Sometimes the best coin show adventures begin with a simple question: "Have you heard good things about this show?"

The PAN Spring Coin show bills itself as "the largest coin show in the Northeastern United States" and while that's quite a claim, we'd been hearing whispers from multiple sources that PAN was indeed something special – a hidden gem that drew serious dealers and collectors from across the country despite being tucked away in a Pittsburgh suburb.

For Rarity7, this represented a bit of an experiment. We typically stick to the familiar circuit of shows on our own coast or the major national events that justify a transcontinental schlep. But sometimes you have to venture into uncharted numismatic territory...

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Another coin show, another opportunity to recount the numismatic adventures that unfold when you pack several hundred coin dealers into a convention center with millions of dollars worth of history in small metal discs.

The National Money Show is one of the ANA's premier events, typically smaller than the summer World's Fair of Money but still a draw for serious collectors and dealers from across the country. With Long Beach Expo ending its run earlier this year (a moment of silence, please), shows like this have become even more important to the coin community's calendar.

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Hello, World! Thus begins the blogging, show reporting, and numismatic minutiae from the trenches of Rarity7.

Perhaps I could have chosen a more national-level show than Long Beach for our premier report, but it lined up as such that this was the show where I actually took detailed notes, photos, and tuned my brain for reporting. I suppose it’s also fitting in some mildly poetic way that Long Beach was the first major show I did back in 2021 after my short 30-year break from numismatics.

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