COINEX 2020 AHMEDABAD (7th to 9th Feb, 2020)

[asm]

This years edition of the annual coin fair at Ahmedabad will be held over the weekend (7 - 9 February 2020). Any one coming to Ahmedabad may PM me.

I am on the managing committee of the fair with the special responsibility to look after the Exhibits and the academic activities. I had requests for over 40 frames for display but due to shortage of frames, we have had to restrict the display to 30 frames. We have exhibits covering Ancient & Medieval India, Mughal & IPS as well as Republic India covered.

The academic session, to be held on Friday, 7th Feb. in the afternoon, will have 4 speakers.

The only major disappointment is the fact that the printers were not be able to commit to deliver the Souvenirs in time and we have had to shelve the project. I had received contribution for many of our members for the Souvenir but unfortunately have had to abandon the project.

There are 39 Dealer Stalls in the main Hall and 25 stalls in the basement. Besides this, for the small sellers, who generally crowd the pavements outside the venue, there is a special area earmarked, so that the collectors who love bargain hunting can do so peacefully.

Amit

[asm]

All done and ready to go. The Display will be a large one. 40 frames. One of the biggest I have seen at any such fairs.

Amit

[idiotghost]

All the Best Amit for the Coin Fair. I wish I could have come, but apparently last weekend only I had flown to Ahmedabad for a Speaking engagement. I wish it had coincided this week with the coin fair. In last months' Vadodara coin fair, the real good small dealers were the ones sitting outside on the pavements, who had plethora of coins at throw away prices! I picked most of the coins from there itself as they were going for dirt cheap prices! The dealers sitting inside the fair had eye watering jacked up prices for almost everything! Almost all collectors whom I met over 3 days were complaining about insane prices the dealers inside were charging! Everyone was happy bargain hunting from the guys sitting outside on the footpaths! I guess the same situation would be there in Ahmedabad too. Apparently in Mumbai coin fair at WTC, Cuffe Parade, no such small time dealers sit outside the venue!

[Figleaf]

Reserving a place for the street dealers outside sounds like a sympathetic solution. Don't know how it is in India, but I see street dealers as complementary to established dealers, with limited overlap. You go to a street dealer to find a common coin in a reasonable condition. You go to an established dealer for a hard to find coin or a coin in top condition. It seems logical that you pay more for the latter. Live and let live is beneficial for serious collectors, who want both common and hard to find coins.

Meanwhile, I am also favourably impressed by the attention given to education. Schools are bad at teaching history, but coins are very good at it, so they serve a wider cause: adding a general culture to people's knowledge, in particular the appreciation of a common history. It is an antidote to divisive politicians.

Peter