Alas, I will be missing the June Long Beach Show as I'm off to Colorado Springs to co-instruct, for the 11th time, the Advanced U.S. Coin grading class.  My partners will be Jeff Garrett (his third year) and Ken Park who returns for the 4th time.  The class is something near and dear to my heart as I was invited to teach by my late friend Charlie Browne, who had taught the class for over a decade before inviting me to join himself and Bill Shamhart who essentially founded the class.  
     It's an intense 4-days of grading, discussing and sometimes debating the elements of coin grading.  Our class focuses on the upper-end of the grading scale, essentially AU-58 to MS-69, which is where all the money lies in numismatics.  It's great fun for me and very rewarding, as several of our students go on to work for major firms and a few become graders at PCGS & NGC.  Very much looking forward to this year's class as the industry is on the verge of yet another transformative period with the introduction of CAC as a 3rd party grading service. 
     The ANA offers only a single class for the Advanced students, while there are two each of Grading I & 2.  They require completion of those classes before enrolling in Advanced or instructor exemption based on experience in the field.  You can read all the information on the Summer Seminar at Coin Collecting & Numismatics | American Numismatic Association (money.org). 

     I'm looking forward to the Central States show and the first one I've attended in several years.  We've all been disrupted by covid and perhaps we'll never be the same again as a society, while there was no shortage of effects on the numismatic world.  
     However, this show promises to break the mold and erase some of the creeping morass that many of us have observed at the typical major convention.  We are also buoyed by a robust bullion market, which at this writing has gold at $2021 and silver at $24.90.  It should be a great event for all who attend.   My table is #1503 during the show.
     Among the doings will be the National Silver Dollar Roundtable (NSDR) banquet at Morton's Steakhouse on Thursday evening, April 27.  The NSDR was founded in 1982 and is composed of enthusiastic and accomplished silver dollar collectors and dealers, with most being Life Members.  All members are invited to attend and those life members are entitled to a gratis great dinner at Morton's. If you're not a member, you should be!!  Check out the NSDR website at www.NSDR.net  or www.NSDR.org.  
     If you're interested in joining or you need tickets to the banquet, please contact NSDR Secretary, Diana Wuller at 618-316-4110 or [email protected]. Seating is limited and it's always been a sell-out! Diana will be at table #808, Arrowhead Coin & Jewelry.

     At last October's Long Beach Expo, I was honored to be interviewed for the "Slab Lab" series.  As a confirmed "old-timer," it was fun reminiscing about my career in numismatics.  The session went so long, that they broke it into two parts, so here's the link to Part I.  I hope you will enjoy it!    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwUCjg_qDEE 

     Well, this time I actually DID attend the Long Beach Show September 28 to October 1, but failed to post a notice!  It was good to return after a 2-and-a-half-year absence and meet up with old friends.  After the June 2023 show, I will again be traveling to Colorado Springs to instruct the ANA Advanced Grading and Problem Coin class, again with Jeff Garrett and we'll be welcoming Ken Park back giving us 3 instructors which is optimal for the class size.  Ken is a world class grader who has worked at PCGS for many years.  

     After a two-year Covid hiatus, the ANA resumed their Summer Seminar in June and I was thrilled to be able to return as an instructor in the Advanced Grading and Problem Coins course for the 10th time!!   It was also a privilege to share the event with Jeff Garrett for the second time.  Jeff is the senior editor of the "Guide Book of United States Coins," otherwise known as "The Redbook." since its first publishing in 1947.   Together we were able to hold the attention of 18 enthusiastic students and our reviews came back extremely positive.  As a side note, we also shared an evening of dinner and discussion with Ken Bressett, who is Editor Emeritus of the Redbook and at age 93, is still very active and has a world of stories in his repertoire.   I'm looking forward to next year already!

     It's certainly been a challenging couple of years for the entire world, but after a two year "hiatus," I will be returning to the Long Beach show on February 16-19.  This time my table number is 820 and we are in Hall C, rather than the traditional Hall A.  
     I'm looking forward to seeing old friends and clients once again!   My trip to Southern California will include several stops along the way performing a couple of appraisals and other services, so inventory-wise, this show will be sparse or non-existent.  This is an excellent opportunity for you to stop by and potentially obtain valuations for any numismatic material you might have, time permitting.  I will always do my best to accommodate any request, but quite often at a busy convention, extensive appraisals are just not feasible.  For those, we can certainly set up an appointment at a mutually convenient time and location.  
     Again, looking forward to reuniting with the coin world!!  See you then!

      Here we are in 2020 at the famous Long Beach Coin Show.  If you're visiting, stop by table 934 and say Hi.  The show ends on Saturday, but I will be leaving that morning.  If you have a few coins you'd like to get appraised, mention that you read this message and there will be no charge, time permitting on the bourse floor. 
       The metals are showing strength with promises to stimulate business.  It remains to be seen if the momentum continues.  Our next scheduled show will be Central States in Schaumburg, Illinois in April.  Standby for details and a show report.  

     The New Year kicks off as usual with the Florida United Numismatists (FUN) convention in Orlando, Florida.  Dates for public attendance are Thursday January 9 through Sunday January 12.  If you're planning on attending, please stop by my TABLE 529.  I will be arriving Tuesday afternoon and can be reached by phone at 818-632-2352.
     As I write the metals are in a mini bull-market with gold closing Friday at $1552.30 and silver at $18.01.  This is apparently due to the instability in the Middle-East and the rise of tensions between Iran and West.  Let's hope this doesn't escalate into serious levels. 
     What this means for the rare coin market remains to be seen.  Opinions vary greatly among experts as to where and what the new year holds for coins, but the one unanimous conclusion is that, as always, quality is king and even in a down market, nice coins will sell while marginal quality items are hard-pressed to find a buyer.  I hope to see you at the show and am happy to discuss your goals and challenges for the upcoming year. 

     2020, it's hard to believe!!  It's been a busy Fall and Winter for me.  Business continues brisk in terms of appraisals and my brokerage services as people continue to inherit coin collections or retire and decide it's time to sell.  This is a trend I expect to continue for the next decade and is a sign of the times.
     I had the privilege of being asked for a ninth time to contribute to the "Rosen Numismatic Advisory" and the "Crystal Ball Survey" wherein a half-dozen of us prognosticate on what the year ahead holds for the rare coin marketplace. The other contributors were John Albanese, David Hall, Warren Mills, Laura Sperber and Scott Travers.  If you'd like to read the results contact [email protected] or 516-433-5800.  I think you'll find the opinions lively and thought-provoking.
     I continue in my role as Treasurer of the National Silver Dollar Roundtable (NSDR) and we are consumed with the upcoming annual Banquet to held at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse in Orlando, Florida on January 10 in conjunction with the F.U.N. show.  I am also on the board of the Professional Numismatists Guild (PNG) and concurrently the Anti-Counterfeiting Educational Foundation (ACEF) which oversees the Anti-Counterfeiting Task Force (ACTF) spear-headed by Doug Davis.  If you aren't aware of the incredible strides that have been achieved since its founding back in 2016, I urge you to go to www.acefonline.org and look into the issue of counterfeiting which threatens our hobby, industry and economy.  Targets for these criminals not only include coins, but bullion and certified holders.  The combat efforts include law enforcement on national and local levels along with federal agencies, a network of expert dealers along with both major grading services.  Once you see the seriousness of the situation, I hope will consider donating to the foundation as we are ALL threatened with this menace which comes mainly from overseas entities. You can call directly to ACEF at 951-587-8300 or email to: [email protected] . 
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     As I write, we have the precious metals looking strong with gold in particular,  up 20% on the year at $1527 per ounce. Even though we still have a physical glut of gold coins on the market, the promise of gold continuing to rise adds energy to the overall market.
     This past June, I taught the "Advanced Grading and Problem Coins" class at the ANA Summer Seminar in Colorado Springs for the ninth year in a row.  This year, I had a new crew with me and it promises to continue to be one of the most in-demand courses at the Seminar. Esteemed numismatist Jeff Garrett is now co-instructing along with numismatic prodigy, Maxwell Gregory and we are looking forward to next year's class already!  
     Currently I'm in Long Beach for yet another convention beginning tomorrow.  It will be a good one with gold continuing to rise (today 9/3 close was $1546.70), however with all the bad weather on the East Coast the boost ia likely to be mitigated.  
​     If you're coming to Long Beach for this one, be sure to stop by table 934 and say "Hi." 


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