The Coinage Act of July 23, 1965 included a provision that no standard silver dollars were to be coined for a period of five years.  The situation could then be re-evaluated at that time.  As the end of Congress’ five-year ban on silver dollars approached, the idea was conceived for a circulating dollar coin to honor war hero and two-term President Dwight David Eisenhower, who had recently died.

With silver long gone from the nation’s dimes and quarters, and with ongoing debate over its discontinuance in the half dollar, there was never any serious consideration of including the precious metal in circulation strikes of the new Eisenhower dollar.  There were those, however, who argued for a silver collectors’ edition to be sold at a premium over face value.

Congressman Bob Casey of Texas introduced a bill into the House on October 29, 1969 calling for a circulating commemorative dollar to honor both Eisenhower and the Apollo XI space flight, mankind’s first landing on the moon.  More than a year of political wrangling was to follow before this bill was finally approved in a modified form.  Along the way, the U.S. Mint prepared an alternative reverse design featuring a heraldic eagle that looked, in the words of noted numismatic author Q. David Bowers, like something one would find on a Mint pattern of the 1870s. Reportedly, one of the two proposed reverse designs (probably the Apollo XI image, given its implications for the world’s future) originally featured an eagle whose expression the U.S. State Department feared other nations would interpret as hostile. Whether the eagle which ultimately did appear on the coin’s reverse is a “friendly” bird is difficult to ascertain from its neutral expression.

Becoming law on December 31, 1970, the bill that created the Eisenhower dollar providing for a circulating coin made from the copper-nickel sandwich or “clad” composition then being used for dimes and quarters (and for half dollars beginning in 1971).  It also permitted the coining of up to 150 million silver-clad coins for sale to collectors.  These would be coined in the same composition lately used for halves dated 1965-70, two outer layers that were 80% silver and 20% copper bonded to an inner core that was approximately 21% silver and 79% copper. This created an overall mix that was 40% silver, with the balance being copper.  A controversial amendment to this bill provided that a portion of the profits from the sale of these collector coins would be donated to Eisenhower College, a private institution in Seneca Falls, New York which ultimately folded despite receiving some $9 million dollars from this source.  As Mint Director Mary Brooks wanted the coins produced quickly, there was no time for a public design competition.

Chief Engraver Frank Gasparro was directed to prepare the models in as little time as necessary.  Anticipating this coinage, Gasparro had already begun work; his galvano for the obverse bore the date 1970, even though the first Ike dollars were dated 1971.  His design portrays on the obverse a bare-headed, left-facing profile bust of the late president.  Arranged in an arc above him is the legend LIBERTY, while the motto IN GOD WE TRUST appears in two lines below Eisenhower’s chin.  The date is at bottom, with the mintmark (if any) above it and to the right.

Gasparro’s initials FG are on the truncation of the bust.  The reverse depicts the American eagle, an olive branch of peace in its talons, descending onto the moon.  The distant Earth is in the field above and to the left.  The motto E PLURIBUS UNUM is centered above the eagle, and the legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA is arranged in an arc around the upper periphery. The value ONE DOLLAR is superimposed on the moon’s surface along the lower periphery.  An arc of small stars surrounds the eagle, Earth and the motto.  The initials FG appear below the eagle’s tail.  Why the coins were not ready to be issued until November 1, 1971 isn’t certain, although it was rumored that numerous trial strikes were rejected because of design deficiencies.

Collectors snapped up a good portion of the dollars released that day and for some months afterward.  Still, enough were coined that they ultimately reached the channels of commerce.  It was only then that the fundamental flaw in Congressional thinking was revealed:  the American public simply had no desire to use these large and heavy coins.

True, gambling casinos welcomed the return of real dollar coins to supplant the dollar-sized tokens that had been utilized since 1965, but even the casinos ultimately tired of these coins.  Too often, customers took them home as souvenirs, since they were seldom seen elsewhere and people imagined them to be rare.  With a dropoff in demand for new Ike dollars, the Mint opted to strike only enough of the 1973 edition to fulfill orders for uncirculated coin sets from collectors.  This left a net mintage of less than 2 million each for the Philadelphia and Denver Mints.

From the outset, San Francisco had coined only the special collector coins:  the uncirculated edition of the silver-clad composition (known from its packaging as the “blue Ike”) and the proof version of the same coin (known as the “brown Ike”).  Beginning in 1973, it also coined a proof version of the copper-nickel coin for inclusion in the regular proof set.  The nation’s impending Bicentennial resulted in a competition for commemorative designs to grace the reverses of the quarter, half and dollar, respectively.

The winning design for the dollar’s reverse was submitted by Dennis R. Williams, whose clever concept of the Liberty Bell superimposed on the moon provided a link between past and present (his initials DRW are found to the right of the bell’s clapper). The regular dollar coinage dated 1974 continued until the middle of 1975, when production of the new Bicentennial designs dated 1776-1976 began.  This left no dollar coins dated 1975.  The Bicentennial pieces were first released in the fall of 1975, and their mintage continued through the following year.  Silver-clad coins were made at San Francisco, in addition to the circulating version coined at Philadelphia and Denver. The regular design returned in 1977 and 1978, when the Eisenhower series was terminated in favor of the ill-fated Susan B. Anthony “mini dollar.”  For these two years, however, no Ikes were coined in silver.  There are no rare dates within the regular coinage of Eisenhower dollars, although several issues, particularly 1971 and 1972 dollars from the Philadelphia Mint, were poorly made and are difficult to locate choice.

A number of minor varieties resulted from refinements to the hubs during the first few years.  The Bicentennial coins exist with either the Variety 1 reverse (broad letters) or the Variety 2 (narrow letters).  A small quantity of silver-clad dollars were made at the Denver Mint in error and may be found dated 1974-D, 1976-D or 1977-D.  Proofs of the Bicentennial dollar were coined in 1974 at the Philadelphia Mint without a mintmark, but none are currently known to survive.  A single silver-clad proof of the second variety has been documented without a mintmark, its place of origin unknown.

SPECIFICATIONS:

Diameter: 38.1 millimeters

Weight: 24.59 grams (silver-clad)

Composition: .800 silver, .200 copper   bonded to .209 silver, .791 copper

Net Weight: .3161 ounce

pure silver Weight: 22.68 grams (CuNi-clad)

Composition: .750 copper, .250 nickel   bonded to pure copper

Edge: Reeded

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Bowers, Q. David, Silver Dollars & Trade Dollars of the United States, A Complete Encyclopedia, Bowers and Merena, Wolfeboro, NH, 1993. Breen, Walter, Walter Breen’s Complete Encyclopedia of U.S. and Colonial Coins, F.C.I. Press/Doubleday, New York, 1988. Wiles, James, Ph.D, CONECA Attribution Guide to Eisenhower Dollar Varieties, CONECA, Fort Worth, TX, 1997. Yeoman, R.S., A Guide Book of United States Coins, 48th Edition, Western Publishing Co., Racine, WI, 1994.

It wasn’t supposed to be that way. Years before, Alexander Hamilton had envisioned a monetary standard where coins of other metals would be simply a convenience, and only gold would be legal tender. He believed gold to be the most price-stable of the precious metals and less sensitive to changes in supply. Congress thought his idea to be utopian and idealistic. In the 1790s, gold was scarce, but silver coins, especially from Latin America, were plentiful. Fortunately, Congress settled on a bimetallic standard. At least silver coins, even if they were foreign silver coins, gave the new Republic a ready supply of money for commerce.

It ultimately took two separate Congressional Acts, that by 1838, adjusted the content and fineness of  U.S. gold coins enough to allow them to remain in circulation. Mint Director Robert M. Patterson was instructed to produce eagles, and Acting Engraver Christian Gobrecht, replacing the ailing William Kneass, prepared dies for a new design.

Gobrecht’s design, inspired by the portrait of Venus in Benjamin West’s Painting Omnia Vincit Amor (Love Conquers All), also became the prototype for the half-eagle and large cent of 1839. It features a bust of Liberty facing left, wearing a coronet inscribed LIBERTY. Her hair is knotted in the back with hang- ing curls. Thirteen stars encircle the bust, with the date positioned below. The reverse depicts an eagle holding an olive branch and arrows, surrounded by the inscriptions UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and TEN D. Mintmarks are below the eagle.

The first coins, those of 1838 and early 1839, are distinctly different than subsequent issues: Each has Liberty’s shoulder line sharply pointed and positioned between the twelfth and thirteenth star. In the fall of 1839, Gobrecht reworked the bust and centered it over the date. This design—with the exception of the added motto in 1866—remained basically unchanged until the end of the Coronet series in 1907, when it was replaced by Augustus Saint Gaudens’ Indian Head motif.

Unfortunately for collectors, the first years of the new coin’s run, from about 1838 to 1844, were during the depression and “Hard Times” of the Jacksonian era. An eagle was a substantial sum, worth in goods then what a half ounce of gold would buy today. There was little demand for the large coin in everyday use, thus the mintage of the new Coronet eagles (identified colloquially by collectors today as “No Motto Ten-Libs”) was limited. By the 1850’s, when economic conditions improved, demand for the eagles remained low, since half eagles were preferred in day-to-day commerce, and the new double eagles were used in bank transfers and international transactions.

Struck in Philadelphia (no mintmark) every year of the series, No Motto eagles were also minted in New Orleans (O) from 1841 through 1860, and in San Francisco (S) from 1854 through 1866. About 5.3 million business strikes and 400 proofs were made, but unfortunately, few were preserved. Mintages were small and most survivors didn’t make it past the recall and meltings of the 1930s. As a result, it is difficult to find high grade specimens of any date in the series. There are no “common-dates” in uncirculated condition—every issue is rare, and only a handful even approach the grade of MS-65. Superb pieces occasionally appear, but almost exclusively in sales of the largest and most famous collections.

Although few individuals attempt to assemble complete date and mintmark sets, some pursue the issues from a single mint, or one from each mint. A collection of New Orleans eagles—paralleling the two decades leading up to the Civil War and the Confederacy’s seizure of the branch there—consists of twenty coins. A San Francisco set, tracing the first eagles struck at the new mint—from the Gold Rush days to the end of the Civil War—entails just thirteen pieces. Most collectors however, are content to find just one high-grade specimen for their type sets.

Numismatists anxiously await a complete inventory of the fortune in gold coins found aboard the wreck of the S.S. Central America in 1987. The ship was lost off the South Carolina coast in an 1857 hurricane while carrying over 1.2 million dollars in gold. Many coins recovered to date are in pristine condition, most notably 1857-S double eagles. Perhaps early S-Mint eagles will also be found.

No Motto eagles are not difficult to grade. Look for traces of wear on the top of the coronet over Liberty’s forehead, on the top of her hair and just over her eye. On the reverse, check the tips of the eagle’s wings, neck and claws. Unfortunately, well made twentieth century counterfeits exist. Originally made in the Middle East as a way of producing bullion in a recognizable form, many have found their way into the numismatic market. The very rare 1858 Philadelphia issue has also been counterfeited, usually by removing the mintmarks from San Francisco or New Orleans coins of that year. Authentication of any questionable piece is highly recommended.

The Coronet eagle continued to be minted until 1907 with only one major change to the design. The carnage of the Civil War and the terrible upheaval that followed found the population of the country in a religious and philosophical mood. A desire to nationally express this feeling led to the addition of the motto IN GOD WE TRUST to U.S. coins. First used on the two-cent piece of 1864, the motto was added to the Coronet eagle in 1866, inscribed on a ribbon over the eagle’s head.

Collectors were slow to seek out Coronet eagles by date and mint. While proofs were purchased regularly by a handful of numismatists from 1858 onward, most of the branch mint pieces, as well as non-proofs from the Philadelphia Mint, were placed into general circulation. There they became worn, and many were later melted. Perhaps the only complete series of these pieces was that assembled by Louis Eliasberg, Sr. and sold at auction in 1982.

SPECIFICATIONS:

Diameter: 27 millimeters

Weight: 16.718 grams

Composition: .900 gold, .100 copper

Edge: Reeded

Net Weight: .48375 oz pure gold

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Akers, David W., United States Gold Coins, Volume V, Eagles 1795-1933, Paramount Publications, Englewood, OH, 1980. Breen, Walter, United States Eagles, Hewitt Printing Corporation, Chicago. Breen, Walter, Walter Breen’s Complete Encyclopedia of U.S. and Colonial Coins,  F.C.I. Doubleday, New York, 1988. Garraty, John A., The Columbia History Of The World, Harper & Row, New York, 1972. Metcalf, William E., America’s Gold Coinage, Metallic Panaceas: Gold Bugs, Silver Crusaders, and the Wizard of Oz, ANS, New York, 1989. Winter, Douglas, New Orleans Mint Gold Coins 1839-1909, Bowers & Merena Galleries, Wolfeboro, NH, 1992.

Fittingly, however, the centerpiece of this “golden age” wasn’t a nickel or silver coin, but one made out of gold. The Saint-Gaudens double eagle, or $20 gold piece, stands above the rest as the single most magnificent coin of this—or any—era in U.S. history.

As the 1900s dawned, Augustus Saint-Gaudens was a towering figure in the sphere of American fine arts. Widely acclaimed as the nation’s preeminent sculptor, he was also a man of eloquence and influence who dominated the art world of his day not only by example but also through the exercise of power and persuasion.

His brilliance and renown brought him to the attention of President Theodore Roosevelt, and the two men developed a warm relationship that was at once both personal and professional. In 1905, Saint- Gaudens designed a handsome inaugural medal for the president. Pleased and impressed, Roosevelt then invited him to fashion prospective new designs for the two largest U.S. gold coins, the double eagle and eagle, and also for a one-cent piece (which never reached production). Saint-Gaudens welcomed the challenge and plunged into the project with all his prodigious energy and skill.

Both men admired the high-relief coinage of ancient Greece, and both agreed that U.S. gold coins patterned after that model would be a spectacular achievement. They would also stand in stark contrast to the two undistinguished-looking coins that were being replaced, the Liberty double eagle and the Coronet eagle, both of which had their roots in the first half of the 19th century.

Although his health was deteriorating as the project went along, Saint-Gaudens created superb designs for both gold coins. The double eagle, especially, is a masterpiece. Its obverse features a full-length portrait of Liberty with a torch in her right hand and an olive branch in her left. She is shown in full stride with rays of sunlight behind her and the U.S. Capitol Building to the left of her flowing gown. Encircling her are 46 stars—one for each state in the Union at that time. The coin’s reverse depicts a breathtaking eagle in flight, with the sun below extending its rays upward. Above the eagle, in two semicircular tiers, are the inscriptions UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and TWENTY DOLLARS. High points to check for wear are Liberty’s breast and knee and the eagle’s wing.

Saint-Gaudens placed another required motto, E PLURIBUS UNUM, along the edge of the coin, thus reducing the clutter on the obverse and reverse and reinforcing their clean, open look. He and Roosevelt conspired to omit IN GOD WE TRUST from the first of the new double eagles, but God-fearing members of Congress noticed this and mandated addition of this motto on later issues, starting near the end of 1908. On pieces produced thereafter, it appears above the sun on the reverse.

Roosevelt and Saint-Gaudens intended that the coin would be struck in high relief to bring out each exquisite detail. Unfortunately, though, the artist died in 1907, almost on the eve of the coin’s debut. Meanwhile, Roosevelt was preoccupied with more pressing matters of state. All this, combined with the requirements of mass-produced coinage, gave Mint Chief Engraver Charles E. Barber a chance and an excuse to reduce the coin’s relief. High-speed minting required this, he said—and what’s more, high-relief coins wouldn’t stack.

Fortunately, the beauty of the coin remains dazzling, even in lower relief. And thankfully, Saint-Gaudens’ original art was preserved in its pristine beauty through the minting of small numbers of extremely high-relief patterns and high-relief business strikes in 1907—or rather MCMVII, for the date was shown on these coins in Roman numerals.

The first production pieces were made with high relief. But after striking just 11,250, Mint officials substituted new dies with the modified, lower relief, and these remained in use through the end of the series. As if to underscore the shift from the classical to the commercial, the Mint used Arabic numbers in dating all reduced-relief double eagles.

“Saints” were minted each year from 1907 through 1916. A three-year hiatus followed, after which the coins were struck yearly from 1920 through 1933. The branch mints in Denver and San Francisco augmented the main Philadelphia Mint production, but not in every year. Mint marks appear above the date the designer’s initials (ASG) below.

From 1929 onward, newly minted examples were held almost entirely as part of the nation’s gold reserves, with few being released into circulation. Almost all of these were melted (along with many earlier double eagles) following the gold recall order signed in 1933 by another President Roosevelt—Theodore’s cousin, Franklin. As a result, double eagles dated 1929 through 1932 are exceedingly rare today. The Mint produced nearly half a million pieces dated 1933, but the government maintains that these were never released, and thus it is illegal to own them. That was the end of regular-issue U. S. gold coinage.

Mintages were generally modest, but heavy melting, not low mintage, was primarily responsible for creation of the major rarities, including the 1927-D, the 1920-S, the 1921, the 1930-S and the 1932. The survival of many of these dates is predominately due to the large quantity of gold coins held in Swiss and French bank vaults. Since the 50s, tens of thousands of “Saints” have found their way back to their country of origin and into collectors’ hands. Proofs are very rare as only 687 were offered for sale from 1908 through 1915. They were made with a flat matte finish except for 1909 and 1910 when they were made with a more brilliant Roman or satin finish. This large gold coin is actively sought by a myriad of collectors: from bullion hoarders to type collectors to those challenged by the awesome (and expensive) undertaking of assembling a complete date and mintmark set.

In 1986, the U.S. Treasury paid the “Saint” the highest compliment by placing its obverse design on the American Eagle gold bullion coins, where it has remained ever since.

SPECIFICATIONS:

Diameter: 34 millimeters

Weight: 33.436 grams

Composition: .900 gold, .100 copper

Edge: Lettered E PLURIBUS UNUM

Net Weight: .96750 ounce pure gold

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Akers, David W., A Handbook of 20th-Century United States Gold Coins 1907-1933, Bowers & Merena Galleries, Wolfeboro, NH, 1988. Bowers, Q. David, United States Gold Coins, An Illustrated History, Bowers & Ruddy, Los Angeles, 1982. Breen, Walter, Walter Breen’s Complete Encyclopedia of  U.S. and Colonial Coins, F.C.I. Press/Doubleday, New York, 1988. Dryfhout, John H., The Works of Augustus Saint-Gaudens, University Press of New England, Hanover, NH, 1982. Taxay, Don, The U.S. Mint and Coinage, Arco Publishing Co. Inc., New York, 1966. Vermeule, Cornelius, Numismatic Art in America, The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, 1971.

legal tender: money or currency that is backed by a government – used for exchange

loupe: a magnifying glass – helps for grading coins

luster: the amount and strength of light reflected from the surface of a coin

Matte Proof: experimental proof coin that has sandblasted or acid-treated surfaces

mint: Coins are struck in facilities called “mints.” There are private and governmental mints. Only mints run by governments produce legal tender coins.

mintage: The number of a specific type of coin produced at a mint in a specific year. For example, in 2001, there were 500,000 commemorative buffalo dollars minted of various styles (Proof, uncirculated, etc.)

mint mark: a small letter or mark on a coin that identifies the mint at which the coin was made. In the US, these are typically: W – WestPoint; P (or no mintmark) – Philadelphia; S – San Francisco; D – Denver; CC – Carson City (older coins); O – New Orleans.

mint set: complete set of coins produced by the mint in a specific year, typically contains all circulating coins, but not special issues or commemoratives..

mint state: “MS” coins that do not circulate and therefore have no signs of wear are considered “Mint State”. The abbreviation “MS” is used to demote this. These coins are also known as brilliant uncirculated (BU) or even just, uncirculated. These coins are graded on a scale from MS 60 to MS 70, MS 70 being considered “Perfect.”

motto: Many coins contain phrases or words that are an important principle of the country that mints them. “In God We Trust” is an example of a U.S. motto.

Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC): coin grading service that encapsulates and grades coins so you can be assured of the quality of the coin. NGC is considered a leader in coin grading.

numismatics: the study or collection of coins, currency, tokens, and even medals

obverse: The front of a coin, typically contains a bust or picture of a person, but this is not required.

Off center: coins that are struck “off center” by the press. These coins can be slightly off center, in which case you will see one side of the coin has a larger border than the other. Coins that are struck significantly off center will be missing part of the design, since planchet will have been missed by the die.

original roll: coins stored in rolls with distinct quantities, typically wrapped in paper or stored in a tube at the time of minting.

overstrike: a coin that has been struck again over the previous strike.

pattern: an experimental coin from a mint, typically minted to test a new design, or concept, or potentially to test new manufacturing processes.

Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS): coin grading service. PCGS is a coin grading service that encapsulates and grades coins so you can be assured of the quality of the coin. It is considered a leader in coin grading.

PL: “Prooflike” is a term used for uncirculated coins with mirror-like fields.

planchet: flat piece of metal on which a coin’s image is struck. The planchets are typically prepared for coin striking in a specific process by the mint.

PQ: “Premium Quality” applies to coins on the high end of a grade.

PR: “Proof” is a term used to describe a coin minted from highly polished planchets and dies resulting in a well-struck coin with highly reflective fields. Typically these coins are struck twice to ensure a deeper more full strike, and they are closely inspected before release from the mint. Many proof coins have frosted devices resulting in a cameo appearance.

prooflike: “Prooflike” is a term used for uncirculated coins with mirror-like fields.

proof set: a complete set of proof coins of each denomination produced by a mint

PVC: “Polyvinyl Chloride” is a chemical used in coin flips and protective sheets. PVC can damage coins, search for archival storage holders instead.

Raw coin: a coin that has not been graded or “slabbed” by a grading service.

RD: “Red” a term applied to a copper coin that has maintained 95% or more of its original color

relief: when a coin’s design is raised above the surface (opposite of incuse).

replica: a reproduction of a coin, typically does not have much numismatic value.

restrike: coins that are minted using the original dies from a previous strike, but the minting is done in a different year.

reverse: back side of a coin (“tails”)

rim: circular raised area around the edges of the coin.

series: collection of coins containing all mint marks and dates for a specific value and design.

Sheldon Scale: grading system (from 1 through 70) that was codified by Dr. William Sheldon. This scale is used today for grading the quality of many coins.

slab: a slab is an archival plastic holder used for encapsulating coins, they are issued by grading services for coins that can be graded and assigned a numeric value. The slab has the date, grade, mintmark, issuing service name and ID, quality and any special notes such as PL for “ProofLike.”

slider: a coin that is graded AU but looks good enough to be BU. May be improperly sold as BU by less than scrupulous dealers.

strike: the actual minting or stamping a coin planchet with its design; can also refer to the quality of a coin (i.e. This coin has a good, solid strike).

surface: The reverse and obverse of a coin; can also refer to the fields only.

toning: some coins acquire a colored or darker tone over time due to age and the metals oxidizing or otherwise becoming tarnished.

Type: A variation in coin design, can be in its material makeup or design (such as the steel pennies of World War II).

uncirculated: coin grade with no signs of wear, it must also have never been circulated (also considered “mint state” or “uncirculated”)

variety: coins that are variations of the original coin design are considered varieties. Alteration of the Morgan’s tail feathers are an example of a Morgan variety.

VF: “Very fine” - coins with light or moderate wear on the highest points of the design are considered VF; they still have clear features and devices. See grading references for exact details of grade.

VG: “Very good” – coins that are well worn but still have clear devices and features. See grading references for exact details of grade.

whizzing: Creating artificial luster on a coin by brushing a coin with a motorized cleaning device. This lowers the value of the coin since ht ecoin is physically damaged by the process.

XF: “Extremely Fine” coins that are lightly worn with sharp and well defined features.

]]> http://www.coinweb.com/dictionary-of-terms-used-in-numismatics-coin-collecting-j-z/feed/ 0 http://www.coinweb.com/another-record-at-june-2006-long-beach-expo-2/ http://www.coinweb.com/another-record-at-june-2006-long-beach-expo-2/#comments Sun, 07 Jun 2009 10:37:34 +0000 coin-news http://www.coinweb.com/?p=5838 (Long Beach, CA) – Opening day of the June 1 – 3, 2006 Long Beach Coin, Stamp & Collectibles Expo set a record for first-day attendance at the three-times-a-year California show.

Opening day attracted 2,883 members of the public. A total of 5,743 dealers and collectors attended the three-day show.

“One of the dealers, Jim Foster of Liberty Coin Galleries, told me that prior to the show he anticipated that the slump in gold bullion prices might affect business, but then he had the busiest opening day he’s ever experienced at a Long Beach Expo. His comment was typical of the overwhelmingly positive reaction to the attendance and the continuing, strong coin market,” said Ronald J. Gillio, Expo General Chairman.

“This is the second time in a year we’ve set an attendance record on opening day. It appears that collectors are deliberately attending on the first day to seek out the best available material or to sell items from their collections.”

Three featured exhibits highlighted the June Lone Beach Expo.

Monaco Financial of Newport Beach, California displayed a multi-million exhibit of California Gold Rush era treasures including the finest known 1850 Baldwin & Co. “Horseman” $10 gold coin, graded NGC MS-65. Rare Coin Wholesalers of Dana Point, California displayed the finest known set of 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition (“Pan-Pac”) commemorative silver and gold coins as well as historic Pan-Pac documents. And the two finest known sets of mint state Eisenhower dollars listed in the Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) Set Registry™, including spectacularly toned specimens from the so-called “Peacock Hoard,” were exhibited by PCGS.

Approximately 90 people attended a public seminar by eBay representative, Troy Thoreson, about scanning images of coins for posting on the Internet, and nearly a dozen other educational programs and meetings were conducted during the show. A children’s treasure hunt was held on Saturday, and a gold coin door prize was given away each day.

Heritage Auction Galleries (www.HeritageGalleries.com) of Dallas, Texas conducted a $17.8 million sale of coins and bank notes, and George F. Kolbe Fine Numismatic Books of Crestline, California conducted auctions of books and manuscripts in conjunction with the show.

The Long Beach Expo features rare coins, paper money, postage stamps, postcards, autographs, historical documents, antiques and estate jewelry.

The next show will be held Thursday through Saturday, September 14 – 16, 2006, in the Long Beach, California Convention Center.

For additional information about the Long Beach Coin, Stamp & Collectibles Expo, contact Expos Unlimited, 1103 State St., Santa Barbara, CA 93101. Web: www.LongBeachShow.com. Phone: (805) 962-9939.

Expos General Chairman, Ronald J. Gillio, and his Santa Barbara-based tradeshow team will continue to manage the Northern and Southern California collectibles shows for at least five years. There are three annual Long Beach events and two annual Santa Clara shows that each attracts thousands of collectors and dealers.

Collectors Universe is the parent company of Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) and other corporate divisions that certify stamps, sports-related items, autographs and diamonds.

“Our strategic acquisition of Expos underscores our mission to enable and facilitate transactions in our targeted collectibles markets. The Long Beach Expo is one of the most important shows in the coin business, and this acquisition secures this venue for the future,” said David Hall, President of Collectors Universe.

“The Long Beach show is an institution in the coin market. I went to my first coin show in 1966, and it was the Long Beach show! With this acquisition, we help secure this important coin market venue for future collectors and dealers,” Hall explained.

“The Long Beach Expo has been one of the most important collectibles shows in the world for over 40 years, and it is the only private, for-profit large convention of its kind. By acquiring Expos Unlimited, we believe we can both build on the success of this show in the coin business and also expand and add other collectibles categories, such as stamps and sports.”

Collectors Universe paid $2.4 million in cash at closing for Expos Unlimited. The total consideration for Expos also includes certain contingent payments up to an aggregate of $750,000 which depend on the financial performance of Expos over the next five years.

“I’m excited for Expos to become a Collectors Universe company,” said Gillio.

“I’ve known CEO Michael Haynes and Collectors Universe co-founders, David Hall and Van Simmons, for many years. PCGS’s participation at the shows as a table holder, numismatic consultant and on-site grader, has significantly contributed to the success of our shows. PCGS was the first corporate sponsor of the Long Beach show in 1996, and the list of sponsors has grown to include such outstanding companies as eBay,” said Gillio.

“By teaming up with Collectors Universe, we foresee additional opportunities to make the Long Beach and Santa Clara Expos even more vital to the collecting interests of our core coin and stamp enthusiasts and dealers. In addition, we plan to explore the possibilities for leveraging Collectors’ deep relationships and expertise in other high-value asset classes, such as autographs and sports memorabilia, to create new and exciting exhibition opportunities for our venues.”

Heritage Auction Galleries, Dallas, Texas, is the official numismatic auctioneer for the Long Beach Expos, and Superior Galleries, Beverly Hills, California, is the official numismatic auctioneer for the Santa Clara Expo.

The next Long Beach Coin, Stamp & Collectibles Expo will be held September 14 – 16, 2006 in the Long Beach, California Convention Center. The next Santa Clara Expo will be conducted November 16 – 19 in the Santa Clara Convention Center.

For additional information, contact the Expo office, 8 West Figueroa St., Santa Barbara, CA 93101. Phone: (805) 962-9939. Online at www.LongBeachShow.com and www.SantaClaraExpo.com.

Collectors Universe, Inc. is a leading provider of value added services to the high-value collectibles and diamond markets. The company authenticates and grades collectible coins, sports cards, autographs, stamps, currency and diamonds. The company also compiles and publishes authoritative information about United States and world coins, collectible sports cards and sports memorabilia, collectible stamps and diamonds. The information is accessible to collectors and dealers at the company’s web site, www.collectors.com, and is also published in print.

“This outstanding Gold Rush exhibit presented by Monaco Financial of Newport Beach, California will feature a set of eight high-grade Augustus Humbert United States Assay Office octagonal $50 gold pieces and gold bars recovered from the famous 1857 sinking of the legendary ‘Ship of Gold,’ the SS Central America, said Ronald J. Gillio, Expo General Chairman.

“I personally believe that the Central America is the most significant thing ever to happen not just to the market for ingots but to the coin market as a whole,” said Adam Crum, Vice President of Monaco Financial.

Crum and Fred Holabird of Reno, Nevada are co-authors of a new book, “Gold Ingots of the Wild West.” Copies of the book will be available for purchase at the exhibit during the September Long Beach Expo.

“Assay offices had a huge impact on the development of the American West. The bars, ingots and coins they produced were vital to the economy, so they really have tremendous historical importance,” explained Crum.

Two of the ingots to be displayed at Long Beach along with historical documents of the Gold Rush-era are a huge Justh & Hunter gold bar that weighs 754.95 ounces, and a 662.28 oz Kellogg & Humbert ingot, both recovered from the Central America in the late 1980’s.

The BEP returns to Long Beach with its exhibit of high-denomination bank notes and Treasury notes, including Series 1934 $100,000 Gold Certificates and a Series A-1976 6¼ percent $500 million Treasury Note. The BEP also is expected to display the 12-subject face plates used for printing $10,000 and $1,000 denomination San Francisco Federal Reserve District notes more than 70 years ago, as well as historic philatelic materials from its vaults including a modern printer’s proof of the famous 1918 “Inverted Jenny” 24-cent airmail stamp.

A public seminar with tips about online buying and selling of collectibles will be conducted by eBay consultant, Troy Thoreson, at Noon, Friday, September 15. Another of the dozen educational programs and meetings to be conducted during the show will feature Phil Iverson discussing, “The Group of Discovery – Lewis & Clark,” at the Long Beach Coin Club meeting at Noon on Saturday September 16.

A children’s treasure hunt will be held Saturday, and a gold coin door prize will be given away each day.

The Long Beach Expo features rare coins, paper money, postage stamps, postcards, autographs, historical documents, antiques and estate jewelry. Heritage Auction Galleries (www.HeritageGalleries.com) of Dallas, Texas will conduct a major sale of U.S. and world coins and bank notes during the show.

The public hours are Thursday and Friday, September 14 and 15, 2006, from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., and on Saturday, September 16, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (The show is closed on Sunday.) A complete Schedule of Events can be found online at www.LongBeachShow.com.

General admission is $6 (good for all three days); $4 for members of any coin or stamp club who display a valid membership card; and $3 for seniors 65 and older. Free admission for children ages seven and younger. Discount coupons are available online at www.LongBeachShow.com.

The Long Beach Expo is a division of Collectors Universe, Inc. (NASDAQ: CLCT).

For additional information about the show, contact Expos Unlimited, 8 West Figueroa, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. Web: www.LongBeachShow.com. Phone: (805) 962-9939.

Oakland, California Mayor and former Governor, Jerry Brown, toured the bourse floor and attended a reception in his honor as part of his campaign for California Attorney General. A “thank you” reception sponsored by eBay was held for dealers to meet Helen Chang of eBay’s Coin & Stamp Category Management Team.

“eBay is an important part of collecting and an important participant at each Long Beach Expo, presenting an educational seminar about buying and selling collectibles online. It also was an honor for Gov. Brown to visit the show. He said he’s collected Indian Head and Lincoln cents and Mercury (Winged Liberty) dimes,” said Ronald J. Gillio, Expo General Chairman.

The Long Beach Expo was selected as the site for shooting pictures that will appear in the next edition of the Boy Scouts of America coin collecting merit badge book. Three Scouts from Long Beach Troop 21 were photographed at the show while looking at coins and talking to dealers.

“The U.S. Treasury Department’s poplar ‘Billion Dollar Display’ attracted many visitors, and the BEP reported it sold out of some merchandise within the first few hours of the show’s opening on Thursday morning. This reflected the popularity of so-called ‘collector’ coins and currency at the show.”

Heritage Auction Galleries of Dallas, Texas conducted a $30.4 million auction of coins and paper, and George Frederick Kolbe of Crestline, California conducted a public auction of rare numismatic books.

The Long Beach Coin Club again hosted educational exhibits. The winning entries were:

United States: First place $100 award to Andrew Woodruff for “Making The Grade” (a paper money display); and second place $75 award to Gary Beedon for an exhibit of photos and numismatic souvenirs from the recent “American Numismatic Association Member Appreciation Day.”

Foreign: First place $100 award to Mike Ontoko for “Holy Cow! The Story of an Odd Mintmark,” and the second place $75 award was given to Roy Iwata for “The Phrygian Cap – Liberty Cap.”

The next Long Beach Expo will be held February 15 – 17, 2007. The show is managed by Expos Unlimited, a division of Collectors Universe, Inc. (NASDAQ: CLCT).

For additional information, contact Expos Unlimited, 805 W. Figueroa St., Santa Barbara, CA 93101. Phone: (805) 962-9939. E-mail: LBExpo@ExposUnlimited.com. Online: www.LongBeachShow.com.

Stack’s of New York City will exhibit a unique set of coin-containing gold jewelry created for the 1900 Exposition Universelle Internationale in Paris by the famed French goldsmith-jeweler family, Froment-Meurice. Valued today by Stack’s at $500,000, there are 33 ancient Greek and Roman gold coins in the elaborate ensemble that includes two ornate necklaces, a bracelet, earrings, a brooch and gold hairpins.

Monaco Rare Coin of Newport Beach, California will mark the 100th anniversary of acclaimed designs by Augustus Saint-Gaudens with an exhibit of 1907-dated coins insured for $5 million. The display includes the unique satin proof, rolled edge Indian Head $10 gold piece, graded NGC Proof-67, that is featured in the recent book, 100 Greatest United States Coins.

The display also includes a high relief Saint-Gaudens $20, graded NGC Proof-67.

“These exhibits will attract attention,” said Ronald J. Gillio, Expo General Chairman.

“The coin jewelry is a19th century masterpiece; a remarkable collection of hand-wrought gold jewelry with nearly three dozen ancient Greek and Roman coins held in place by prongs. It was a highlight of the jewelry exhibit by the House of Froment-Meurice at the 1900 exposition in Paris.”

“The Saint-Gaudens exhibit will showcase some of the America’s most beautiful coins as well as historical documents and other items related to Saint-Gaudens and President Theodore Roosevelt who commissioned the renowned sculptor to make new designs for U.S coins,” said Gillio.

A dozen educational seminars and club meetings will be conducted in conjunction with the Long Beach Expo including a presentation by eBay consultant, Troy Thoreson, at Noon on Friday, February 16.

A children’s treasure hunt will be held on Saturday, February 17, and a gold coin door prize will be given away each day. Visitors to the Saint-Gaudens exhibit can obtain a free copy of the book, An Insider’s Guide to Collecting Type I Double Eagles, co-authored by Adam Crum and Douglas Winter.

The Long Beach Expo features rare coins, paper money, postage stamps, postcards, autographs, historical documents, antiques and estate jewelry. Heritage Auction Galleries (www.HeritageGalleries.com) of Dallas, Texas will conduct a major sale of U.S. and world coins and bank notes during the show.

Stack’s will display selected highlights from the famous Ford-Boyd colonial paper currency collection to be offered in Baltimore in March.

The public hours are Thursday and Friday, February 15 and 16, 2007, from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., and on Saturday, February 17, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (The show is closed on Sunday.) A complete Schedule of Events can be found online at www.LongBeachShow.com.

General admission is $6 (good for all three days); $4 for members of any coin or stamp club who display a valid membership card; and $3 for seniors 65 and older. Free admission for children ages seven and younger. Discount coupons are available online at www.LongBeachShow.com.

The Long Beach Expo is a division of Collectors Universe, Inc. (NASDAQ: CLCT).

“In addition to our previously planned special exhibits, several dealers had the new coins available on opening day, February 15, the same day as the Mint’s coin launching activities in other cities. We notified the local news media, and they responded. We had one of the biggest Saturday attendance days in years, with a three-day total attendance of 5,181 collectors and dealers,” said Ronald J. Gillio. Expo General Chairman.

The two featured numismatic exhibits at the February show had a combined value of over $5 million. Stack’s of New York City exhibited a unique set of coin-containing gold jewelry created for the 1900 Exposition Universelle Internationale in Paris. There are 33 ancient Greek and Roman gold coins in the elaborate jewelry ensemble.

To mark the 100th anniversary of the designs by acclaimed sculptor, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Monaco Rare Coin of Newport Beach, California exhibited six 1907-dated gold coins. The display included the unique satin proof, rolled edge Indian Head $10 gold piece, graded NGC Proof-67, and a high relief Saint-Gaudens $20, graded NGC Proof-67.

The coin and bank note auction conducted at the show by Heritage Auction Galleries of Dallas, Texas realized $12,508,728 in winning bids. A philatelic auction was conducted by Nutmeg Stamp Sales of Danbury, Connecticut.

A dozen educational seminars and club meetings were conducted in conjunction with the Long Beach Expo including presentations for collectors and dealers by eBay consultant, Troy Thoreson. A children’s treasure hunt was held, and a gold coin door prize was given away each day to lucky visitors.

The next Long Beach Coin, Stamp & Collectibles Expo will be held May 31 – June 2, 2007. The Long Beach Expo is a division of Collectors Universe, Inc. (NASDAQ: CLCT).