2026 World’s Fair of Money in Pittsburgh: China’s “Chinese Dragon” Wins Coin of the Year
The American Numismatic Association held its World’s Fair of Money in Pittsburgh from August 25 to 29, 2026, with world mints and auction houses taking part, according to Numismatic News. At the Coin of the Year event on August 27, China Gold Coin Group’s “Chinese Dragon” 10-yuan silver coin won the top prize. The 2027 show is scheduled for August 10 to 14 in Rosemont, Illinois.
Correction (Oct 13, 2026): We corrected the headline, summary and body to match the source. We removed unsupported claims that the market had matured and that collectors had shifted from investment to experience, along with investment advice; corrected a passage that described the 1933 double eagle as sold (it was displayed for upcoming sales), a name and a journal title (Michael Chou, Journal of East Asian Numismatics), the description of the award Paul Hollis accepted, and a year the source does not give for the National Money Show. The previous headline was "Pittsburgh's 2026 World's Fair of Money: Why 5 Days Revealed the Full Numismatics Ecosystem."
This article is based on a Numismatic News recap published on September 1, 2026. The show took place from August 25 to 29, 2026.
The American Numismatic Association (ANA) held its World’s Fair of Money in Pittsburgh from August 25 to 29, 2026. The five-day show brought together rare coins, bank notes, world mints, major auctions and the Coin of the Year awards.
The Bourse and World Mints
One of the busiest areas was the bourse. Dealers and retailers from the United States and around the world filled a floor at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center to show their latest finds.
World mints also took part. China Gold Coin Group, T&S Coin and The Royal Mint presented new works that go on sale later this year and next year. Bank notes were well represented, with many rare pieces at dealer tables, along with trend pieces such as gold foil notes from the American retailer Valaurum.
Exhibits and Activities for Young Collectors
Several exhibits were on view. They included the ANA’s Tyrant Collection of Byzantine Empire coins; a short snorter signed by the American actor Jimmy Stewart, brought by the Short Snorter Project; and treasures from the “Ship of Gold,” which carried gold ingots and thousands of Double Eagle coins.
At Ernie’s Treasure Treehouse, children and adults learned about numismatics through interactive games. Visitors could also take the Young Collectors Corner class, earn a collecting merit badge and grab some money in the Cash Cube.
Auction Previews
Auction houses were also present. Great Collections, the ANA’s official auctioneer, displayed famous issues such as a 1933 Saint-Gaudens double eagle and other pieces for upcoming sales.
Stack’s Bowers Galleries previewed its Summer 2026 Global Showcase, which includes ancient, world and American coinage and was reported to conclude on September 10 and 11. Heritage Auctions previewed its ANA US Coins Signature and ANA World & Ancient Coins Platinum Session and Signature auctions, which concluded on August 31.
Coin of the Year: China’s “Chinese Dragon” Takes the Top Prize
On August 27, World Coin News held its annual Coin of the Year (COTY) event above the bourse floor. Six mints from around the world won category awards. The overall prize went to China Gold Coin Group for its “Chinese Dragon” 10-yuan silver coin.
Sophia Mattimiro, Numismatic News senior editor and COTY coordinator, said the coin received the highest number of votes in this year’s competition for its category win of Best Crown, “so it was no surprise when it took the lead in the final round of voting.”
The ceremony included acceptance speeches from the winners, among them Joaquin Jimenez, General Engraver and Artistic Creation Director at the Monnaie de Paris. Other speakers included Michael Chou, founder of the Journal of East Asian Numismatics; Donald Scarinci, a COTY committee member and member of the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee; and U.S. Mint Director Paul Hollis, who accepted the Best Gold category award on behalf of the United States. John Mercanti was this year’s Lifetime Achievement award recipient.
The Next Shows
The 2027 World’s Fair of Money is scheduled for August 10 to 14 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois. The next ANA National Money Show is scheduled for March 4 to 6 in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Source: Numismatic News, "2026 World’s Fair of Money Recap" (September 1, 2026).
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