LONG BEACH COIN EXPO,
HERITAGE NUMISMATIC AUCTIONS, INC.,
AGGRESSIVE MARKET,
ATTRACT DEALERS

Thursday, May 21, 1998

        The upcoming Long Beach Coin Expo will go a long way toward offering the dealers an indication of what the summer "coin" season will be like. Most dealers are still experiencing a very industrious marketplace. They are also having the same problem. They cannot locate enough quality coins, at today's prices, to satisfy their customers. What is left to do? In order to fill the needs of their customers, they must be as competitive as they can. This means that the customers will have to pay more to get the coins they want; however, it appears that the customers are more than willing to pay more than other competing customers, if the quality, or the rarity is present.

        This serves to create pressure on coin prices and ultimately will force the Bids higher. As I have previously mentioned, the Ask prices are already moving up as potential sellers demand more for their quality coins. As prices are forced to rise, this may entice other potential sellers to offer coins for sale. Even though we know there are thousands (even millions, but we don't want to infer that there are so many available that everyone can afford them) of quality rare coins out in coinland, they are not all available at today's prices. In many cases, these coins are in such strong hands that they may never be available. Add to this scenario that there are more collectors willing to pay higher prices for specific coins today than there have been over the last nine years, and you soon realize that this market may be the last opportunity to purchase quality coins at such reasonable levels.

        When you take into consideration the fact that the Internet allows millions of additional potential collectors to enter our "hobby", it makes even today's prices look like they could be bargains, even more so for the generic issues that sell for under one hundred dollars. The new collectors have to start somewhere; and most of them cannot afford thousand dollar coins. Yet, if they are given the chance, and they experience a joyful beginning in their initial quest into coin collecting, they will become the "big" spenders of tomorrow. Anybody in this business for over 20 years, can remember the novice collectors that we first encountered at coin shows; they didn't spend much in the beginning, but after they became comfortable with various dealers and the coin market, they "dumped" hundreds of thousands, in fact, millions of dollars into the coin market. I have seen a few of these collectors at coin shows for the last year. And I am sure, from speaking with dealers, that there are others out there.

        The Long Beach Coin Expo can be an overwhelming experience for the novice collector. But, if they are treated properly by the dealers they encounter, they may just be your best customers of tomorrow. Many of the top dealers in the country will be attending this show from June 3-7. We have already seen advertising and there is much more planned. Heritage Numismatic Auctions, Inc. will conduct a 2000+ lot Signature Sale that should attract a variety of buyers. There are many highlights including Pan-Pacs (both Octagonal and Round in MS64), a 1918/7 S Standing Liberty Quarter in MS63, a High Relief in MS65 and PR63, and a myriad of Type Coins, Gold, Silver Dollars and other collector coins. This sale takes place June 4th & 5th.