The Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) will display the only complete grading set of “Hot Lips” dollars, one of the most interesting of all the different varieties in the popular Morgan dollar series (1878-1921), at the Long Beach Coin, Stamp & Collectibles Expo, May 29 - 31, 2008.

"Some Morgan dollars were struck at the New Orleans Mint in 1888 with a doubled die obverse that produced significant doubling of Miss Liberty’s lips, nose and chin. A faint second eyelid is also visible," explained Ron Guth, PCGS President.

The unusual variety is listed as 1888-O VAM-4 (for the ‘VAM’ reference book created by Morgan dollar researchers, Leroy C. Van Allen and A. George Mallis), but many collectors refer to it simply as “Hot Lips.”

PCGS will display the Ashmore “Hot Lips” grading set during the show in the Long Beach, California Convention Center.

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Pattern coins and the precious metals markets are the topics of the next two, free Professional Numismatists Guild (PNG) “Share the Knowledge” educational seminars.  They will be conducted, respectively, by PNG member-dealers Andy Lustig and Richard Nachbar at the Central States Numismatic Society convention (CSNS) in April and at the Long Beach Coin, Stamp & Collectibles Expo in May.

A complimentary light lunch will be available for audience members at both PNG seminars.

Lustig of Nyack, New York is a co-founder of The Society of U.S. Pattern Collectors.  He will present "Collecting Pattern Coinage" starting at 11 a.m. on Friday, April 18, 2008 in room 42 of the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, 5555 N. River Rd., Rosemont, Illinois, the site of the 69th Annual CSNS Convention.

"Patterns are some of the rarest coins struck by the United States Mint.  The series has more than 2,000 different prototypes for American coinage including patterns, die trials and experimental pieces.  This half hour seminar will provide an overview of the series, historical background, collecting strategies and a superb slide show of great rarities," Lustig said.

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