The following was posted by Brian.

Hello all. The last time I posted to the blog I had just gotten back from a three-day coin grading seminar in Dallas. Well, my education is continuing. I recently returned from a five-day grading class in Colorado Springs, CO. This particular course was the ANA’s 2016 Summer Seminar and it was all I was hoping for and more. The seminar was taught by Don Bonser, Jim Stoutjesdyk and Kevin Kaufman.

The course was taught at the beautiful Colorado College campus and although it was approaching 95 degrees almost every day, this was certainly a cool place to have the seminar. The college is right across the street from the ANA headquarters and National Money Museum (definitely worth a visit).

For the first couple days we really tried to just get a handle on just what separates a mint state coin from a circulated (or ‘about circulated’) coin. So much of grading depends upon that distinction and so they really wanted us to get it right!

After that, it was straight-up grading school. We were grading coins from morning to late afternoon, with the time we were allowed to grade each coin becoming less and less as the days went on. By the end, in my estimation, most everyone in the class (25 of us!) was able to accurately grade every coin within a grade point or so in under one minute. Not bad for just a few days’ work.

I really appreciated Don’s constant discourse on numismatics as both a hobby and a career. He dispensed great advice on cherrypicking, selecting coins and all sorts of tricks of the trade. Sound all around business advice from a guy that has been highly successful in the field of numismatics.

Business aside, for those of you thinking about visiting the ANA, I highly recommend it! It’s less than a mile from downtown Colorado Springs (which in itself is an excellent reason to go). Great restaurants, shops, and sights to see.

All in all, I would give this year’s seminar a grade of MS70, as it was pure perfection.

Chris recently purchased this 265 coin registry set from a customer in our area. This is Chris realizing that he now has to price and list all of them. 

What is the grade of this coin? First correct guess wins a prize. Email your guess to info@northeastcoin.com. Winner gets a Northeast goody box.

There were no correct guesses for this question. It's actually a trick question. The coin is technically ungradeable. It was likely struck through grease, thus the lack of detail on the surfaces but full denticles around the edge. It's not a problem-coin but rather a mint error.

Do any of the blue numbers on the GSA card mean anything? First correct answer to info@northeastcoin.com wins a Barber Quarter in POOR 1 condition! Great addition to a Dansco 7070 low ball set. We now have a winner for this question.

The following was written by Chris.

Tom, Margie, and I attended the Long Beach Expo last week. First my comments on the business aspect of the show:

I was busy non-stop on Wednesday from pre-show trading in the morning to the close of the show that evening. Tom and I were primarily focused on buying while Margie was busy trying to show coins. Thursday was also busy for me although it slowed down significantly on Friday. Overall I was pleased with the purchases I was able to make.

Sales were a little disappointing. It can sometimes be challenging to get dealers to look at inventory. You either have to catch them at the right time or try to schedule an appointment. Combine that with the fact that there were fewer dealers than we normally see at shows, and the result is below average sales. (At least from a revenue perspective; we did get together with a wholesale dealer the last day of the show and sold two double row boxes, so we are pleased with the total number of coins that moved.)

For the most part, prices seem to be remaining level and I expect that to continue through the summer. We’ll see what the fall brings us. Some upticks would certainly be nice. 

Now a few personal comments about the show and my time in Long Beach:

First, crime does not pay! Some time ago a dealer we know was burglarized. A list of the stolen merchandise was circulated to other dealers. Then, at the show last week, a public attendee offered a dealer some coins for sale that the dealer recognized from the list of stolen items. He confronted the guy about it and the guy promptly started making his way towards the exit. The dealer quickly followed and got the attention of the security staff. When they started questioning the individual about the coins he tried to bolt through the exit. Just as he was near the exit door he was tackled by security. (For those that watch football, it looked like a linebacker cleaning the clock of a running back.) The thief and his accomplice, who shortly thereafter tried to leave the show with a backpack full of stolen coins, were arrested. Kudos to the dealer for recognizing the stolen coins and kudos to security for apprehending the bad guys.

For those that are interested, here’s a link to the video clip from a security camera at one of the tables: http://i441.photobucket.com/al...0Theft_zpsvsbqim0l.mp4.

And lastly, I’ve been to the Long Beach Expo over 50 times (which accumulatively is more than half a year!) and this is the first time I’ve eaten at George’s Greek Cafe. I went with a group of nine other dealers, all of whom like Greek food. I personally do not and thus I ordered a cheeseburger. Let me tell you, that was a damn fine burger! The fries with oregano sprinkled over them were amazing, too. I will definitely be going back. Shameful perhaps that I’m ordering burgers at a Greek restaurant, but I like what I like.