S. S. Central America “Ship of Gold” Coins & Treasure Exhibit Brings Visibility to Collectors Universe

Newport Beach, California, March 12, 2018 -- Record-setting attendance and palpable excitement marked the February Long Beach Coin, Currency, Stamp & Sports Collectible Show as one of the most successful ever.

Long Beach Expo visitors crowd around “Goldhenge”, significant gold ingots from the S.S. Central America. The entire exhibit was crowded for the duration of the Long Beach Coin, Currency, Stamp & Sports Collectible Show from February 22-24, 2018. 15 PCGS-graded coins recovered from the S.S. Central America, a diverse group of gold coins including some finest-known examples.

California Gold Marketing Group headlined Long Beach Expo with their “Ship of Gold” exhibit. The mini-museum described the tragedy and triumph of the S.S. Central America, a sidewheel steamship lost to a hurricane off the coast of the Carolinas on September 12, 1857. The exhibit featured gold ingots and coins recovered from the bottom of the sea, with a total of $40 million in numismatic gold on display. PCGS (a division of Collectors Universe, NASDAQ:CLCT), the Official Grading Service of the “Ship of Gold” recovery, also had prepared 15 PCGS-graded gold coins for display, including a few examples which PCGS has now confirmed are the finest examples known to exist.

Bob Evans, Chief Scientist of the project and curator of the gold treasure, packed the room twice with seminars detailing his experience with the S.S. Central America. The centerpiece of the Ship of Gold was “Goldhenge,” a stack of $12 million in gold bars. The exhibit rated a commendation from California Governor Jerry Brown’s office for celebrating the richness of California History.

Everyone from the curious general public to collectors of all ages and experience levels viewed the displays. There was a line to the exhibit, at times long, for the entirety of the show. Kathleen Ellis, the granddaughter of one of the survivors of the S.S. Central America, Alvin Ellis, came to the show to discuss her family’s story with Bob Evans.

Some of this owed to the tremendous press the event received, with live television spots from the Associated Press, CBS, KTLA, Fox, and EFE. Both local and regional newspapers also ran stories, including The Beach Reporter, The Grunion Gazette, and The Mercury News. Numismatic publications covered the events in detail, including Coin Week, Coin World, Numismatic News, Coin Weekly, and NumisMedia.

“We had visitors from across the United States and overseas.  One collector told me he came from London, England just to see the exhibit,” said Dwight Manley, managing partner of the California Gold Marketing Group, holding company of the “Ship of Gold” project.

Foot traffic was heavier than previous shows. Cassi East, President of Long Beach Expo (a division of Collectors Universe, NASDAQ:CLCT), calculated that attendance in 2018 was 43% higher than it was for the same show in 2017.

Mark Stephenson, Vice President of PCGS, said of the show, “this show was great for PCGS, but really it was great for the hobby [of coin collecting.] It’s really exciting to see this much interest in numismatics, and we’re thrilled to be helping this excitement happen.”

Since its founding in 1986, PCGS experts have certified over 38 million coins with a total market value of over $33 billion. For information about PCGS products and services, including how to submit your coins for authentication and grading, visit www.PCGS.com or call PCGS Customer Service at (800) 447-8848. For more information about the Ship of Gold project and PCGS part in it, go to PCGS.com/ShipOfGold.

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f1134dbc-844d-4dad-80b3-6a1fee50cfbd

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3507273a-e790-48ef-909a-20be5f27c4ba

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/480e4541-870d-4905-9d73-93425c03ddf9

Ryan Delane
PCGS
949-567-1166
[email protected]