Los Angeles County kept their mask requirements in place during the show, even though California dropped their mandates on Tuesday, February 15th – setup day for the Expo. This meant that anyone visiting the show was required to show proof of vaccination or a recent, negative COVID test in order to gain admittance to the show. During the show, Expo personnel made sure that everyone was wearing their mask properly. These restrictions kept some dealers from attending the show, but only a few tables were empty throughout the show. Despite the mask mandate, public attendance was high. On Thursday morning, the first day for the public to attend, a long line formed of people waiting to get into the show.
Long Beach Show
This was the second time that the Long Beach Expo was held in Hall C at the Long Beach Convention Center. Despite everyone's normal resistance to change, the new hall seems to have caught on. The loading dock is larger and more accessible, the hall is sufficiently large, parking is easy (though expensive at $15 per day), and the layout seems more open and more functional than in the old hall.
Business was brisk during the show, from setup through Saturday (which is typically rather slow). Chinese coins seemed to be the most-requested items, followed by Russian coins, Mexican 8 Reales, British Trade Dollars, and even Latin and Central American coins. Unfortunately, few of these coins were available on the floor.
In the past, the Long Beach Expo has suffered from what is known as the "Long Beach Curse", which meant that the price of gold would drop just before or during the show. Because many dealers derive their income from selling bullion-related coins, or their wealth is dependent on the value of their inventory, a drop in the price of gold puts a damper on the normal enthusiasm for the show. At the February 2022 Long Beach Expo, the curse was broken, as gold rose before and during the show, creating much more enthusiasm and a willingness to do business.
Another unspoken impact on the show was the lack of a major coin auction. Heritage decided to hold its Long Beach Expo sale after the show – not in California but in Dallas. This is a major departure from previous shows, where convention auctions have traditionally been both a major draw and a distraction from the shows, but this appears to be a new business model as the auction business shifts online. The net result seems to be that the money spent by show attendees stays in the show itself, resulting in brisker trading. The good old days of auction rooms filled with buyers seems to be coming to an end.
Coin shows remain important events for several reasons. One, visiting a major coin show is an opportunity to see the inventories of hundreds of coin dealers at once. Two, people seem more likely to purchase a coin if they can actually see it and hold it in their hand. Three, face-to-face connections are extremely important in the coin business for both dealers and collectors. Four, coin shows expose collectors to potentially new areas of collecting that they might not otherwise have considered. Five, for people who love coins, conventions are a lot of fun.
Overall, the February 2022 Long Beach Expo gets an A+ rating from this author. If this show was any indication, 2022 is going to be a great year for the coin business.