The Cardinal Type Collection of Early Copper, a multi-million dollar display of over two dozen high-grade early American copper pieces including items from an all-time finest PCGS Set Registry collection, will be exhibited at the Long Beach Coin, Stamp & Collectibles Expo, June 3 – 5, 2010. The show will be held in the Long Beach, California Convention Center, 100 S. Pine Ave.

“This special exhibit is a superb collection of historic and rare private coinage from 1787 to 1792 and early items from the Philadelphia Mint from 1793 up to 1852. The collection was assembled by Martin Logies and will be exhibited courtesy of Bowers & Merena Auctions,” said Ronald J. Gillio, Expo General Chairman.

Highlights of the exhibit include the following coins that were part of the 2009 PCGS Best of Registry winner for Large Cents Basic Set:

1793 Chain AMERICA S-2 variety formerly in the Beckwith, Collins and Naftzger Collections and graded PCGS MS65BN;

1793 Wreath, Vine and Bars Edge formerly in the Naftzger Collection, PCGS MS69BN;

1794 Head of 1793 formerly in the Garrett Collection, PCGS MS64 BN;

and 1803 No Stems S-243, PCGS MS66RB, formerly in the Helfenstein and Naftzger Collections.

During the three-day Long Beach Expo more than 1,000 dealers will be buying and selling rare coins, paper money, stamps, postcards, historic documents, antiques, estate jewelry and other collectibles. Some dealers will provide free, informal appraisals for visitors.

A free gold coin door prize will be awarded each day to a lucky, registered visitor, and a children’s treasure hunt will be held on Saturday, June 5. A half dozen educational programs and collectors’ clubs meetings will be conducted during the show and will be open to the public.

Heritage Auction Galleries of Dallas, Texas (www.HA.com), the world’s largest collectibles auction house and the official auctioneer of the Long Beach Expo, will hold a public auction of U.S. coins in conjunction with the show.

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A decade after its first appearance, the precedent-setting “Ship of Gold” display showcasing California Gold Rush-era sunken treasure recovered from the 1857 shipwreck of the SS Central America was again docked in Long Beach, California.

The $10 million exhibit was publicly displayed during the Long Beach Coin, Stamp & Collectibles Expo in February, marking its 10th anniversary.

“The ‘Ship of Gold’ exhibit is out of dry dock” said Ronald J. Gillio, Expo General Chairman. “The eye-opening display on the convention center floor is housed in a specially-constructed 40-foot long representation of the famous ship’s hull. This will be the first public appearance of the ‘Ship of Gold’ exhibit anywhere in the country in six years.”

The exhibit is courtesy of Monaco Rare Coins of Newport Beach and involved months of work to coordinate the display with collectors who privately own and now have generously loaned many of the items for the exhibit, according to Adam Crum, Monaco Vice President.
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Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS at www.PCGS.com) will display a spectacular collection of early U.S. half dollars, offer special discounts for coins submitted for authentication and grading, and give collectors and dealers an opportunity to have their coins digitally imaged with the PCGS TrueViewTM photo service during the Long Beach Coin, Stamp & Collectibles Expo (www.LongBeachExpo.com), February 4 – 6, 2010.

Visitors will also see a $10 million “Ship of Gold” exhibit of sunken treasure recovered from the fabled SS Central America that sank in a hurricane in 1857 while carrying tons of California Gold Rush coins and ingots. The acclaimed “Ship of Gold” display is housed in a 40-foot long representation of the ship’s hull,” and is coming out of “dry dock” for this special exhibit at the February Long Beach Expo.

The show will be held in the Long Beach, California Convention Center, 100 S. Pine Ave.

PCGS will display more than 100 high-grade coins from the award-winning Dale Friend collection of circulation strike early half dollars, 1794 – 1839, and his set of major varieties of early U.S. halves. Both sets have earned the honor of being the number one-time finest in their category in the PCGS Set RegistrySM.

“Collectors and dealers who saw these sets displayed by PCGS at the recent FUN show in Orlando were simply awe-struck by the gorgeous, original toning and luster of these coins,” said Donald E. Willis Jr., President of PCGS. PCGS and the Long Beach Expo (Expos Unlimited) are divisions of Collectors Universe, Inc. (NASDAQ: CLCT).

“Twenty of the coins are either the finest known or tied for the finest ever graded by PCGS. This is an opportunity for West Coast collectors to see them in person through the courtesy of Dale Friend,” said BJ Searls, PCGS Set Register Manager. (more…)