A Celebration of Spanish Numismatics

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 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.