Weekly Market Report: It's Long Beach Week Once Again as Collectors and Dealers Swarm to Southern California

By Bruce Amspacher - May 29, 2001

Long Beach week is finally here once again, and the air is filled with anticipation. There are auctions galore on the docket (or in action at the moment) and the bourse activity is predicted to be strong and optimistic. Dealer set-up for the Long Beach Coin & Collectibles Exposition begins immediately (Wednesday, May 30, 2001) and the show will be open to the public from Thursday through Sunday.

"This is the most important coin show of the year, at least for me," said Van Simmons of David Hall Rare Coins in Newport Beach, California. "I have missed a couple of ANA conventions over the years, but missing Long Beach is unthinkable. I agree with the other dealers who are expecting an excellent show."

PCGS now offers cameo designations on all US Proof & SMS coins.

The Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) has expanded its cameo (CAM) and deep cameo (DCAM) designations on Proof and Special Mint Set coins. For the past decade these descriptions have been offered on the coins of 1950 to date, but under the new program all US coins minted from 1793 to date will be eligible for this specification.

"There have been numerous requests from collectors who specialize in cameo Proofs that we add these designations," said PCGS President Richard Montgomery. "Beginning June 1st all Proof and SMS coins that meet the cameo criteria will be designated as such on the PCGS holder."

Hey, how did you get here? PCGS meets two earlybirds!

It's no secret that the Statehood quarter program has become wildly popular with collectors across the country and around the world. The series is on a tight schedule, with new coins appearing every two or three months. The circulation strikes of the Kentucky and Vermont quarters aren't scheduled to be out for several more months, but one of each has already showed up in the PCGS grading room.

"Believe it or not there's already been a Kentucky and Vermont quarter show up," said a member of the PCGS grading staff. "They were both Denver Mint issues, and each coin showed just a whisper of wear."

The two coins were each certified as PCGS AU58.

Prices are ready so check them out!

The prices realized from the highly successful auction of the Lucien M. LaRiviere Cabinet (Part III) are now ready for your perusal. The sale, conducted by Bowers & Merena Galleries, showed great strength in the collector coins and rare medals. If you would like to learn more about the results of this important sale, click here.

Kingswood is expecting another banner auction.

The Durham sale is the latest event on the Kingswood Coin Auctions docket. Lots will be available for viewing at the Long Beach show, and then the sale is scheduled for June 7th. "For the third auction in a row I can report that activity is at an all-time high," said Cassi East, Kingswood auction representative. "For each sale the Internet participation has grown in leaps and bounds, but this time it's totally crazy. That's 'crazy' in a good way, of course, as the busier it is the more fun it is. Many collectors have commented on the wonderful selection in this important auction." To view lots and/or bid on the coins in the Kingswood "Durham" sale, 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).