HKCS Testimony from Peter Anthony

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The Hong Kong Coin Show has been past for weeks, but it still draws collectors and specialists' attention. Recently, Peter Anthony just published a latest "China Pricepedia", which reviews the show and lists some testimonies.

By the way, the China Pricepedia needs to be subscribed, so the following article is just sharing for communication not for business. All the copyright belongs to the Pandacollector.com. I ve got Peter's authorization, please do not forward to any other place without permission.

Pass the Baton: New Hong Kong Show Shines

“At the end of the show (Hong Kong International Coin and Watch Convention) they came around with the form to sign up again for the next one. My partner and I looked at each other and talked to other dealers. Somebody walked around and counted that 75% of the tables were watches. We decided to move to the other coin show (Hong Kong Coin Show) next time. So did many other dealers, I think. A couple of days later the management contacted us and said that our form hadn’t been received. We just thanked them and said we wouldn't be there in April.”

What changed?

A new very, very good coin show opened to compete with the older one. The Hong Kong Coin Show was held on the 18th floor at the Mira Hotel, about a half mile from the Holiday Inn Golden Mile that hosts the Coin and Watch convention. The surroundings were pleasant, the service was excellent and the dealers even liked the brand new
showcases.

The new show attracted dealers and collectors from Europe, Asia, North and South America, Africa, in other words, everywhere. I ran into one collector from Macau who showed me some of his new silver Panda buys. He showed me a copy of the “Gold & Silver Panda Coin Buyer’s Guide” that was worn to tatters. It made me think that maybe a hardcover for the next edition is a good idea.

For Panda collectors there was a new silver medal struck in Nanjing for the “Establishment of Great China HK Collectors Association.” The design is by Zhao Qiang (Rocky), the artist of the 2016 Panda coin. According to Mr. Zhao, “It is my honor to do this design for the Hong Kong collectors. I want t create a different style for the Panda. You know, the Chinese Panda coin is a conventional design. With this I try to bring a new style, a new way to express the wonder of Pandas.“

Mintage was 1,000. Most of the medals were distributed to members at a dinner, but there were still some for sale at the show for 600 RMB, or about $95. I have not seen any offered for sale by medal dealers, so this may be one of those tightly-held issues that is difficult to find later. When I bought one they were down to their last half dozen, or so.

Here are some dealer comments about the show:

“Business has been pretty good. A little small tables, but otherwise a very nice show.”

“The show is good. Business is pretty steady.”

“We had a great show. We sold some ancient coins with interesting themes. For is it is very encouraging to see in Asia that ancient material is gaining an interest. In modern Chinese coins I am seeing lesser demand for the smaller denominations except for a few key dates. There is more interest in the larger coins.”

“We had a great show. After the ANA I just grabbed a box of coins and headed over here and I’ve done OK buying and I’ve done OK selling.”

And last, but not least, “No more watches!”