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VIP Chinese dealers and some PCGS employees arrive at the Long Beach Expo on June 4, 2014.

Chinese Rare Coin Experts Assist Collectors At Long Beach Expo With Prediction Chinese Coin Market Will Soon Surpass U.S. Market

(Long Beach, California) — More than two dozen of the top rare coin experts from mainland China and Hong Kong attended the Long Beach Coin, Currency, Stamp & Sports Collectible Expo (www.LongBeachExpo.com) for the first time, June 5 – 7, 2014. The response was enthusiastically positive from the dealers, collectors and the public who brought their Chinese coins to the show for free appraisals, according to Long Beach Expo officials.
“The visit was a sign of the huge activity and soaring prices in the emerging Chinese coin market and emphasized the importance of having coins certified for authenticity and grade. The opportunity for collectors and the public to have their Chinese coins appraised by experts led to lines of visitors during the daily ‘Meet The Expert’ appraisal sessions,” said Ms. Cassi East, President of the Long Beach Expo.
Mr. Don Willis, President of Professional Coin Grading Service (www.PCGS.com) stated: “Stories in Los Angeles area Chinese language news media about the visit prompted many local collectors and the public to bring their coins to the show for free appraisals from these respected dealers. Some of the collectors learned their coins were counterfeits, and then realized why it is essential to buy certified coins.”
Mr. Willis continued: “Collectors in Asia now are appreciating what collectors in the United States have known for decades: PCGS certification provides peace of mind when you buy, protection for the coins while you own them and liquidity when you want to sell them.”
There were educational seminars during the show about the Chinese coin market and grading Chinese coins.
Eager collectors and the public brought Chinese coins to Long Beach for free, expert appraisals. Assisting at this session were PCGS Co-Founder Mr. David Hall (seated left) and Ms. Zuo Jinghua, Managing Director of Beijing ChengXuan Auctions Co., Ltd. (seated on the right).
Researcher and author Mr. Keqin Sun of Coin001.com believes the Chinese coin market will soon surpass the U.S. market.
Mr. Keqin Sun, author of the Standard Catalog of Chinese Modern Circulating Coins and owner of Coin001.com, said that as the Chinese coin market matures and more numismatic research is published, “I believe that soon, China will surpass the U.S. coin market.”

In addition to Mr. Sun, other dealers from mainland China and Hong Kong who attended the June 2014 Long Beach Expo included: Ms. Zuo Jingua, General Manager, Chenxuan Auction, Beijing; and Mr. Chen Haomin, Chairman, Coin in Coin, Guangzhou; and Mr. Nirat Lertchitvikul, Director of Asian Operations, Stacks Bowers, Hong Kong.

The 12th Chief Engraver of the United States Mint, Mr. John Mercanti, and 2014 Baseball Hall of Fame commemorative coins designer, Ms. Cassie McFarland, also attended the show each day to meet with collectors and dealers.
Heritage Auctions (www.HA.com), official auctioneer of the Long Beach Expo, conducted a rare coin auction that generated US$16.9 million in winning bids. Heritage also displayed more than US$1 million of rare 19th and early 20th century Chinese gold and silver coins that will be in a future auction.
The next Long Beach Coin, Currency, Stamp & Sports Collectible Expo will be conducted September 4 – 6, 2014. For additional information, visit online at www.LongBeachExpo.com.
Mr. Chen Haomin, Chairman of Coin in Coin, Guangzhou, China and General Manager of the Guangzhou PCGS Submission Center, holds a PCGS-certified 1996 China Unicorn 1 kilo gold coin during an interview with a Los Angeles television station during the June 2014 Long Beach Expo.