
Present Day
The good news is that the combined businesses continue to operate successfully under the leadership of second-generation co-owners and general business partners, brothers Greg and Chris.
Their youngest brother, Jay, retired in October 2019. Today, Belleair Coins, Gold and Diamonds and The Silver Queen together generate combined gross annual sales in the range of approximately $30–$50 million. The businesses remain located in their 14,500-square-foot facility and continue to employ many members of the Arbutine family along with a long-standing, trusted team of staff.
Original founders Art and Pat Arbutine remain semi-retired but still contribute on a part-time basis, maintaining a strong personal connection to the businesses they built. A third generation is also emerging, with the potential to carry forward the long-term success and continuity of both companies.
An important transition occurred on December 31, 2022, when Greg retired after more than 50 years in the business. During his tenure, he played a major role in shaping and growing both The Silver Queen Inc. and Belleair Coins, Gold & Diamonds, and he remains proud of those achievements as he steps into retirement to travel and pursue artistic interests with his family.
Following his retirement, Chris became the sole owner of The Silver Queen. He continues to operate the business with the same high standards and commitment to service that have defined its competitive strength for decades.
