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News Bulletin No. 41

Blue Mauritius around Prague

The most famous stamp in the world comes to Prague as part of the display of the British Queen's collection at the world exhibition PRAGA. However, the Mauritius will turn up at other places in Prague´s Exhibition Grounds. In the Kremnica Mint exhibition (No. 219) at the Collectors' Fair, a limited edition of gold and silver plaquettes of the coin will be available for purchase.

How to find your way to the largest collecting event

Those of you, who have already visited any of the previous ten Collectors' Fairs, will not have any problems finding your way. However, those, coming to Prague Výstaviště in Holešovice for the first time, must (after having bought their ticket, and a Praga or Collector catalogue) aim for Průmyslový Palace (Industrial Palace) after leaving the ticket office. You can enter the palace either through the left hall - which is also the direct route to the Collectors' Fair - or through the right hall, which will take you to the Praga exhibition. Both events will take place at the same time in the palace.
The Hall of Fame is in the middle hall; there you can see the British royal collection and invited exhibits - Exponet; the children's post; the Salon of Czech Youth and the post offices. The lobby contains exhibitions of post museums. There are information booths in front of the Collectors' Fair, as well as the Praga exhibition. The entrance to the left hall will be particularly interesting for exhibitors at the fair, because it contains this year's fair headquarters. This year, the press centre is located in front of the entrance to the right hall.

Exhibition Insured by Kooperativa

The competitive and non-competitive exhibits shown at the PRAGA 2008 World Stamp Exhibition have been exclusively insured by the insurance company Kooperativa pojišťovna, a. s., of the Vienna Insurance Group. "We are pleased that we could take part in such an important event and that we have contributed to a quieter and more peaceful sleep for the organisers and exhibitors," said Marek Vích, the spokesman for the insurance company. He added that Kooperativa has a long tradition of involvement in the world of culture, not only as a sponsor or insurer of all sorts of exhibitions, galleries, and collections, but actively as well - since its founding, the company has assembled a considerable collection of Czech art, currently comprising more than 2,000 items.
Kooperativa is the second largest insurance company in the Czech Republic and it has been the leading company in the Czech market in insuring industry and enterprise for several years already. At present, it has over 300 sales outlets and its products are even available at the branches of Česká spořitelna. The insurance company has registered capital of CZK 3 billion, and last year realised written premiums of CZK 29 billion, and a pre-tax profit of CZK 1.3 billion. Kooperativa is a part of the leading insurance group in the Central and Eastern Europe, the Vienna Insurance Group, which is listed on the Stock Exchanges in both Vienna and Prague.

About the fair Collector

The trade fair is traditionally held in the Industrial Palace at the Exhibition Grounds in Prague 7 - Holesovice 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 Nadrazi Holesovice) and trams 5, 12, 14, 15 and 17 go to the exhibition grounds. Admission prices for the trade fair: one-day ticket CZK 80 and a ticket for all three days costs CZK 200. The entry ticket is also good for the World Stamp Exhibition PRAGA. Both events are open to the public on Friday and Saturday from 10:00 to 18:00, and on Sunday from 10:00 to 16:00. Women and young people up to the age of eighteen have free admission to the trade fair.

Croatian Post Office Stamp and UNPA post card

The Croatian Post Office has prepared a commemorative stamp for the collectors´ meeting in Prague and United Nations Postal Administation issued an post card. The stamps of the other post offices that we have received have already been published in past issues of the news bulletin.

Gold and Silver on Show

The long-term exhibitor Schoeller Münzhandel probably will bring to the Collectors´ meeting for the first time the ten kilogram silver coin „Year of the Mouse" together with its traditionally wide assortment of gold bricks ranging in weight from one gram to one kilogram.
The company Zlaté Mince Numismatika will show the largest Czech pure gold medal on its stand. The full 1 kilogram medal commemorates the construction of Charles Bridge in Prague. Visitors will also have a chance to see for the first time the new ducat collection of investment medals (Patriarch Czech, Princess Libuše, Přemysl the Ploughman and St. Venceslas) of pure 24 carat gold. Both exhibitors will share stand no 500.

Exhibition Events on Saturday 13th September

1:00 p.m. Announcement of the results of the inquiry "The Best Medal of the Year" (on the Czech Numismatic Society stand in the left wing of the Industrial Palace).

1:00 p.m. Creators - designer Professor Dušan Kállay and engraver Miloš Ondráček - of the postage stamp "Joint Issue with the Czech Republic - Karol Plicka" will sign the stamp albums of collectors. The stamp together with the anniversary seal will be on sale at the Slovak Post Office stand (Central Hall of the Industrial Palace).

2:00 p.m. Great figures of today signing books.
The traditional chance to get the signatures of famous personalities (the left wing of the Industrial Palace).

3:00 p.m. Debut of the philatelist study by Ivana Šárová T.G.M. 1923, with speaker Aleš Cibulka. A detailed philatelist publication of jubilee stamps T.G.M. 1923; the series "Olympic Congress 1925" and "VIII Sokol Rally 1926", (the left wing of the Industrial Palace).

Prague Securities Museum

The museum will exhibit unique plates of Costa Rica bank notes. The exhibit will include steel plates of the bank notes of the Banco de Costa Rica in 10 colons of series "A" issued on 1st January 1901. The original bank notes are listed in the catalogue without any records for they are very rare on the collectors´ market. The museum obtained these plates from the archives of the American Bank Note Company. The original plates were used to print 2,000 numbered prints especially for collectors at the "Collector 2008" and "Prague 2008" exhibitions.
In addition to the plates, a number of other world unique and interesting exhibits from the collections of the Security Museum will be on display, including bank note models, security models, molettes etc. As well as the bank notes the museum will offer the first securities catalogue issued in the Czech Republic. The catalogue lists the securities of breweries and malt houses found in the Czechoslovak Republic.

Guide of Prague

These lines are aimed at those who are arriving in Prague for the first time. Prague is a gorgeous city. It is known as the City with a Hundred Spires, as the Golden City, as the Mother of Cities and so on. As Mrs.Leone Caola-Madzia of the UN Postal Administration says, Prague is the most beautiful city on earth. Of course, just as any other metropolis, it has its maladies. And because we hope that you will be satisfied in Prague and that besides the fair you will also enjoy the atmosphere of the city undisturbed, allow us to provide some suggestions that are valid for other cities, as well.
It pays off not to exchange money on the street, but only in official exchange-offices. Beware of pickpockets, especially in the metro and in trams; do not leave your valuables in cars and park only in paid parking lots. Simply, watch your things. One trip via tram (a maximum of 4 stops without changing) costs 18 CZK (24 CZK = 1 EURO); a tram ride with a transfer costs 26 CZK. Tickets should be designated in the machines found in the trams. Metro rides have the same tariffs as tram rides; tickets should be designated in the machines found at the entrances of the stations. Tickets sold in metro stations or in newsstands, etc., are valid both for the metro and for trams (and buses) and rides can be combined. When taking a taxi, always request a receipt printed on the printer that all taxi drivers are required to have. One kilometer in Prague costs just 28 CZK (+ 40 CZK base fare); for example, a ride from the center of town to the fairgrounds costs a maximum of 200 - 250 CZK.