The Florida United Numismatists convention in January is arguably the most robust show of the year in terms of the value of coins changing hands. The large auctions propel thousands of coins into the marketplace (Heritage's U.S. coin sessions at the 2010 FUN convention realized nearly $37 million).

January ended with Stack's Americana sale, which totaled nearly $5 million and showed strong prices for a variety of esoteric American numismatic objects, including a Libertas Americana silver medal that realized more than $100,000, several well-performing early American coins and a significant group of Confederate coins.

A 1907 Saint-Gaudens, High Relief gold $20 double eagle graded Proof 68 by Numismatic Guaranty Corp. realized $230,000.

Unlike NGC, Professional Coin Grading Service does not recognize this particular issue as a Proof, and recently some NGC Proof 1907 High Relief double eagles have remained unsold when offered at auction.

The few weeks following the FUN convention are typically quiet until California's Long Beach Coin, Stamp & Collectibles Expo in early February puts fresh material in the hands of dealers and collectors.

A pre-Long Beach auction by Ira & Larry Goldberg Auctioneers, held from Jan. 31 through Feb. 2, also featured some major-league Saint-Gaudens gold double eagles as the centerpiece, including two very rare 1921 examples.

The finer of the two 1921 double eagles, graded Mint State 65 by PCGS and described by the auction house as premium quality, realized $862,500. An NGC MS-62 example sold at $143,750.

The catalog notes that the 1921 double eagle is the fourth rarest Saint-Gaudens $20 coin after the 1907 Ultra High Relief, 1927-D and 1933 issues.

The strong prices at both Stack's and Goldberg's auctions helps confirm the health of the high-end Saint-Gaudens double eagle market that the Heritage FUN Platinum Night auction illustrated, despite recent jitters in the gold bullion market that have added volatility to the generic gold sector.

Heritage will conduct the official Long Beach Expo auction.