(Irvine, California) — Hundreds of silver and gold coins, silver bars and specially-made gold $1 and $5 denomination gaming tokens that were stored for decades in the vault of a well-known downtown Las Vegas casino have been purchased by Spectrum Numismatics International of Irvine, California.

“These items are from the El Cortez Hotel and Casino that was built on Fremont Street in 1941 and are from the personal collection of well-known Vegas gaming pioneer, Jackie Gaughan, who has owned the historic hotel since 1963,” said Ronald J. Gillio, Numismatic Acquisition Coordinator for Spectrum who arranged the purchase.

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"One of the Most Popular of all Registry Sets"

(Santa Ana, California) — The PCGS Set Registry all-time number one finest set of modern U.S. proof coins from 1968 to the present will be exhibited by Professional Coin Grading Service during the Florida United Numismatists (FUN) convention (booth #138) in Orlando, January 10 – 13, 2008.

“The 361-coin set carries an incredible weighted grade point average of 70.22 out of a possible 70.28, and has been ranked the top set of its kind the past three years,” said BJ Searls, PCGS Set Registry Manager.

Known as the Erasmus Hall Collection, it was assembled by New York City physician and medical school professor, Dr. Lawrence S. Brown Jr., who says he owes his coin collecting passion to his love of history.

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Centerpiece of World Auction is “Carl F. Chirico Jr. Collection of World Pattern Coins”

IRVINE, Calif. – Bowers and Merena Auctions, America’s leading rare coin auction house, continues as Official Auctioneer of the Baltimore Coin and Currency Convention in 2008, with the next auction scheduled for February 27 to March 2, 2008.  For their first of three Baltimore auctions in 2008, Bowers and Merena will host a very special session of World coins, highlighted by the “Carl F. Chirico Jr. Collection of World Pattern Coins.”

The Chirico Collection will be offered in multiple lots and features more than 2,500 worldwide Proofs, Patterns, Essais, Provas, Pieforts, and Trial Strikes, including:

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