It's Long Beach week, and that means that dealers and collectors from around the country are descending on the Convention Center on Pine Avenue for a week of auctions, bourse activity and the celebration of numismatics. It is the most eagerly anticipated show in years, as the rare coin market continues to exhibit widespread strength and create enthusiasm in almost every nook and cranny of the hobby.
The Long Beach Coin & Collectibles Exposition is a tri-annual event with a rich 39-year history. It is one of the most important market bellwethers of the year, joining the ANA Convention and the F.U.N. show in the "most significant" category. This year's Winter Long Beach show runs from set-up day, February 20, through Sunday, February 24. Judging by the number of dealers and collectors who are already in the area as this is being written this will be the most active show in a long, long time.
A 1950 Proof Franklin for $70,000+? Tell me more!
Two weeks ago I interviewed Rick Tomaska of R&I Coins for this column, and he related that a 1950 Franklin half dollar in PCGS PR66DCAM [deep cameo] had recently sold for a "secret price" in excess of $70,000. This created a lot of interest, and I received a number of e-mails and calls about it. I contacted Mr. Tomaska once again and he shared a number of other prices that were recently realized for modern issues. Here are some eye-opening looks at the strength of the top-quality modern market.
| 1950 Franklin Half Dollar PCGS PR64DCAM | $12,000 |
| 1951 Franklin Half Dollar PCGS PR66DCAM | $16,500 |
| 1951 Franklin Half Dollar PCGS PR67CAM | $14,500 |
| 1953 Franklin Half Dollar PCGS PR66DCAM | $11,500 |
| 1953 Franklin Half Dollar PCGS PR67DCAM | $24,000 |
| 1959 Franklin Half Dollar PCGS PR67DCAM | $14,500 |
| 1951-P Franklin Half Dollar PCGS MS67FBL* | $27,000 |
| 1954-S Franklin Half Dollar PCGS MS67FBL | $22,500 |
| 1957-P Franklin Half Dollar PCGS MS66FBL* | $4,000 |
| 1958-D Franklin Half Dollar PCGS MS66FBL* | $750 |
| 1957 Washington Quarter PCGS PR68DCAM | $2,200 |
| 1950 Jefferson Nickel PCGS PR67DCAM | $6,150 |
| 1958 Jefferson Nickel PCGS PR68DCAM | $8,000 |
| 1957 Lincoln Cent PCGS PR68DCAM | $17,500 |
| 1965 Lincoln Cent SMS PCGS MS65DCAM | $6,500 |
| 1974-S Lincoln Cent PCGS PR69DCAM | $500 |
| 1938 Walking Liberty Half Dollar PCGS PR67CAM | $12,500 |
After you catch your breath (!) there are a few special explanations on the asterisked items. The 1951-P Franklin in MS67FBL was not only a "one popper" [a coin with a population of one with zero higher] but it also had spectacular toning. Both the 1957-P and 1958-D usually sell for about $125 (or less) in MS66FBL, but the '57-P was fully brilliant (highly unusual) and the '58-D exhibited "great color."
Kingswood Coin Auctions "Gilmanton Sale" is February 28.
The "Gilmanton Sale" from Kingswood Coin Auctions is less than ten days away. Every lot in the sale will be on display at the Long Beach show -- all 1,262 of them! For the first time a Kingswood Coin Auctions sale includes some currency as well, such as an Educational $1 note in Gem Uncirculated condition.
One of the many highlights of the sale is 126 lots of high quality silver commemoratives. The Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) certified every coin in the sale.
"This is definitely our most active Kingswood auction ever. It's hot!" says Cassi East, Director of Auctions for Collectors Universe. To view the "Gilmanton Sale" and/or to bid online, click here.
Bruce Amspacher has been a professional writer since the 1950s and a professional numismatist since the 1960s. He won the OIPA sportswriting award in 1958 and again in 1959, then spent eight years in college studying American Literature. This background somehow led him to become a professional numismatist in 1968. Since then he has published hundreds of articles on rare coins in dozens of publications as well as publishing his own newsletter, the “Bruce Amspacher Investment Report,” for more than a decade. His areas of expertise include Liberty Seated dollars, Morgan and Peace dollars, United States gold coins, sports trivia, Western history, modern literature and the poetry of Emily Dickinson. In 1986 he was a co-founder of the Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS).
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