On April 30, 2010, a new website was launched, and it reflects the wide variety of products and services that Superior offers. The Superior coin firm in Los Angeles County has gone through several transformations over the decades.

It was founded by Isadore Goldberg about 1930. Superior Stamp & Coin and Superior Galleries were operated by the Goldberg family until the early 1990s. It was later owned by A-Mark and then Tangible Asset Galleries (TAGZ).

In 2007, Superior Galleries was purchased by the Dallas Gold & Silver Exchange (DGSE). In 2009 and 2010, a series of changes were implemented, including the closing of the longstanding auction division.

Coin business veteran Aaron Ware has been named the ‘Numismatic Manager’ of Superior. DGSE has long been very active in markets for ‘high end’ watches, jewelry, and bullion. At the relatively new location in Woodland Hills, CA, Superior deals in a variety of valuable goods, including, of course, coins, paper money, and other numismatic objects.

For more information about the DGSE and the acquisition of Superior Galleries, click here to read Greg Reynolds’ interview of Kris Oyster, the managing director of numismatics for all DGSE companies.

Aaron Ware reminds everyone that “coins are a major portion of the business. We do have a resident expert in diamonds and high-end watches. Our focus is on U.S. coins; we will stock American coins and paper money from colonial times to the present.”

From 1993 to 1998, Ware and Tony Mitchell owned a coin store, Classic Coin and Bullion, in Reno, Nevada. Next, Ware was a partner in a coin store in Carson City, OldMint Coins. During most of the last decade, Aaron was Director of Operations for Northern Nevada Coins. Ware specializes in Carson City Mint coins and in silver dollars, “stuff that you would expect to see often in Nevada.” Over the years, he gained experience in “all series of U.S. coins,” from the 1790s to current issues. Now, at Superior, he has “shifted focus a little. We don’t see as much CC gold, and we do see a lot more early gold.” Already, at Superior, Ware has handled a fair number of pre-1840 U.S. gold coins, some of which are now available.

Ware has chosen not to collect coins because he does not wish “to compete with the customers.” He does “collect stuff [relating to] World’s Fairs and Expos, tickets, brochures, books, and primarily medals.”

As for the future of Superior, Ware says, “Now that we are no longer in the auction business, [the emphasis] is on offering a large and diverse inventory at very competitive fixed prices. We have brought old Superior clients back and we have rapidly been expanding our customer base.” While the old Superior offered mostly, expensive, high grade coins, Ware reports that “we offer coins in all grade ranges, everything from nice Almost Good coins all the way up to MS-67+ coins; we are now able to serve the needs of all variety of collectors.” Ware is “really pleased to be at the vanguard of a new era at Superior Galleries.”

Superior Galleries a division of Dallas Gold & Silver Exchange (DGSE) abruptly announced that they were suspending all auction activities effective immediately. This includes the scheduled Santa Clara Auction that was to have started yesterday.

The following notice was posted on the Superior Galleries web site by Superior President and CEO Don Ketterling:

“Dear Friends and Clients of Superior,

We are all facing challenging economic times which require resourcefulness and creativity. Although these decisions re in the long term best interest of all concerned, they are often not easy. Such is the case with our recent decision to suspend all our auction activities beginning with the April 2 Santa Clara Sale.

The current market conditions have forced us to reassess where our strengths lie both in terms of our business model and also for our client’s best interests. Every auction company is experiencing reduced revenue and declining consignments which coupled with reduced buyer activity spells unacceptable results for auction prices and. most importantly our client/consignors.

Our immediate goals are to focus on our rare coin. precious metals and jewelry departments, all of which are vital, growing and profitable. We continue to seek talented and experienced individuals for all these activities and forecast a vibrant and exciting second half of 2009. On a personal note, I would like everyone to know that Superior stands ready as a valuable resource for all our clients and colleagues.

Sincerely,
Don Ketterling
President & CEO
Superior Galleries, Inc.”

DGSE Companies, Inc. , announces that Superior Galleries’ is offering  “The Just Having Fun Collection” of Roosevelt dimes for their January 2009 Elite Rare Coin Auction immediately preceding the Florida United Numismatists (FUN) convention. This is believed to be the finest collection of silver Roosevelt dimes ever assembled, and will include the 48 coins currently in the #1 PCGS silver Roosevelt dime Registry set of “Justhavingfun” (“JHF”) as well as more than 60 additional PCGS and NGC superlative silver Roosevelt dimes also part of the JHF collection.

The JHF collection of silver Roosevelt dimes which will be auctioned off in January has a rich history behind them. When the PCGS Set Registry was in its infancy stage in 1999 (literally consisting of a paperback book prepared once a year with nothing online), Mitchell Spivack registered the #1 set of silver Roosevelt dimes. That same year, Steven Heller registered the #3 set of dimes. The dimes that were part of Spivack’s #1 finest registry set of 1999 were collected by him throughout the 1980s and 1990s. In 2000, Spivack’s silver Roosevelt dime collection was consolidated with Heller’s set and he agreed to continue to assist Heller with improving the collection from there. After a few years of improving the set even further, the entire collection was then sold to the current owner of the JHF collection, who has been registering the set as the #1 collection at PCGS for the past four years. In addition, during the past 10 years, another avid Roosevelt dime collector, Nick Cascio, assembled a top quality set of silver Roosevelt dimes, which was eventually purchased and also became part of the JHF collection. The JHF collection represents what is now the finest collection of silver Roosies ever – a collection which spans 3 decades of pursuing the most beautifully toned and fully struck silver examples available.

Paul Song, Senior Vice President of Auctions is working closely with Mitchell Spivack JHF’s agent regarding this landmark sale. Spivack had this to say on behalf of himself and the JHF collection:

“We are delighted to have Superior handling this auction consignment for us. Many coins in this collection range from nicely toned to some of the most amazingly toned silver Roosevelt dimes (or frankly any 20th century silver toned coins) out there. Superior’s outstanding photographic techniques have the ability to capture and reproduce the colors of these great coins. They have agreed to prepare a special separate full color auction catalog to showcase this great collection. It should be a great event and the special catalog Superior is preparing will contain relevant pedigree information for future generations of Roosevelt dime collectors to enjoy.” (more…)