It's standing room only in Southern California this week as the Long Beach Coin & Collectibles Exposition gets underway on Wednesday to dealers and Thursday to the general public. Ranking at the top of the coin extravaganzas along with the summer ANA Convention and the January F.U.N. show, each one of the three annual Long Beach shows is an important market bellwether for the coming weeks and months.
The anticipation and enthusiasm for this week's show are spilling over with kinetic energy. "Everyone is calling up and saying, 'Hey, I'm in town early. Let's do a deal!'" says John Rothans of David Hall Rare Coins in Newport Beach, California. "There's already frenzied activity almost anywhere there're two numismatists and a box of coins."
While copper, nickel and silver coins continue on their merry way upwards, the gold market is in a rebound mode, with interest appreciably renewed after bullion stabilized following a 10% drop.
"There's no denying that the gold market slowed down when the upward momentum of gold bullion cooled off," says Richard Schwary of California Numismatic Investments, Inc., in Inglewood, California. "Now that the gold prices are coming back the buying isn't as strong as it was, but there are still some nice-sized orders coming in."
Market active, prices recovered.
What areas of the gold market are doing the best now? "People seem to think that MS64 PCGS gold is the best deal," Schwary said. "MS65 gold is selling fast when we can get it, but the price/quality ratio of MS64 gold seems to create the most interest."
Which coins offer the best value of all? "I like the entire market. I think coins are really cheap and that we'll look back on February of 2003 and call it the deal of the century. Of course, a lot of people will think I'm just hyping the market, but I really believe it. The best deals of all are the $20 Libs in MS63, 64 and 65."
Kingswood "Meredith" sale is now online.
March 6th will be here before you know it, and that means the auction of the "Meredith" sale from Kingswood Coin Auctions. The 1,034 lots of PCGS and NGC certified coins will be on display at the Long Beach show or they can be viewed online.
There are 147 lots of Morgan and Peace dollars in the sale, including many select pieces from the Larry Shapiro collection.
"I know that I say this every time, but this is the busiest Kingswood sale that we've ever had," says Cassi East, Director of Auctions for Collectors Universe. To peruse the lots and/or to bid online, click here.
Bowers & Merena offers outstanding Baltimore auction.
The Baltimore Coin & Currency Convention is the site for the next auction from Bowers and Merena Galleries. The three-day sale takes place March 13-15 and features the Craig N. Smith and George William Youngman Collections along with many other important consignments.
Rare United States coins are only part of the story in this landmark auction, as U.S. Mint medals, Civil War tokens, currency and world coins are also offered.
A selection of 61 lots of Trade dollars highlights the sale, and gold rarities include two 1854-D $3 gold pieces and two 1861-D $5 gold pieces. Other highlights are:
- 1909-S V.D.B. Lincoln cent - PCGS MS66RD
- 1867 Rays Shield nickel - PCGS PR65
- 1794 Silver dollar - PCGS VG10
- 1882 $3 Gold (Bass Collection) - PCGS PR64
- 1886 $20 Liberty - PCGS XF45
- 1900 Lafayette Dollar - PCGS MS65
To view the lots 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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