FUN Show Delights Dealers, Harriet Tubman commemoratives, and more

Several dealers proclaimed it was the best show they had ever attended. At least one dealer remarked he wished the show was held three times a year rather than once. Someone else commented that if all shows performed this way he could take most of the year off from work. The early January Florida United Numismatists convention may kick off the new calendar year, but it is also generally viewed as a barometer and indicator of how the market will perform. This time, comments indicated FUN was, in general, considered to be one of the best coin shows in memory. It set a high bar for the year, but attendance and buying habits also suggested coin collecting is even more popular than it has been considered to be. The FUN show is important, but it isn’t the only thing fueling the market right now.

The US Mint recently announced that although it produced 185,000 sets, it was nearly sold out of its Uncirculated 2023 Mint Sets. It will be interesting to see how the secondary market for these sets performs, given that this is the lowest number issued since 1958. The same mint report indicated that 114 other products outperformed their previous sales. The recent release of the Harriet Tubman commemorative $5 gold, $1 silver, and clad half-dollar coins is more good news for coin collecting. The commemoratives gained significant publicity in both the numismatic and the general press, which is a big plus for the future expansion of the hobby.