2023 World’s Fair of Money
More than $100 million of historic rare coins and currency, including the first public exhibit of a $25 million collection of the United States’ most beautiful gold coins, will be…
More than $100 million of historic rare coins and currency, including the first public exhibit of a $25 million collection of the United States’ most beautiful gold coins, will be on display at the American Numismatic Association’s (ANA) World’s Fair of Money®, Aug. 8-12. The event will be held at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center located at 1000 Fort Duquesne Blvd. in downtown Pittsburgh, Pa.
The show also will feature more than 1,200 dealers and world mints buying and selling coins and currency (including attendance by the United States Mint), informative presentations from notable speakers sharing their numismatic expertise, social events and club meetings. Visitors can meet and take photos with George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Ben Franklin reenactors. Two auctions also will take place at the show, by ANA Event Auctioneer Partners Heritage Auctions and Stack’s Bowers Galleries (details on pages 78-79 of this issue).
Show highlights follow.
Baseball Kick-Off
The World’s Fair of Money® kicks off on Aug. 7 at a 6:30 p.m. event at The Rooftop at PNC Park with a Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Atlanta Braves baseball game and mixer. Attendees can take in the scenic views of the downtown Pittsburgh skyline and the Allegheny River while cheering on the local team, mingling with friends, noshing on burgers and hot dogs and enjoying the game in comfort. Tickets are $100 and include entrance to the game, transportation to and from the David L. Lawrence Convention Center and refreshments. Seats are limited. Register at info.money.org/wfm-kickoff.
Saint-Gaudens Display
The finest set of historic Saint-Gaudens double eagles will be publicly displayed at the show for the first time anywhere. The unparalleled collection, insured for $25 million, has been loaned by an anonymous owner to GreatCollections of Irvine, Calif., for the debut exhibit.
“This is the complete Elite Collection that is ranked number one in the PCGS Set Registry in the category of Saint-Gaudens $20 denomination U.S. gold basic set, circulation strikes and proofs 1907-1932,” said Ian Russell, president of GreatCollections.
“There are 61 coins – 53 business strike issues and 8 proofs – and 35 of these beautiful gold coins are either the single finest known or tied for finest. The average grade is a staggering 66.57,” explained Russell. “Some of these great Saints have been in such famous collections as Akers, Duckor, Eliasberg, Koessl and Simpson.”
While the owner of the Elite Collection has been collecting for 23 years, it was only two years ago that he set his sights on acquiring the finest complete collection of Saint-Gaudens double eagles ever.
The collection will be displayed at the GreatCollections booth, #1100, during the show. For more information, visit www.GreatCollections.com.
Tyrant Collection Display
Hundreds of historic English coins from the extensive and unprecedented Tyrant Collection will be displayed at the World’s Fair of Money®.
The 300-coin exhibit will include a rare surviving example of England’s first gold coin as well as one of the few known 1656 Cromwell 50 shillings pattern gold coins, and the only privately owned complete King Edward VIII pattern proof set produced in 1937 by the Royal Mint. It will be only the second time this set has been shown in public in the United States.
“English coins from the Tyrant Collection were displayed for the first and only time five years ago in California. However, there are many new, superb-condition additions since then, so the new name for the upcoming display is ‘Tyrants of the Thames 2.0’ to reflect the significant update,” explained Ira Goldberg, president of Goldberg Coins and Collectibles, Inc. of Los Angeles, Calif.
Goldberg is one of the numismatic professionals providing guidance in assembling the wide-ranging Tyrant Collection of superb quality, historic U.S., world and ancient coins. Described as the world’s most valuable rare coin collection in private hands, the unparalleled collection is owned by Southern California collector Dan O’Dowd.
“The finest collection of English coins outside of Great Britain -- and possibly the finest English collection in private hands anywhere – will be in the exhibit at the ANA convention,” said Goldberg. “Insured for $30 million, these are superbly preserved examples of portrait coins minted in the Thames Valley over the last 1,400 years. There is an example of every portrait coin denomination issued by English monarchs since the early 7th century.”
The exhibit will range from early Anglo-Saxon to hammered “Heavy Weight” “Light Weight” Nobles varieties to modern era coins.
For more information, visit www.TheTyrantCollection.com.
Coin of the Year Awards Ceremony
The Coin of the Year (COTY) program, a competition that recognizes outstanding coin designs worldwide, will hold its award ceremony in-person after a three-year hiatus, at 3:30 p.m. on Aug. 9 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.
Starting with 500 coins from 50 countries, 100 experts vote to determine the top 10 deserving coins in 10 specialized categories. Of these finalists, one is named the Coin of the Year. World Coin News, sister publication to Numismatic News, presents the awards for the competition, which is celebrating its 40th year.
“As we mark Coin of the Year’s 40-year milestone of honoring the best of the best in coins from around the world, we are excited to be celebrating with an in-person ceremony,” said Maggie Pahl, Numismatic News editorial director and COTY co-coordinator. “We welcome the World’s Fair of Money® as a sponsor and look forward to holding our event in conjunction with one of the world’s premier numismatics shows.”
“The COTY awards are a wonderful opportunity for coin collectors to engage their interest in the finest modern coins produced worldwide,” said Kim Kiick, executive director of the American Numismatic Association. “The ANA is thrilled to host the COTY awards at our World’s Fair of Money® in Pittsburgh ... which we see as the start of a beautiful collaboration.”
The event is free and open to the public.
Money Talks Presentations
Money Talks provide members a forum in which to share their views and research with fellow hobbyists. The numismatic lectures are presented each year at ANA conventions and are free to attend. Presentations are 30 to 45 minutes each, including questions from the audience.
This year’s presentations are Aug. 10-11 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Third-Party Grading
Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC), the official ANA grading service, will be accepting submissions for on-site grading during Dealer Day (Aug. 7) and during show hours, Aug. 8-11. (Check with table staff for cut-off time.)
Professional Coin Grading Services (PCGS) will be accepting submissions for on-site grading during Dealer Day on Aug. 7 and Aug. 8-11 with a cut-off at noon on Aug. 11. Home office submission cut-off is Aug. 12 at 1 p.m.
Security
As an added security feature for World’s Fair of Money® attendees, the ANA will have a security room available for the duration of the show. The security room will be available before and after the show as usual, but will also be in operation Aug. 8 at 9 a.m. through Aug. 12 at 4 p.m. for a $30 per day or $100 per week fee. Table-holders and exhibitors will have complimentary use of the security room; all other show attendees can pay for secure storage at the dealer registration. For more information, contact ANA Events Assistant Manager Logan Curtis at (719) 482-9849 or lcurtis@money.org.
Livestream
ANA will be livestreaming select activities and events during the convention to the ANA’s Facebook page (facebook.com/numismatics). Livestreamed events will include a tour of the GreatCollections Elite Collection of Saint-Gaudens Double Eagles, 1907-1932 exhibit, the Tyrant of the Thames 2.0 exhibit, the ribbon-cutting ceremony, historic reenactors, “Coolest Thing in Your Booth” chats with attendees and more.
Public hours for the World’s Fair of Money are Tuesday, August 8, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.; Wednesday-Friday, August 9-11, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Saturday, August 12, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The last admission of the day is 30 minutes prior to closing.
Admission is $10 for adults; children 12 and under as well as active and retired military personnel (plus up to three guests) receive complimentary admission. Admission is free for everyone on Saturday, August 12. ANA members are encouraged to pre-register to receive admission badges in advance. Member badges provide show attendees access to the bourse floor 30 minutes prior to the show opening to the public. (Those who register by July 14 will receive member credentials in the mail.) Non-member registration is on-site at the show.
For complete show details, visit www.WorldsFairOfMoney.com or call the ANA at (800) 367-9723.
