Whitman Expo announced today that, following the success of the first-ever Coin & Collectibles Philadelphia Expo, the event will return in 2010.

General Manager David Crenshaw said the Expo will be held September 30-October 2, 2010 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. “We anticipated that this would be a good venue for an Expo, but Philadelphia exceeded our expectations, both with regard to attendance and the interest and excitement surrounding the Official Auction by Stack’s and the Pre-Show Auction by Bowers and Merena,” Mr. Crenshaw said. “We’re pleased to announce that we will be back in Philly next year.” Whitman Expo President Mary Counts said attendance at the three-day expo was comparable to the spring show in Baltimore and several records were set at auction. “In just one year, we’ve built a solid foundation in Philadelphia, but of course we don’t intend to rest there. We’ve already started work on improving it and building on the start we made this year,” Ms. Counts said. Crenshaw said Whitman used the occasion of the first Philly Expo to launch new innovations, including quicker, streamlined registration and a new social media initiative.

“This was the first show at which we used Facebook and Twitter to keep dealers and guests up to date on the schedule, while also providing tips from our stable of numismatic experts to collectors at all levels for getting the most out of the hobby. Those who are fans of our Facebook page and followers on Twitter were able to get tips from Q. David Bowers, Kenneth Bressett, Dennis Tucker and others,” Mr. Crenshaw said.

Mr. Crenshaw said he expects social media to be increasingly important as larger numbers within the hobby adopt it. “We made a conscious decision to get involved early and to provide content that is interesting and genuinely valuable via social media and our news magazine site at WhitmanCoinCollecting.com,” he said. Sales for the Stack’s Official Auction also topped pre-show estimates. Several records were set, including a Jefferson Indian Peace Medal, which set a record for the most expensive silver U.S. medal ever sold at auction. The historic large size Thomas Jefferson medal was struck as thin silver shells and is the most avidly sought after size of the three medals offered at the sale. This lot was fiercely competed for and eventually sold for an incredible $345,000—nearly doubling its original estimate. Stack’s Philadelphia Americana Sale also included one example each of both the medium and small size Jefferson medals. Both performed mightily and realized $161,000 and $138,000 respectively.

Federal coinage was wonderfully represented in all denominations at the Stack’s auction. Small cents were epitomized by the incredible 1906 example struck in gold. This fantastic and likely unique off-metal striking, probably struck on a quarter eagle planchet, was graded AU-58 by NGC. It sold for a remarkable $276,000.

For more information on The American Sale, visit Stacks.com. Bowers and Merena presented the Official Pre-show Auction on September 22, 2009. The two-session auction realized $2,520,460. “Philadelphia was a wonderful choice for this Whitman show and Bowers and Merena’s pre-show auction,” said Steve Deeds, president of Bowers and Merena. “The city is so rich in American history, which lends itself to the real nature of what we do in numismatics, and we were very fortunate to be able to present an extensive selection of rare Colonial and Early Federal Era coinage that was very much in keeping with this historic theme. The turnout was great and we are very pleased with our results.” A highpoint of the day came early with lot 15, an undated (circa 1659) Lord Baltimore Shilling graded MS-61 by PCGS, the Eliasberg Specimen, which realized an impressive $57,500. A range of seminars attr