Show Report: Long Beach Expo Recap

It was a cloudy day, but the incoming rain did not deter collectors from attending the Long Beach Expo: Coin, Currency, Stamp & Sports Collectible Show this past week. In fact, attendees were shoulder to shoulder walking through the aisles of the bourse floor by Noon on Thursday (opening day to the public), with a line wrapping around the side of PCGS Booth #401 all the way through Saturday.

For on-site grading, we offered our highly anticipated Crossover Special and special label pedigree for all 2019 Platinum Eagles submitted for on-site grading and First Strike^® designation. Customer Service Manager, David Talk felt the show went very well exclaiming, "The Crossover Special was a huge hit with PCGS Authorized Dealers and Collectors Club Members alike. We also had a good amount of participation on Saturday with the Young Numismatists during the Treasure Hunt and the two Set Registry^® displays were well received by attendees."

For the Meet the Expert session, on Friday, we brought in PCGS President Brett Charville and PCGS Senior Grader Jeff Howard to give a free opinion to enthusiasts on their coins and/or collection. "The collector is at the very heart of our industry and it was great to be able to get to know a wide variety of collectors from all around the world, each with different interests and experience levels in the hobby. I hope Brett and I were able to answer everyone’s questions and point people down the right path in their collecting and grading pursuits. I look forward to being able to help out at the next Meet the Expert," says Jeff Howard of the experience.

Other numismatic features on the bourse floor included coin and banknote dealers and from all over the country, auction houses, and tucked away in the back, offering three largely lit displays, was the U.S Mint. The displays showcased Presidential Bronze Medals, a 2019 Gold Eagle Proof Set, 2018 "America The Beautiful" 5oz coins, and the newly released 2019 Platinum Eagle – Liberty. The Apollo 11 Commemorative Set was also on display and despite having a "Back Order" status on usmint.gov, the 5oz Proof Silver Dollar was offered at the booth.

Bidding and lot viewing for the feature auctions began well before the show itself. Both the Goldberg and Heritage Auction events featured classic rarities certified by various third-party grading companies. The top three highest auctioned coins of the U.S. Coins Signature Auction, held by Heritage Auctions, were all in PCGS holders. The coins are as follows:

1. 1879 $4 Flowing Hair J-1635, Pollock-1833, JD-1, R.3 PCGS PR64DC. Auction Price Realized: $210,000
2. 1915-S $50 Panama-Pacific Round PCGS MS64. Auction Price Realized: $114,000
3. 1795 $5 Small Eagle, BD-3 PCGS MS61. Auction Price Realized: $84,000

Three of the top five auctioned coins of Ira and Larry Goldberg’s Pre-Long Beach Auction were also in PCGS holders. The coins are as follows:

1. 1895 $1 PCGS PR67. Auction Price Realized: $115,000
2. 1793 Cent Liberty Cap S-15 PCGS Genuine Good Details Damaged. Auction Price Realized: $62,500
3. 793 Cent Liberty Cap NC-6 PCGS G4. Auction Price Realized: $52,500

Thank you to all who attended the event. We look forward to greeting all old and new faces to each PCGS-attended event. Stay tuned for what is to come at the next Long Beach Expo on June 6-8, 2019. See the full 2019 Show Schedule.

Happy Collecting!

Continue to Next Article