We approached the Long Beach Show and surrounding auctions with guarded optimism. We knew there were lots of neat coins in the auctions, and that dealers were having some cash flow problems. Plus, since the FUN Show in the beginning of January, collectors were buying, but seemed skittish.
Much to our surprise, the auctions produced dizzying record levels, while the show itself was remarkably strong. According to show officials, Thursday (which is usually the day the serious collectors show up) set a record for attendance. Even Saturday up until we left, we were selling strong four figure Type coins to new customers. If you had asked us before the show started, we never would have predicted the outcome.

Superior and the Goldbergs had some serious sales. These were great for gauging the market. Nice, fresh, high end coins went for prices that make published bids seems like cents of the dollar. Here are some highlights and comments:
GOLDBERG:
LOT
1118 CENT 1880 PCGS PR67RD $5,060.00 Any PR67RD is now a $4,000.00+ coin.
1318 CENT 1903 PCGS MS65RD $1,897.50 A lock MS67RD. The dealers found $$ for this beauty!
1353 CENT 1909S VDB PCGS MS66RD $5,750.00 Sold to dealer! Not upgradable, just nice.
1428 CENT 1928S PCGS MS65RD. $12,075.00 Should be MS66RD. Still too much!
1536 H. DIME 1794 PCGS MS62. $9,775.00 Sold for more than MS63 money!
1649 QUARTER 1898 PCGS PR66 $3,105.00 Shot PR67.
1761 HALF 1870 PCGS PR64 $1,380.00 Pretty original colors.
1808 HALF 1919D PCGS MS63 $11,500.00 Shot MS64.
1968 STD. $1 1870 PCGS MS64 $9,775.00 Hard to find these nice.
2072 MORGAN 85CC PCGS MS67 $4,945.00 Sold to a dealer. Prices are firm.

SUPERIOR:
4047 CENT 1871 PCGS PR65RD $3,335.00 Should have bought it! Only one PR66RD.
4085 CENT 1884 PCGS PR67RD $3,795.00 Backs up how much these are worth. Average quality.
4173 CENT 1917S PCGS MS65RD $6,325.00 The CDN should take notice!
4287 HALF 1893 PCGS PR66 $6,325.00 Beautifully cameoed. Everyone loved it.
4427 HALF 1900 NGC PR67UC $13,225.00 Everyone bid on it! UC's like this are in demand!
4484 HALF 1857 PCGS PR63 $4,370.00 Still cheap for its rarity.
5428 20C 1875S PCGS MS65 $4,370.00 Hard to find GEMMY white like this.
5445 QUARTER 1874 W/A PCGS PR65 $6,325.00 Even marginal coins went strong.
5466 QUARTER 1903 PCGS PR67 $7,475.00 More proof why you should buy quality!
5598 BUST $1 1797 PCGS AU55 $13,225.00 Bust $1 are still where its at!

Plus, there was a sale by Heritage that went as strong these sales did. But it was the "secret" auctions that blew these sales out of the water. Two really cool sales were held. One was a private collection of AU-MS certified Bust Dollars. Some of the prices realized included:
$1 1795 FH 3 LVS PCGS AU58 $23,000.00
$1 1798 10 ARROWS PCGS AU58 $8,000.00 (flipped immediately for much more).
$1 1799/8 PCGS MS63 $41,000.00
$1 1803 PCGS AU58 $14,500.00.
We thought for sure the Bust Dollar market had run its course and would slow down. Not only did this group prove us totally wrong, we sold EVERY Bust Dollar we had at the show. Demand is just as ferocious as ever for these coins!
Don't know the exact prices the Morgans sold for. But we can say NOT A SINGLE COIN SOLD ANYWHERE NEAR BID! In fact, most coins like PR64's sold for close to $3,000.00, while PR65's sold for around $5,000.00.
Forgot to mention, that through all this, the services were being stupid tight again. This was counter balanced by the fact new coins hit the market because of the strong prices being realized at auctions. To sum up, Long Beach was unexpectedly incredibly successful. Even with the stock market gyrating, demand for nice, fresh, and rare coins remains strong. The prices realized are proof. NOTE: We have two major shows coming up. ANA Mid Winter 3/8 which we expect to be slow (a lot of dealers are boycotting the show because it's in a semi-remote location, and a huge show is the week after). Then there is Baltimore 3/19. That will be a GREAT show! Expect things to keep humming along....