Report of the Numismata and International Stamp Fair 2004 in Munich on 03/06/04

Report by Thomas Schmidtkonz

Deutsche Version des Berichtes

Version Francaise

One could visit 3 fairs in Munich parallel. About coins, stamps and gulf sports

Every year again at the beginning of  March in Munich the Numismata takes place, which is meanwhile the largest coin fair of the world. Parallel to it you can visit the international stamp fair on Saturday. Since many collectors of coins collect also stamps this is very good.
Because of the meaning of both stock exchanges visitors and exhibitors from the whole world are coming in a large number.  Thus the Numismata is probably not only the largest but also the most international of all coin fairs.

A long queue has formed before the entrance

Exhibition stand of www.cgb.fr

CGB is interesting because they don't arrange only coins auctions, but also they publish very interesting books and catalogs for coin collectors. Among these books there is a catalog about euro coins, which probably is one of the best of this kind. Unfortunately they found until now no German publisher who would publish this book in German language.

After my visit of CGB I'm fighting me thru the masses of visitors.

Now I visit a Swedish dealer, who offers many old asiatic coins. Since Afghanistan and also the Iraq became open for the west again, much old coins seem to come from this area now. This Swedish dealer seams to have such a source.

A customer with long full beard is standing before large silver coins with arab inscriptions. He shows also by his appearance and outfit in what he is interested.

The crowded Numismata on late Saturday morning

I sell however two coins from the before-Arab time. I buy two Drachm from Indo Greek Bactria, which are offered for moderate prices. I can use this two pieces for pictures of my website.

A salesman from the Iraq looks exotic. He is dressed in traditional clothes of the Arabs. He sells banknotes with Saddam Husseins face in large amounts.

At Emporium I admire very large silver and gold coins from the British Commonwealth. The gold coins weigh a whole kilo and cost over 15,000 EUR the piece. Two silver coins are still more heavier. The heaviest weighs 3 kg!
Thus I come with a resident of Munich into the discussion. During our small talk a fellow of India buys the two enormous silver coins. I say that I am glad that I do not have to take these coins with me, because my bag which I wear is already so heavy.
The resident of Munich says: "Look at him, he has a mobile bag thereby". It would be interesting what in his bag already is ...
 

At the official exhibtion stand of the German mint is a large crowd, because Euro coin sets of Germany are offered here for a moderate price:

At the Mint Austria already everything is sold and so I can only admire the interesting special coins with the blue metal niobium but not buy them. Therfore one must change to one of the innumerable other exhibitors, which have euro coins of all forms and coinages in the offer. The trade with euro-coins has become so extensive that one must ask oneself, when the market is surfeited with all these euro coins. How well is it that there are still so many other coins, notes and shares to admire!

After approximately three hours I am overtaxed and fatigued by the enormous and nevertheless so varied offer on this gigantic stock exchange of coins. Thus  I decide to leave the fair. But surley I will come back next year!

Now i want to visit  the international stamp fair:

There is no crowd before the entrance of this fair, since it is meanwhile after 2 pm and the fair already ends on this Saturday.

But the fair is also well visited. With the official post office agencies of many countries one can find interesting current stamp issues. Especially the motive collectors can find a lot of interesting actual motive stamps at  official post office agencies like from the Czech Republic, Aland Islands, Finland, and Greenland.

Beside the official agencies many stamp dealers and auctioneers are represented. There one can buy stamps, postcards and letters as single items or also whole collections. The offer is enormous and hardly over visible.

I look for postcards at an exhibition stand where a large amount of cards are offered for an uniform price of 0.50 EUR per piece. Surely I can need a lot of them for the illustration of topics on my website.

Finally I am tired after this long day with so many stamps and coins and so I drink a Coke before I go on the home travel.

:-)  I will come back next year!

Official Website of the Numismata

Official Website the International Stamps Fair