COIN MARKET INSIDER • VOLUME 33 • ISSUE 22

Major Event in The Rare Coin Market

The global rare coin market is very active right now, with outstanding auction results for top-end rarities and lesser-known, lower-priced coins as well. With major numismatic conventions coming up in the weeks and months to come, we expect even greater things ahead.

‘Ship of Gold’ to Highlight Long Beach Expo

The show hosts shipwreck gold coins and ingots from the Gold Rush-era S.S. Central America.

The Long Beach Expo opens its doors June 22 with the long-awaited “Ship of Gold” exhibit that has drawn thousands in years past.

As the largest and oldest collectibles show on the West Coast, the Long Beach Expo will lure thousands of collectors who specialize in coins, bank notes, stamps, sports memorabilia, and more from June 22 through June 24.

To mark the 35th anniversary of the historic 1988 discovery of “The Greatest Treasure Ever Found,” the exhibit will begin a nationwide educational tour with its first port-of-call at the Long Beach Expo.

The display of recovered California Gold Rush treasures from the 1857 sinking of the fabled S.S. Central America will feature gold coins, assayer’s ingots, gold nuggets, and gold dust.

There will also be a bank treasure shipment box, items from the ship, and recovered passengers’ artifacts including 166-year-old Cuban cigars and the world’s most valuable jeans… gold prospector’s heavy-duty work pants that sold at auction for $114,000 this past December.

“Many of the artifacts in the updated display have not previously been publicly exhibited,” said Adam Crum, president of Finest Known in Torrance, Calif. “But we also will have the return of the mammoth ‘Eureka Bar’ which is considered by many to be a priceless national treasure.

“The centerpiece and highlight of the exhibit, the assayer’s ingot nicknamed Eureka is the single largest gold artifact in existence from the California Gold Rush and the most famous and desirable artifact from what Life magazine called ‘The Greatest Treasure Ever Found.’ After its upcoming first public viewing in over 20 years, it will be toured around the globe in a Treasures From The Deep exhibit,” he said.

“The Eureka Bar weighs 933.94 troy ounces. The ingot’s value in 1857 was stamped by San Francisco assayers Kellogg & Humbert as $17,433.57, but today it’s insured for $10 million,” explained Crum.

The Ship of Gold touring exhibit is being organized by Finest Known, Argos Gold Group, and National Treasures I, LLC. The exhibit is housed in a 40-foot-long recreation of the famous ship’s hull.