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…)

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 again will dock in Long Beach, California.

The $10 million exhibit will be publicly displayed during the Long Beach Coin, Stamp & Collectibles Expo in the Long Beach Convention Center, 100 S. Pine Ave., February 4 – 6, 2010.

The three-day show also will feature an exhibit of the all-time finest set of early U.S. half dollars in the PCGS Set RegistrySM.

“The ‘Ship of Gold’ exhibit is coming out of dry dock and returning to its first port of call, the Long Beach Expo,” 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.

“The ‘cargo’ on display will be examples of historic assayers’ ingots as well as San Francisco Mint and California territorial gold coins with a combined value today of over $10 million. One of the highlights is a huge, 662.28 ounce Kellogg & Humbert ingot. Weighing just over 55 troy pounds, it is the fourth largest gold bar recovered from nearly 8,000 feet blow the surface of the Atlantic Ocean where the Central America sank in a hurricane in September 1857 while carrying California gold from Panama to New York City,” said Crum.

There also will be one of the 13 recovered octagonal $50 gold pieces produced by the United States Assay Office of San Francisco, and the remains of a wooden cargo box that still contains approximately 110 Double Eagles as they were found on the ocean floor. Many appear to be 1857-S $20 gold pieces, apparently freshly struck at the San Francisco Mint when they were placed in the container for shipping. (more…)

The American Numismatic Association and the Professional Numismatists Guild have agreed to jointly sponsor the Official Pre-Show prior to the ANA World’s Fair of Money for three years beginning with the ANA Chicago convention in August 2011, ANA Executive Director Larry Shepherd and PNG Executive Director Bob Brueggeman have announced.

The Official Pre-Show will be held, when possible, in the same hall as the World’s Fair of Money on Friday through Monday prior to the convention. The ANA convention will be Tuesday through Saturday, closing each day at 5:30 p.m. The Pre-Show will be limited to wholesale business.

“This agreement is a big step forward for anyone who wants to attend a pre-show at an ANA convention,” said Shepherd. “Once established at the Official Pre-Show, dealers will not have to move or set up again for the World’s Fair of Money. They’ll be able to check into their hotels, walk over to the convention hall and set up one time for both shows. Everything – including the grading services and the ANA sanctioned auctions – will be in the same location. The ANA also will provide security between the end of the Pre-Show and the start of the main convention, so dealers can secure their inventory at their tables.”

“This will be a huge improvement for dealers because of the convenience and, importantly, the improved safety and security,” said Brueggeman. “There are benefits for collectors, too. This arrangement for a consistent and successful ANA/PNG Pre-Show should encourage more dealers to remain through the entire convention because it could shorten by several days the amount of the time they’re on the road.”

All ANA members in good standing will be offered tables at the Official Pre-Show; any dealer applying for a table must be registered for an equal or greater number of tables at the World’s Fair of Money. Costs will be held to a minimum to make it economical for all dealers, both PNG and non-PNG, to participate.

Shepherd said he sees the agreement as significantly enhancing the overall experience at the World’s Fair of Money while solving an ongoing problem created by unauthorized pre-shows diverting business away from the World’s Fair of Money and its official auction. He explained unauthorized pre-shows currently capitalize on the extraordinary investment the ANA makes in time, money and resources to organize a show, but without sharing in the expense. (more…)