A Celebration of Spanish Numismatics
by Ursula Kampmann, translated by Maike Meßmann
On 28 and 29 June 2024, the first Evento Numismático Internacional was held in Madrid. Dealers and collectors had high expectations – and the event exceeded them. The atmosphere in Madrid was one of exceptional excitement.
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So far, there had been no large international coin show in Spain. Even though, numismatic Spain is home to active and passionate collectors, many researchers and large museum collections. It was therefore high time for an event to be created. And since Spain is known for the good relationship between its collectors, dealers, scholars, museum curators and its mint, this event broke completely new ground by bringing all the different branches of numismatics together while also creating a wonderful framework to deal in coins and to talk about them.
A Perfect Mix
Three coin dealers were the men behind the event: Jesús Vico of the Spanish auction house of the same name, Agustín ‘Augi’ García-Barneche of Daniel Frank Sedwick LLC and Luis Domingo, coin shop owner. Together, they came up with an unprecedented concept for their event. It combines the best aspects of many fairs and coin shows that have been successful for years.
Dealing in Coins à la NYINC
Business is at the centre of every numismatic event. There is no way for an event to survive if those who finance it cannot sell their coins. In other words: no matter how pretty the convention hall looks, it is of no use if it does not generate enough turnover for the exhibitors.
Therefore, the organisers followed a tried and tested model for this core business. Many details of the show were inspired by the NYINC, a prestigious coin shown with strictly limited participation where high-value coins are offered and sold. For this reason, the event was held in one of Madrid’s finest hotels, the Four Seasons in the heart of the city. The rooms had a lovely atmosphere, new and modern equipment, and an appropriate security concept. Two large halls accommodated about 60 exhibitors and 600 visitors. That was the limit. And the limit proved to be no problem – what matters is that those who are admitted to the halls are the right visitors, and that the exhibitors bring the right goods.
It was only in Madrid that many dealers that were not from Spain realised that Spanish collectors have clear preferences. They are highly interested in – no surprise here – coins of the Spanish world. Regarding ancient times, they are more interested in the coins of the Roman Republic and the first century AD than in the finest Sicilian tetradrachm. Of course, Phoenician coins from Spain are also at the top of their list – as well as everything that can be found in Spain itself.
Those who only brought catalogues and were not prepared for Spaniards to speak Spanish instead of English had little to do. Everybody else was happy to have won so many collectors as new customers. After all, collectors in Spain are very active and more interested in history than in coins as investment objects. This makes Spain is an interesting economic counterweight to the US and Asia markets, which could make the auction business a little less dependent on the current situation in the financial markets.
![Round Table with Dan Sedwick, Ursula Kampmann, Andrew Brown and Shanna Schmidt. Photo: Rainer Schmidt. Round Table with Dan Sedwick, Ursula Kampmann, Andrew Brown and Shanna Schmidt. Photo: Rainer Schmidt.](https://neu.muenzenwoche.de/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024KW28aNews01_06.jpg)
Round Table with Dan Sedwick, Ursula Kampmann, Andrew Brown and Shanna Schmidt. Photo: Rainer Schmidt.
Round Tables – Somewhere Between an International Numismatic Congress and an Economic Forum
Within the framework of the event, the organisers invited participants to prestigious presentations, lectures and roundtable discussions. Friday morning was reserved for book presentations; and in the afternoon there was an international session on ‘Museums, the Coin Market, and the Public – Insights into a Fruitful Cooperation’. The organisers were keen to attract high-calibre speakers, which is why they collaborated with CoinsWeekly. Andrew Brown, National Finds Advisor for Iron Age and Roman Coinage for the Portable Antiquities Scheme, and Klaus Vondrovec, Director of the Vienna Coin Cabinet (Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien) had confirmed their attendance. However, the holiday season caused chaos at the airports and affected their plans: Andrew Brown arrived at his hotel well after midnight the day before the session, and Klaus Vondrovec only made it to Munich, where the Lufthansa airline advised him to return to Vienna. The fact that these circumstances did not lead to the session being cancelled or shortened is a testament to the commitment and the flexibility of both. Klaus Vondrovec recorded his presentation in Vienna and sent it to Madrid, allowing the session to go on as scheduled. And organiser Ursula Kampmann found a perfect replacement for the Round Table: coin dealer Shanna Schmidt.
The audience rewarded the commitment of all those involved by attending the session from the first to the last minute. And anyone who was under the impression that being late was part and parcel of Spanish culture was proven wrong.
On the second day, the organisers managed to bring together high-profile roundtable discussion with representatives from official authorities. The police as well as customs and tax authorities took part in a debate with museum curator Rafael Feria in order to find new solutions to reconcile the protection of cultural property with coin collecting.
The session was rounded off by a panel of well-known and popular Spanish numismatists who presented their latest research: Dr Alberto J. Canto Garcia, Dr José María de Francisco Olmos, Pere Pau Ripollés and Martín Almagro Gorbea.
Networking à la IAPN
The purpose of the presentations and round tables was not only to provide a highlight for visitors, but also to bring together scholars, curators, officials, collectors and dealers for a debate. Once you have enjoyed a glass of wine together, different positions on the protection of cultural property do not seem as irreconcilable as before. And it worked – which was not a surprise given the efforts of the organisers to create successful networking events.
On the eve of the coin show, the Spanish Mint invited all exhibitors and speakers to an apéro riche at the Museo de la Casa de la Moneda de Madrid. And the second evening offered a special highlight: a reception in the empty Prado Museum – guided tours included. And then there was the wonderful excursion to Segovia on the day after the coin show, which was open to both visitors and exhibitors. It was organised by Adolfo Ruiz Calleja, CEO of Blog Numismático, a well-known source of numismatic news in the Spanish-speaking world.
A Little Bit à la World Money Fair
It is remarkable how successfully the Spanish Mint was included in the event, even though the ENM rather focuses on classical numismatics. During the reception on the eve of the coin show, the Mint presented its latest products and its new bullion issue to coin dealers. The FNMT had its own stand at the event and took the opportunity to dispel preconceptions about contemporary numismatics. After all, the Spanish Mint produces a wealth of coins and medals that are highly sophisticated – both in terms of artistic design and technological solutions – and that can also appeal to lovers of classical coinage. By the way, representatives of other mints were also among the visitors. They were testing the waters to see if it would be worthwhile to book a table next year. One of them regretted that his company had not done so this year.
A Unique Atmosphere
After all, everybody was in high spirits at the Evento Numismático! You could feel the enthusiasm in every single conversation. As usual we were there with our CoinsWeekly photo wall, and photographed as many as 150 visitors and exhibitors on the very first day. The wall served as a backdrop for a blogger and a TikToker, and numerous numismatists took selfies in front of it to post on social media. I heard from many visitors and exhibitors that they were eager to return next year.
The Great Challenge of a Next Evento Numismático
This means that the Evento Numismático Internacional in Madrid certainly survived its baptism of fire. However, we should not get overly excited. The second event will be at least as challenging for the organisers as the first. It takes about five years for a coin show to become a sure-fire success. Only then will it be possible to assess whether it has become an indispensable part of the numismatic calendar or whether it will quietly disappear.
Right now, the organisers have to deal with several issues: For one, costs for exhibitors are comparably high, which is why they were struggling to recover their expenses through revenues made at the show. Another problem was the rather small room, which did not allow all interested collectors to take part in the event. If everyone who wanted to book a table is to be admitted as exhibitor, the organisers need larger halls next time. The smallest problem will probably be to find new places for networking events. After all, Madrid has so much to offer in terms of history and numismatics that the possibilities seem endless.
By the way, the next event will probably take place from 25 to 28 June 2025. Save the date! CoinsWeekly will certainly be there when the second Evento Numismático Internacional will be held in Madrid.