Rare Coins Surprisingly Resilient

Article Written February, 2010

While the overall economy shows no sign of recovery, collectors continue to find plenty of funds to fuel their numismatic passions. We recently returned from the thrice-annual Long Beach Coin and Stamp Expo, and while fortunate to locate some marvelous numismatic items, the overall atmosphere was quiet. There were, however, two exciting exhibits. The first was a $10 million display of sunken treasure recovered from the famous SS Central America that sank in an 1857 hurricane while carrying tons of gold rush coins and ingots. (For those of you enjoying a good book, check out Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea by Gary Kinder. It is a fascinating account of this ship and its recovery.) The second display was 100 high-grade Early Half Dollars from Dale Friend's amazing collection. Dale is a long-time collector and friend, and we have been honored to handle some of his very special coins in the past, notably many of his Barber quarters. It is always a privilege to view such beautiful pieces.

Back at the office, business remains brisk and our inventory is experiencing near record turnover. In fact, we desperately require more rarities to keep our clients content. So please contact us if you have coins or collections for sale. For those of you who haven't sold to us in the past, we have a reputation of being extremely easy to work with.

While rare coins are experiencing strong demand, certain areas represent downright bargains. Uncirculated gem and superb Barber and Seated material continue to reside at rock bottom levels. Silver commemoratives are gaining a larger following, but prices have yet to rebound from their pennies-on-the-dollar levels. Indian Cents, Three Cent Nickels, and Liberty Nickels are all currently out of favor and present great values.




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