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phone cards, minerals, and the hobby and art of collecting – the largest
gathering of collectors of its kind in Central and Eastern Europe.

Sběratel.info

News Bulletin No. 19

Exhibitions at the fair

This year's international trade fair Collector, which will be held in Prague from 16th to 18th September, will be accompanied by many exhibitions. For example, Milan Baše is the author of an exhibition on the occasion of the 650th anniversary of the coronation of the Czech king Charles IV as Holy Roman Emperor. At the exhibition, visitors will be able to see medals, coins, awards and graphic pages associated with the person of Charles IV. Another exhibition in the field of numismatics will be modern and historical replicas of minting from the work of the medal maker Petr Soušek. The philatelist Ludvík Pytlíček traditionally exhibits treasures from his collection at the trade fair. This year they will be rare Czechoslovak postage stamps. Karel Mařík has prepared an exhibition for all who are interested in the enigmatic power and beauty of precious stones called Why Precious Stones are Precious.

Days of UN and WWF

As we already informed in newsbulletin No 16, on Saturday 17 September, WWF Day will be celebrated for the first time at the trade fair. On this occasion, a special frank and R-sticker will be made available at the Czech Post Office stand. At 14:00, there will be an autograph signing session by the creators of Czech stamps Libuše and Jaromír Knotek and the stamp engraver Martin Srb. All the philatelic material for WWF Day was created by these artists. On 18 September, UN Day will be celebrated for the eighth time, also with a special frank at the Czech Post Office stand and with a cachet and special postcard at the stand of the UNPA.

Further first-time exhibitors

For the first time this year, one of the world's leading wholesale companies in the field of modern coin collecting, World Coin International from Huizen in the Netherlands, will be one of those making a presentation at the trade fair. In the field of minerals, the firm Sibirskaya Beresta from Novosibirsk, which will offer exhibitors traditional Siberian jewellery made from a combination of birch bark, silver and natural stones from the Urals, will be coming to Prague for the first time.

Cancellations and stationery to the fair

Some postal administrations which are participating in this year's Collector have prepared special franks or postal stationary for visitors to the trade fair. We gave information about the offer of the Czech Post Office (postcards, special franks for the trade fair and for UN Day, R-sticker) in newsbulletin No 18, now we are publishing others.

Novelties of the Czech Mint

The Czech Mint is a traditional participant at the trade fair Collector. As the director of the mint, ing. Jan Vízek, has informed us, this year it has prepared two real treats. Visitors will be able to view an image of the gold and silver medals weighing 1 kg which were issued on the occasion of the first anniversary of the accession of the Czech Republic to the EU, and which are now completely sold out. And at the trade fair, the mint will also initiate the sale of a set of Czech regular circulation coins of the year 2005 and also a set of Austrian euro coins of the year 2005.

Phonecard from China for the Collector

In the occassion of this year´s International Fair Collector in Prague the Chinese telecommunication company China Satcom has issued phonecard of mintage 400 pcs and face value 10 Yuan in August. The phonecard will be sold at the stand of Mr.Xu Wei.

About the fair

The trade fair is traditionally held in the Industrial Palace at the Exhibition Grounds in Prague 7 - Holešovice on the northern edge of the capital's centre. The journey by tram or metro from the very heart of the city takes ten minutes. Metro line C (station Nádraží Holešovice) and trams 5, 12, 14, 15 and 17 go to the exhibition grounds. Admission prices for the trade fair: one-day ticket CZK 60 and a ticket for all three days costs CZK 100. The entry ticket is also good for the trade fair Antikvariát. Both trade fairs are open to the public on Friday and Saturday from 10:00 to 18:00, and on Sunday from 10:00 to 16:00. We recommend that those visitors who arrive late utilise the HAPPY HOUR. On Friday and Saturday from 16:00, and on Sunday from 14:00, the admission price to the trade fair will be a flat CZK 20. Women and young people up to the age of eighteen have free admission to the trade fair. For young visitors, the already proven "preparatory course for future collectors" will be prepared.