The room was even more packed than usual. In addition, for the first time Spink’s were table-holders. How much of an extra draw this was is not easy to say but it cannot have done any harm and I understand that they did good business.
This fair clashed with another on the Continent but, despite the misgivings of fair organisers in general, this made scarcely any difference, probably because collectors tend to collect from their own patch.
Saturday, March 12 saw the Spring Paris fair which was held, as always, at the convenient and central site of the Old Bourse. This is one of the two major fairs held here; the other is in October. In general the autumn fair is considered the more successful. Perhaps people are horticulturally minded at this time of year.
Here the attendance was good and the large room was very crowded. It is becoming an increasingly international event. The reason for this, I speculate, is that the advent of several new countries in the European Union has made things easier. For all that, it appears that private customers were a tad thin on the ground.
Things are not helped by the confusion arising both from the lack of harmony among the antiquity laws of some countries, but also, worse, some officials remain unclear as to just what the rules are. For this reason it behoves one to have one’s paperwork in some sort of order.
The Paris fair was particularly convenient as the following day saw a fair at Antwerp, which is an easy train journey from Paris.
London proves active after all in the springtime
The London Coin Fair (Frances & Howard Simmons) took place on February 5. Of the three of these fairs each year this one is not expected to be the most active. This time the reverse applied.
