Swinging London: Coinex 2024
by Ursula Kampmann
Despite Brexit and competing events, Coinex is definitely worth a trip – especially to meet the many young dealers who gather there. After all, London is swinging at Coinex, too! Ursula Kampmann reports.
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Anyone who stubbornly believes that numismatics has no future should attend Coinex in London. Here you can see that a generational change is taking place in the coin trade. Photo: Heritage Auctions.
It is a fixed date for many coin dealers at home and abroad – Coinex on the last weekend in September. It is organised by the BNTA, the British Numismatic Trade Association. Therefore, only members of the BNTA can participate in this show. An exception is made for foreign coin dealers, who are very welcome to attend this annual event. Many major auction houses accept the invitation because they know they will meet their British counterparts. This is the main purpose of Coinex: it is not about the small British collectors. They tend to go to the London Coin Fair instead. Coinex, on the other hand, is aimed at those who want to get in touch with the major coin auction houses. For example, customers wishing to sell their collections will find a wide range of high-calibre negotiating partners at Coinex; and British dealers will find buyers for all those coins and medals that are more popular with buyers outside the UK. To sum up: engaging in B2B business and offering expert advice to customers are at the heart of Coinex.
A glance into the Coinex hall. Photo: UK.
This may also be due to the fact that it has become even more complicated to import coins into the UK since Brexit. So do not expect too many coins and too many coin collectors in the hall. And the Friday is reserved for exhibitors and those willing to pay an increased entry fee of £40.
Impressions of Coinex. Photo: UK
Impressions of Coinex. Photo: UK
Impressions of Coinex. Photo: UK
Swinging London: Nowhere Is the Coin Trade as Young and as Female as Here
Still, I am a big fan of London’s Coinex because there is no better place to network. The social events play a big part in this. Anyone who attends will notice how young and female the coin trade has become in London.
You do not believe me? Well, then you were not at the Heritage party at the trendy sketch venue in Soho. Sara Balbi, managing director of Heritage’s London office, organised an event that reminded me of what I remember from films set in the swinging London of the 1960s: an iconic location, a wow factor and lots of young and enthusiastic people, with at least a third of them being women.
Anyone who stubbornly believes that numismatics has no future should attend Coinex in London. Here you can see that a generational change is taking place in the coin trade.
Further impressions of Coinex. Photo: UK.
Further impressions of Coinex. Photo: UK.
Further impressions of Coinex. Photo: UK.
Further impressions of Coinex. Photo: UK.
Further impressions of Coinex. Photo: UK.
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The London Auction Week
One of the reasons Coinex is such an important meeting place is that many London coin dealers schedule their auctions so that bidding or viewing can be combined with a visit to Coinex. Many therefore travelled to the event on 25 September to take part in the Noonans auction, which sold a family collection of Greek coins to benefit the Ashmolean Museum. The official Coinex auction, organised by the long-established Spink auction house, took place the following day. Coinex will be followed by the first Kallista auction on 3 October 2024, organised by The Coin Cabinet in association with Hess-Divo AG.
The entrance to the Ball Room. Photo: UK.
The main entrance of the Biltmore Hotel from Grosvenor Square. Photo: UK.
A Noble Setting in Elegant Grosvenor Square
Just like Coinex, the auctions are aimed at an audience in the upper price range. The setting leaves nothing to be desired. Coinex takes place in the Ball Room of the elegant Biltmore Hotel. This is located in Mayfair, right on Grosvenor Square. It could hardly be more elegant. Luxury limousines with blacked-out windows are parked everywhere, paparazzi lurk with their telephoto lenses, and right next door star architect David Chipperfield is transforming the former American embassy into a new luxury hotel. Coinex means outstanding service in the most elegant of surroundings, which of course comes at a price. Neither the hotel nor the exhibition space come cheap.
There is no doubt about the future of Coinex. Romina Swan has been helping her mother Christel Swan organise the event for many years. Photo: UK.
Future and Competitors
Anyone paying attention could see that many participants left as early as on Friday evening. They flew directly from London to Maastricht, where the MIF was held from Friday to Sunday. Since the MIF has changed from a paper money event to an event for all branches of numismatics, it has become a competitor to Coinex. A competitor that also has the advantage of taking place within the European Union.
Some dealers also complained about the absence of Indian coin dealers, who usually attend Coinex. The reason is more than 7,000 kilometres away: there was also a coin fair in Mumbai that weekend.
A rare sight: Five numismatic journalists at once! Left to right: Michael Alexander, Ursula Kampmann, Carol Hartman, Sebastian Wieschowski and Jeff Starck. Photo: CW.
Parallel events are a problem for everyone – a problem that is not new. In the 1970s, coin fair organisers in German-speaking countries faced a similar dilemma. They got together, formed an informal association and agreed on dates. Events such as the World Money Fair or Numismata still have the same dates today as they did in the 1970s.
It would be really nice if, at some point in the distant future, there were an official association of international coin show organisers to determine when which event takes place, so that coin shows would not keep visitors and exhibitors away from each other.
To get a small taste of the great party in Soho, you can watch this video from Heritage Auctions:
