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Finally back to the fair!
Preview for the 50th World Money Fair 2023
Preview for the 50th World Money Fair 2023
Many collectors have certainly already been looking forward to this moment, finally a real coin show again with almost 250 exhibitors from all over the world.
The 50th Anniversary Fair, which has been postponed twice, will open its eventful doors to the numismatic world on the 3rd of February 2023. The fair will be held at the Estrel Convention Center in Berlin, which has been expanded with a modern annex. The World Money Fair will be open for a total of three days up to and including the 5th of February 2023. In the run-up to the fair, an auction by the auction house Kuenker will take place. During the fair, the Technical and Media Forum can be visited for all the latest news. Over 10,000 visitors are expected for the world's largest coin fair in Berlin. Collectors from all over the world can finally meet in person again and go exploring together. There will be a wide range of offers at the fair, including perhaps the one or other bargains, worthwhile events, presentations of new releases, competitions and joint evenings in one of the many restaurants, which are located directly in the Estrel Hotel.
Personally, I will be on site all day on Saturday and will be available for discussions. For all others who can not come to Berlin, I will publish an extensive article about the fair.
The current high inflation unfortunately does not stop at our hobby and so besides the accommodation costs per night of about 250 Euros in the standard room of the Estrel Hotel also the entrance fees have increased. The advance booking for a day ticket is possible online and can be purchased here at a reduced price of 12 Euros. The ticket must then be printed out and taken to the fair. In general, the World Money Fair has become more digital and collectors can find extensive information on the official homepage. In addition, the World Money Fair now also shows itself in the social media and thus attracts new interested parties. The exhibitor list is online and almost all state mints have accepted.
I wish you much joy and success at the World Money Fair '23!
The 50th Anniversary Fair, which has been postponed twice, will open its eventful doors to the numismatic world on the 3rd of February 2023. The fair will be held at the Estrel Convention Center in Berlin, which has been expanded with a modern annex. The World Money Fair will be open for a total of three days up to and including the 5th of February 2023. In the run-up to the fair, an auction by the auction house Kuenker will take place. During the fair, the Technical and Media Forum can be visited for all the latest news. Over 10,000 visitors are expected for the world's largest coin fair in Berlin. Collectors from all over the world can finally meet in person again and go exploring together. There will be a wide range of offers at the fair, including perhaps the one or other bargains, worthwhile events, presentations of new releases, competitions and joint evenings in one of the many restaurants, which are located directly in the Estrel Hotel.
Personally, I will be on site all day on Saturday and will be available for discussions. For all others who can not come to Berlin, I will publish an extensive article about the fair.
The current high inflation unfortunately does not stop at our hobby and so besides the accommodation costs per night of about 250 Euros in the standard room of the Estrel Hotel also the entrance fees have increased. The advance booking for a day ticket is possible online and can be purchased here at a reduced price of 12 Euros. The ticket must then be printed out and taken to the fair. In general, the World Money Fair has become more digital and collectors can find extensive information on the official homepage. In addition, the World Money Fair now also shows itself in the social media and thus attracts new interested parties. The exhibitor list is online and almost all state mints have accepted.
I wish you much joy and success at the World Money Fair '23!
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World Money Fair Show Panda Medal 2023
1.Review of the 2022 Show Panda Medal for the World Money Fair Berlin
The Show-Panda-Medal from 2022 was available for purchase in two different variants at the Kuenker online store. The 1 Oz silver version with a mintage of only 200 pieces and an issue price of 89 Euros was completely sold out within a few minutes and fetches about 200 Euros at sales, but even up to 400 Euros abroad. The medal with 8-gram silver had a mintage of 300 pieces and was available a little longer for 39 Euros - the value has settled here at 70 Euros. For both issues, however, there are virtually no sales offers, as these medals are almost all in collectors' hands.
At the start of the World Money Fair 2023, the new official Berlin Panda can be purchased at the Kuenker booth. The selling price will be based on previous years. Despite the rapid sell-out, the mintage has not been increased. The 1 Oz silver variant continues to have a mintage of 200 pieces and the 8-gram in silver was even reduced to 200 pieces.
At the last held coin fair in 2020, there were 500 pieces of each of the two Panda Show Medals. The 2020 Show Panda circulation was too high for existing collector demand, so less was minted in 2022 and this resulted in a huge increase in value. At the upcoming fair we have again a further reduced mintage contingent of both Show Pandas together and there will also not be the complete circulation available on site. In the US, major dealers are already reserving some of the 1 Oz silver medals and offering them for $400 after being graded by NGC. For collectors, another critical point is added, the Show Panda certainly draws the eye of one or the other visitor, who takes it as a souvenir of Berlin and thus deprives the market. The sharp increase in price also attracted the attention of some dealers who, if it were possible, would also buy up the whole circulation. I guess that many collectors might go empty-handed already on the opening day of the World Money Fair and that online auctions will quickly show a price of 200 Euro already during the fair.
At the start of the World Money Fair 2023, the new official Berlin Panda can be purchased at the Kuenker booth. The selling price will be based on previous years. Despite the rapid sell-out, the mintage has not been increased. The 1 Oz silver variant continues to have a mintage of 200 pieces and the 8-gram in silver was even reduced to 200 pieces.
At the last held coin fair in 2020, there were 500 pieces of each of the two Panda Show Medals. The 2020 Show Panda circulation was too high for existing collector demand, so less was minted in 2022 and this resulted in a huge increase in value. At the upcoming fair we have again a further reduced mintage contingent of both Show Pandas together and there will also not be the complete circulation available on site. In the US, major dealers are already reserving some of the 1 Oz silver medals and offering them for $400 after being graded by NGC. For collectors, another critical point is added, the Show Panda certainly draws the eye of one or the other visitor, who takes it as a souvenir of Berlin and thus deprives the market. The sharp increase in price also attracted the attention of some dealers who, if it were possible, would also buy up the whole circulation. I guess that many collectors might go empty-handed already on the opening day of the World Money Fair and that online auctions will quickly show a price of 200 Euro already during the fair.
2. World Money Fair Panda 2023 Minting Details
The official and licensed World Money Fair 2023 Show Panda was minted in the Shanghai New Century Minting Co., which stands for the highest standard and excellent quality characteristics. Many different Show Pandas have already been commissioned here and can of course be graded by NGC. The First Strike Ceremony took place on the 9th of December 2022. The multiple Coin of the Year Award-winning and renowned panda artist Yu Min crafted the World Money Fair Show Panda 2023 design. The publisher of the 2023 Show Panda is the Chinese auction house Champion Auction. The Show Panda will be released in gold, silver and copper gilt. The fineness of the precious metals is 99.9% in each case. The total circulation with the different variants has reduced significantly compared to the previous year. The 50-gram issues in gold and silver will be available for purchase from GovMint, a dealer in the United States of America. The medals will be graded by NGC and offered at a slightly higher selling price. Considering previous years, a quick sellout is again expected here. At the World Money Fair 2023, the 8-gram and 1 Oz silver version will be available at the booth of the auction house Kuenker at the first release price. The Show Panda medals in copper gilt, in 1 Oz gold and with 16 grams of silver as piedfort, are available directly at Champion Auction. In addition to the circulation numbers shown in the table, up to a maximum of five sample mintings will be produced for each variant. The official start of the sale for the World Money Fair Berlin Show Panda Medal 2023 is set to the 3rd of February 2023, 10:00 am.
3. Obverse - World Money Fair Panda 2023
On the obverse are two cute pandas. In the background is the German forest with its many different types of trees. The depicted scene is framed on both sides by a wooden gate built in Chinese architectural style. On the upper part of the medal there is a Chinese lantern in the middle of the gate, which has a hologram effect. On this lantern is written "Happy rabbit year" and also imprinted is a Chinese symbol that means "rabbit". The rabbit is the fourth animal in the 12-year cycle of the Chinese lunar calendar. The Chinese Year of the Rabbit with the element of water begins on the 22nd of January 2023. Many European collectors first become aware of the Chinese calendar at all through the annually changing lunar coins.
Who views the medal, looks through the gates as if in a distant and fabulous world.
On the motive the two Chinese pandas live in the German forest and thereby symbolically represent a connection and a deep friendship of both cultures. The panda on the right side curiously explores his environment with full joy and learns a lot of new things. The panda on the left side is open-hearted and playful. He discovers the Chinese lantern and tries to touch it with his paws. He directs the viewer's gaze to the Chinese New Year lantern and thereby expresses a part of Chinese culture, here at this point with the particularly important New Year Festival that this year is under the sign of the rabbit. In the lower part of the medal is the writing "Commemorative Panda Berlin Special Exhibit" in Chinese and English for the occasion of issue.
4. Reverse - World Money Fair Panda 2023
The reverse depicts the Pergamon Altar, which is located in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin. The bust of Eumenes II, King of Pergamon, is depicted as an ancient coin and was gilded on the Show-Panda-Medal.
Two olive wreaths are depicted in the background, representing a special honor or distinction, especially here for a victorious and successful king. The official logo of the World Money Fair is found on the right side, as well as the words "World Money Fair Berlin" which are repeated in Chinese. At the bottom of the medal is the date of issue "2023".
1) Pergamon Museum
The museum is located in the district of Berlin Mitte. It belongs to the building ensemble of the Museum Island and is thus a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The museum was commissioned by Emperor Wilhelm II and designed by Alfred Messel in the neoclassical style from 1907 to 1909. The construction lasted from 1910 to 1930, as it was delayed by the First World War and the inflation of 1922/1923. The three-wing building is home to the Collection of Classical Antiquities with the Pergamon Altar, the Museum of the Ancient Near East with the Ishtar Gate of Babylon, and the Museum of Islamic Art. The Pergamon Museum is currently closed for extensive renovation work, which is scheduled to be completed in the first quarter of 2023. Annually, the museum records over 800,000 visitors.
2) King Eumenes II
Eumenes II, born 221 BC, died 158 B.C., was king of Pergamon from 197 BC until his death. As a confederate he supported the Roman Empire in the war against the Seleucid king Antiochos III. In the peace of Apameia he received almost the whole Seleucid Asia Minor up to the Taurus. With the help of the Roman Empire, Eumenes II won victories against the Galatians, King Prusias I of Bithynia, and the Macedonian king Perseus.
Under Eumenes II, the great benefactor, the Pergamene Empire flourished. During his reign, Pergamon developed into a cultural center of the Hellenistic world. Pergamon was the seat of one of the most important libraries of the time and promoted Greek culture through foundations to Athens, Delphi and Rhodes. Furthermore, Eumenes II endowed the victory festival of Nikephoria and ordered the erection of the monumental Pergamon Altar.
3) Pergamon Altar
The Pergamon Altar is a monumental altar and, according to the latest findings, was erected between 166 B.C. and 156 B.C. under Eumenes II on the castle hill of the Asia Minor city of Pergamon. The altar did not result as a concrete event from a military victory, but was rather a general victory mark of the Pergamans and of Eumenes II over the Gauls, the Seleucids and the Macedonians. The reconstruction of the Pergamon Altar with the original friezes can be seen in the specially built Pergamon Museum in Berlin. The altar was originally 35.46 meters wide and had a depth of 33.40 meters. The width of the staircase to the altar measured almost 20 meters. On the high relief of the pedestal is depicted the battle of the giants against the Greek gods. A frieze on the courtyard walls tells the legend of Telephos, the mythical founder of Pergamon, in a cycle of reliefs. In 1878, Carl Humann began excavating the altar fundament and the altar friezes. The Turkish government approved a transfer of the found fragments to Berlin. The thousands of individual pieces were reassembled by restorers in Berlin. Individual smaller frieze pieces are still in Turkey. The Pergamon Altar is the most famous exhibit in the Collection of Classical Antiquities on the Museum Island. The already gigantic Pergamon Altar itself does not represent an independent temple, but was probably the altar for the Temple of Athena. The form of the presentation of sacrifices can only be conjectured. Perhaps thighs of sacrificial animals could have been burned or the altar served for the offering of sacrifices in the form of incense, fruit and wine. It should be said that the Pergamon Altar still poses a riddle to researchers today. Until today, no fundamental theory had been accepted about the builder, the date of construction, the occasion and the purpose of the altar. The Pergamon Altar was most likely colorfully painted in ancient times.
A passage of John's Revelation refers to the Pergamon Altar, which is here even supposed to stand for the throne of Satan. The shape of the altar perhaps makes one think of a large throne with armrests.
The Pergamon Altar is considered by many scientists to be the eighth wonder of the ancient world, and here they agree with the Roman writer Lucius Ampelius. In his notebook, in the section on the wonders of the world, he mentioned the marble altar of Pergamon, with a height of 40 feet, large sculptures and the battle of the Greek gods led by Zeus, the father of the gods, with the giants.
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