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phone cards, minerals, and the hobby and art of collecting – the largest
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Sběratel.info

News Bulletin No. 24

A perfect offering of motifs

Since this year's Collector trade fair does not conflict with the Stampex fair in London, the Dutch philatelic dealer Wim van der Bijl from Utrecht is returning to Prague after a year's absence. His stand always attracts lots of visitors, and it's no wonder. He amazes fair visitors with his perfectly prepared offering of motifs. Instead of just offering stamps, books of stamps or postcards/envelopes with pre-printed stamps broken down into categories like cars etc., he has them grouped as Ford, Volkswagen, FIAT etc., helping customers find what they are looking for very quickly.

Bill Barell is coming back

This year, Bill Barell from Lincolnshire, a well known expert on the history of the postal system and stamps in Great Britain, is taking advantage of how nicely the Stampex fair in London ties in with the Collector international trade fair in Prague. This year at the fair to held in Prague on 15 – 17 September, he will have an exhibit together with David Morrison, who will be exhibiting, among other things, envelopes from shipwrecks and mail from railway accidents.

UNPA every year

The United Nations Postal Administration (UNPA) in Vienna has participated each year at the Collector international trade fair since the first annual fair in 1998.
It considers the fair to be a prestigious event in Central Europe, both from an organizational standpoint and in terms of attendance levels. For each event it issues a so-called white card with a Prague motif. Sunday at the fair is always declared to be UN Day, and the Czech Postal Service uses a special postmark for the occasion. Naturally, this year will be no different.

Euronumix is satisfied

Last year the company Euronumix from Düsseldorf participated at the fair for the first time. They offered coins from Monaco, San Marino and Vatican City and they were successful. This year, Euronumix is returning to Prague. Last year they made their own photographic documentation of the Collector fair. Here is one sample:

Foto: Euronumix

Minerals and jewelry to add variety to the fair

Each year, minerals from around the world and jewelry made with precious stones add to the variety of the fair. It is especially the wives of visitors and collectors who will be making a real dent in their husbands’ wallets at gem dealers’ exhibits. Such traditional exhibitors as Mineral Metal, Luboš Poděbradský, Jiří Špalek, Jaroslav Hyršl and new exhibitors like Jiří Šedý – Probika will be represented at the fair this year.

Premiere of an Italian company

This year, the Italian company SEPA s.r.l. from the city of Faenza will be participating for the first time. The company manufactures accessories for philatelists and numismatists. Founded in 1963, the company was originally involved mainly with collecting, manufacturing and dealing in albums for coins, bank notes, postcards and other collectibles. Gradually, however, the company has expanded its activities into such new areas as paper goods, office supplies and publicity matter.

Czech philatelic dealers are gearing up

Czech philatelic dealers are also getting ready for the Collector trade fair. Among those already registered are Filatelie Karlin, Filatelie Onager, Artphila, Filatelie Podskalský, Filatelie Hobby, Alkado and Qarta. At the fair, the demand among both Czech and foreign collectors is strong for high-quality philatelic material. According to a survey taken in 2004, every seventh visitor to the fair is from abroad. The fair’s organizers will repeat the survey this year.