Topic: How was the Long Beach Expo (Sept. 30-Oct. 2)?

[Birdman]

Is there a forum member who attended and is willing to share his perspective?

[ChineseCoinQuest]

I went for the first half of opening day and it started off as a cluster because they moved to new location with new protocol. When I finally got in I heard repeatedly to that they “dealers” had China material but it was bought up by other dealers the day before during set up, which is really frustrating to hear. I did get kinda lucky though and was able to pick off a nice Gem 65 PCGS Memento dollar for 2k, from a dealer I noticed setting up late. Funny that it kinda made the trip worth it, I also picked up a 1912 Szechuan 50 cent PCGS V25 for $400. I did notice that by the time I left which was right around noon it seemed pretty full and I kept running into people and lots of dealers were busy. Interesting to hear from feedback from dealers that were there.

For all those panda peeps, I didn’t see any good material. Just random silver panda dates. The usual big dealers were there with some material, but no discounts.

[ChineseCoinQuest]

My prize!

[rosab2000]

a very nice memento!  An ms66 went over the table a week ago for 8000 euros on ebay Switzerland.  That's a bargain for her 65!  Congratulation.  Can you tell goldoandas something about the offer and the prices?  Did the big dealers also have key coins or pandas in good grading with them?  How was her impression.  Thank you for your report.  Very interesting.

[panda]

My prize!

Good buy! Congratulations!

[PandaCollector]

I went to the dealer setup day and looked around for modern Chinese material. Outside of North Bay Rare Coins and Nam Chong there wasn't a lot. Mish International did not attend and that removed a major player in modern coins. The single coin I saw and wanted had an asking price that was way more than I wanted to pay. There was one big, big bargain shared with me, but that was an expensive European coin! The happy buyer will easily triple his money on that one.

Attendance the first open day for the public was 2,000 by mid-afternoon and it continued strong all the way through Saturday afternoon.

I was involved in at least half a dozen discussions about the Stack's-Bowers Hong Kong auction results. Dealers were gaga over some prices. The mood among them is that Chinese coin prices, including Pandas, are going up and they are in no mood to discount current inventory.

I will write more about the event and the market in China Pricepedia, but that's the gist of it – an active show.

Best wishes,
Peter Anthony
China Pricepedia — Chinese Coin Prices and` More
The Gold & Silver Panda Coin Buyer’s Guide
Home of the Valentine Panda
PCGS Consultant
www.pandacollector.com

[Birdman]

Thank you all for the quick insights on the show, and I look forward to the more detailed discussion in Pricepedia.

[KeyDate1/2ozPandas]

I almost went to long beach but instead had someone else pick up inventory for me.  It was a great show and in retrospect, I should have gone to it.  There is so much pent-up demand for people to spend money.  There was supply that was waiting for this show to happen.  One thing I have noticed is those who attend these shows are there to do business.  I agree this is bad time to lower prices, once something is sold it will take a while to replace and even longer to it through grading.  I figure right now any coin I sell today will take me at least 6 months to replace (acquisition plus grading), so much easier to just to hold until price gets your sell price.

[Clark Smith]

It was a good show.   Hundreds of people stormed in Thursday morning.

[Birdman]

Is the next major show the F.U.N. Convention in Orlando, Florida from Jan 6-9?  Do you suspect most of the major US dealers in Chinese coins will be there?  Is that too far East for the mainland Chinese dealers to travel?  Or, were the mainland dealers even at the Long Beach Expo, or did Covid quarantine rules prevent them?  I definitely am considering going to the show to buy and sell.

[PandaCollector]

Is the next major show the F.U.N. Convention in Orlando, Florida from Jan 6-9?  Do you suspect most of the major US dealers in Chinese coins will be there?  Is that too far East for the mainland Chinese dealers to travel?  Or, were the mainland dealers even at the Long Beach Expo, or did Covid quarantine rules prevent them?  I definitely am considering going to the show to buy and sell.

Long Beach has long been considered a favorite coin show for Chinese dealers to visit, but to the best of my knowledge just one was present this time. One reason they come is that California has a large community of collectors interested in Chinese coins who buy and sell in Long Beach. Another is that Los Angeles is a direct flight from Asia. As a California numismatist I am not a regular FUN attendee (although it's an excellent show), so I have no opinion on how your plan might work out. If you are selling, I do expect that there will be USA-based dealers interested in buying any higher quality modern Chinese material.

Best wishes,
Peter Anthony
China Pricepedia — Chinese Coin Prices and` More
The Gold & Silver Panda Coin Buyer’s Guide
Home of the Valentine Panda
PCGS Consultant
www.pandacollector.com

[KeyDate1/2ozPandas]

Pre-covid the mainland dealers only visited the main ANA show and Long Beach.  They may send agents or middlemen to other shows to pick up merchandise.  I hope to make it to the winter FUN show in 2022 for the first time since 2015. 

[bonke]

I attended the winter FUN show in January of 2020 and hope to attend the show next January.  As a collector, it takes me two or more days to walk through the room once, looking at "stuff" and talking to various coin, currency and jewelry dealers.  A nice group of people.  I have never found something special for my collection at this show.  As with most shows, the coin dealers know each other from years of experience and sell to each other throughout the setup period and beyond.  At times, I hear what was available for purchase if I had been fortunate enough to be at the right location at the right time.  Still, it is a wonderful experience and I hope to attend the show in a few months.

Mark Bonke 

[Devlin]

I will be going out to the FUN show this year with coins to sell, once it gets closer perhaps I can arrange meeting up with a few of you.