The leadership and staff of FUN hosted yet another well run show for dealers and collectors alike - thanks Cindy Wibker! The bourse was crowded and buzzing with cramped aisles from the time the doors opened each day. Our table was consistently busy and sales were reasonably good though not great. All tables we saw were full and for the first time in many shows, we were not able to make it around the entire floor to find coins. We were able to buy some truly nice coins, several are "old friends" we've sold in the past and we're really grateful to those clients that sought us out to offer us first shot on some really nice coins! A few highlights are: 1874 Arrows Seated Half PCGS Proof 65 with superb original color (this coin's been off the market since 2000 and is superb), 1885 S $1 PCGS MS66 - one of the finest and sexiest examples of the date you'll ever see, 1912 S Liberty Nickel PCGS MS65 with lovely color, 1937 D 3 Leg 5c PCGS MS63 that's superior to most of the 64's we see, 1864 Copper Nickel 1c PCGS MS65 as well as a few great looking Classic Commems and many more type coins. These are just a few highlights among many new coins we'll be adding this week.

The auctions simply had too many coins in the sales. We reviewed a considerable number of lots (coins and currency), both for us and clients. Sure, there were some really nice coins among a plethora of "so-so" to "really horrid" coins, but in the end we bid on about 10% of what we reviewed. Auction representation is really about eliminating mistakes rather than adding coins to your collection. If you're not able to attend an auction, it defies logic to bid blindly based solely on images vs. paying a small fee to a trusted source for in hand evaluation and consultation. Think of it this way: what is it worth to you to avoid a costly mistake and not add a coin to your collection you otherwise may have purchased?

The strongest area of the market continues to be middle of the road collector coins that are true to grade and offer genuinely nice eye-appeal - this is true for an AU or a coin graded MS67. Sure, mega-millionaires will continue to spend obscene money at the top of the market, but the people carrying the market are still the collectors who don't have unlimited budgets and spend wisely on nice coins. On the high end, attractive and original type coins were difficult to find and when found, the prices were strong even if the quality didn't warrant the asking price. Having followed the recent auctions closely and reviewed hundreds and hundreds of lots, it has become abundantly clear that having a CAC sticker does NOT mean that a coin is "nice". One area of the market that's seen better days is generic gold. $20 Saints and Libs are weak in all grades from Circ through Gem. The same can be said for Indian gold in grades MS63 and lower. $2.5, $5 and $10 are just not in much demand and represent real value at these levels ($10 Indians in MS64 and better are still in demand providing the coins really meet the grade).

Overall this was a very good show for HJB and a solid start to the new year. Please remember to check back often as new inventory will be added over the next week or so.

Remember to explore the latest area of the HJB U. S site, HJB Select. If you have any questions, please feel free to email Mike at MDPrintz@HJBLtd.com or David at David@HJBLtd.com or call 312.609.0016. Larry Shepherd can be reached at Larry@HJBLtd.com or 719.464.8801.

Harlan J. Berk, Ltd is pleased to announce that Larry Shepherd, long time numismatist and former Executive Director of the American Numismatic Association, has joined the U.S. Coin team at HJB Ltd. Larry joins Mike Printz, Robert Greenstein, and David Greenstein in their continuing effort to enhance their presence in the high grade U. S. coin market. Sammy Berk and Dennis Forgue are recognized experts in U. S. Paper Money, Maps and U. S. Medals. Tom DeLorey's encyclopedic knowledge of U.S. coins adds further experience and depth of knowledge to the team as a consultant.

"I'm thrilled to join such a well rounded team of experts. Harlan and the staff at HJB have an outstanding reputation for honesty, integrity and expertise across a broad spectrum of numismatic fields. I look forward to working closely with Mike Printz, who I've valued as a close, personal friend and have respected for his client oriented expertise for nearly 20 years. The opportunity to work closely with Mike, Harlan and the rest of the staff was a strong incentive to join the firm," says Shepherd.

Harlan Berk adds: "Larry's unquestioned integrity and extensive knowledge of rare coins and the coin market allows us to supply our customers with an even larger inventory of high quality coins to choose from. We feel this will enable us to move into the top tier of U. S. Coins, which we have occupied in the field of Ancient Coins for the last several decades. Additionally, Harlan J. Berk Ltd. is able to provide Larry's clients with a wide array of numismatic products and services."

Larry will remain in Colorado Springs for the time being and can be reached via email at: Larry@HJBLtd.com or via phone at 719.464.8801

As you may have noticed, we have removed most of our United States gold coins from our website. This decision was a temporary solution to the issue of gold moving far too quickly to adjust prices to current market conditions. We believe we've found a good compromise - we will be relisting most of our gold as P.O.R. (Price on request). We will answer emails and calls as quickly as possible and honor quotes as long as reasonably possible. Once the market settles again, we will return to how things were with little or nothing listed as P. O. R. There will be no changes in our non-gold inventory. If you have questions, are interested in selling or want to discuss what you're looking for, give us a call @ 312.609.0016 or email Mike Printz or David Greenstein.