60 Years of the Long Beach Expo

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The “Pawn Stars” casting crew is coming to the Long Beach Expo!

“Pawn Stars” Casting Team, United States Mint And Chinese Dealers At June 2014 Long Beach Expo

(Long Beach, California) — In addition to the usual “Meet the Expert” opportunities for the public to have their coins personally examined by PCGS Co-Founder David Hall, visitors to the June 2014 Long Beach Coin, Currency, Stamp & Sports Collectible Expo will have a chance to show their interesting collectibles and historic artifacts to representatives from Leftfield Pictures, the company that produces the History Channel program, “Pawn Stars.”
There also will be daily “Meet the Chinese Coin Expert” sessions with top dealers from mainland China and Hong Kong.
The three-day Long Beach Expo will be held in the Long Beach, California Convention Center, 100 S. Pine Ave., Thursday, June 5, to Saturday, June 7. Admission is free for visitors who register in advance online at www.LongBeachExpo.com and use the “Get Passes” Promo Code PAWNSTARS.
A “Pawn Stars” item information sheet also is online at www.LongBeachExpo.com and it should be filled out before bringing items to the casting event.
“Casting representatives from Leftfield Pictures, the company that produces the popular show about the colorful world of the pawn business, will be at the Long Beach Expo from 11 am to 2 pm on Friday and Saturday, June 6 and 7, to talk with visitors about vintage items they might want to consign or sell at the famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop in Las Vegas,” said Expo President Cassi East.
“Sellers of all types of historical items are encouraged to come meet the casting director and producer. This will be an exciting opportunity for anyone to bring in items for evaluation and for a possible appearance on a future ‘Pawn Stars’ episode,” emphasized East.
Additional attractions at the upcoming June Long Beach Expo include the United States Mint displaying and selling its latest products, and 20 PCGS-Authorized Dealers from mainland China will be attending the show to buy and sell.
There also will be appearances each day by former United States Mint Chief Engraver John Mercanti and Baseball Hall of Fame coin designer Cassie McFarland.
“The United States Mint will have a special display about the popular, new 2014 Baseball Hall of Fame commemorative coins. McFarland won a nationwide competition with her baseball glove design for the common obverse of the gold, silver and clad Hall of Fame coins,” explained East.
Mercanti served as the Mint’s 12th Chief Engraver and created over 100 U.S. coin and medal designs, more than any employee in Mint history. The designs include the 1984 Olympic $10 gold coin, the 1986 Statue of Liberty dollar and the reverse of the American Eagle silver bullion coins. Mercanti also is co-author with PCGS Vice President Miles Standish of a new book, American Silver Eagles: A Guide to the U.S. Bullion Coin Program.
The common obverse of the 2014 Baseball Hall of Fame coins designed by Cassie McFarland. (Photo by PCGS.)
Mercanti will conduct three public seminars, one each day at 1 pm in Room 102-B. The topics are: Thursday, “Development of the Ultra High Relief Gold Coin;” Friday, “Creation of the Australian Wedge Tailed Eagle Artwork;” and Saturday, “Audrey Munson the Queen of Manhattan.”
“We’re launching impressive new initiatives and working hard on must-see special attractions to make the Long Beach Expo a must-attend event for collectors, dealers and the general public,” emphasized East
“With all of the excitement, tremendous activity, and soaring prices in the emerging Chinese coin market, as part of our celebration this year of the 50th anniversary of the Long Beach Expo, the upcoming show will feature a focus on the Chinese numismatic market. Twenty dealers from China, including some of the most prominent in the Chinese rare coin market, will be at the show,” said East.
Visitors can have their Chinese coins appraised free at “Meet the Chinese Coin Expert” sessions (at booth #1249) on Thursday and Friday, June 5 and 6, from 3:00 to 5:00 pm, and on Saturday, June 7, from noon to 2:00 pm.
John Mercanti designed over 100 U.S. coins and medals including the reverse of the silver American Eagle bullion coins. (Photo by PCGS.)
To meet the increasing demand for certified coins in Asia, PCGS has opened coin submission centers (www.PCGSAsia.com) in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou, and has a network of more than 90 PCGS Authorized Dealers in mainland China.
There will be two educational seminars at the upcoming Long Beach Expo to provide collectors, dealers and the general public an opportunity to learn about the growing numismatic marketplace in mainland China. Both sessions will be in Room 102-A of the Long Beach Convention Center, and admission to the seminars is free.
PCGS Set Registry Manager BJ Searls will present “An Introduction to the PCGS Chinese Set Registry” on Friday, June 6, from 11 am to noon.
The second China-related numismatic seminar, “Introduction to Grading Chinese Coins,” will be presented by PCGS expert Mike Sherman on Saturday from 10:00 am to noon and it will be open to the public.
There will be additional educational seminars and club meetings, and special coin and stamp collecting activities for children on Saturday. Information about the upcoming show’s special attractions is online at www.longbeachexpo.com/visitors/attractions.
Heritage Auctions (www.HA.com), the official auctioneer of the Long Beach Expo, will conduct a U.S. Coins Signature® Auction in conjunction with the show.
Heritage also will feature (at booth #400) a multimillion dollar display of vintage Chinese coins and other Asian highlights from the upcoming Platinum Night Auction at the Chicago ANA World’s Fair of Money on August 9. Items will include over 20 Chinese vintage issues in gold, including a 1916 $1 Pattern by L Giorgi and many silver highlights, including an 1867 Shanghai Tael (Hong Kong).
Many of the more than 500 collectibles dealers attending the show will offer free, informal appraisals for the public’s coins, bank notes, stamps, sports memorabilia, estate jewelry and other items. However, the “Pawn Stars” casting team will not be doing appraisals, only evaluating items to see if they are appropriate to appear on the show.
“The Pawn Stars are always on the lookout for sellers of unique and interesting historical items. If you have a rare item that you want to sell or pawn, this could be your chance to be part of the show and eventually have Rick, Corey or ‘The Old Man’ assess your valuable items and make you an offer you can’t refuse!,” said Martin Hardy, Casting Director of “Pawn Stars.”
“If you have sports memorabilia, coins, stamps, antiques, autographed documents or collectibles that you want to sell, then we want to meet you in Long Beach,” Hardy stated.
Admission is $8 for adults, $4 for seniors and children aged 8 to 16. However, free admission coupons are available in advance online. Show hours are Thursday and Friday from 10 am to 7 pm and Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm.
“Simply go to our website, www.LongBeachExpo.com, click ‘Get Passes,’ enter the special Promo Code, PAWNSTARS, and print out the coupon to present at the show’s registration desk,” said East.
For additional information about the June 5-7 show, visit online at www.LongBeachExpo.com, call the Long Beach Expo at (888) 743-9316 or email at [email protected].