The Sberatel Fair will host dozens of numismatic companies in Prague
Sberatel.info
25. August, 2023
The Vatican will offer collectors the opportunity to start collecting the new issue of the “Jubilee Cross” exclusively at the fair, while the Czech Mint will start selling its new investment coin before it is available in shops. Several dozen numismatic companies from all over the world, many of them for the first time, are coming to Prague for the fair, which takes place from 8 to 9 September.
The Vatican Mint and Postal Administration will present a new coin issue called the “Jubilee Cross” at the Sberatel Fair. The series comprises six €10 bimetallic, silver and copper square coins in proof versions that will characterise the next three years leading up to the “Jubilee 2025”.
It is the next in a series of so-called Holy Years following the Great Jubilee of the Holy Year 2000. Its celebration periodically after 25 years has been established since the Holy Year of 1450. In this context, the current Pope Francis has called the faithful to “a journey of communion and participation for renewal and rebirth.”
And it is the Pope’s words that the Vatican Mint says will inspire the six themes of the entire series, each of which will be portrayed by a different artist. The numismatic program includes the issuance of two coins per year, from 2023 to 2025, with the following themes: ‘Year 2023: Indulgence and Solidarity’, ‘Year 2024: Universal Fraternity and Prayer’ and ‘Year 2025: Conversion and the Beauty of Creation’.
The coins can be reserved directly at the fair for all three years, with the first piece of the series being shipped to customers in December. With the first pair of coins, collectors will also receive a special case as a gift in which they can store their entire collection. Once complete, a symbolic “Jubilee Cross” will be created.
A special “anti-adhesion” treatment, developed by technicians at the Italian Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato (State Mint), allows the coins to be preserved without the need to put them in traditional capsules. For this reason, a special protective cloth will also be placed inside the case for proper preservation and cleaning of the coins.
The total price of the complete case with the set of six coins will be EUR 396, and the mintage will be limited to 9,999 pieces.
The Czech Mint will premiere a new form of its successful investment coin, the Czech Lion with Hologram, at the collectors’ fair.
The coin with the hologram will be available for exclusive purchase directly at the fair at the Czech Mint’s stand. Its sale will be launched on the Czech Mint’s e-shop and in its shops after the fair.
The “Czech Lion” investment coins have been minted since 2017, when they premiered at the Sberatel Fair, and during that time they have been popular with investors in the Czech Republic and abroad.
The Czech Lion has thus joined the ranks of traditional investment coins such as the Austrian Wiener Philharmoniker, the Canadian Maple Leaf, the South African Krugerrand, the American Eagle, the Chinese Panda or the Australian Kangaro. While these are minted in the millions, the Czech Lion coins are minted in the hundreds or thousands. This increases its investment potential and adds a collectible dimension.
Several dozen dealers in coins, medals, banknotes and investment precious metals from all over the world are participating in this year’s Sberatel.
The Czech market, whose total annual volume is around half a billion crowns, is attractive for numismatic dealers. “In the Czech Republic we have one of the strongest and most stable markets within the EU. This is mainly due to the long tradition and interest of new collectors or investors,” says Petr Kovaljov, who represents Künker, the largest numismatic auction house on the German market, on the Czech market.
The 26th edition of the International Sberatel Fair is the largest gathering of collectors in Central and Eastern Europe. Every year, 230 exhibitors from 35 countries and almost 10,000 visitors participate in the fair, where they can buy stamps, coins, medals, banknotes, postcards, historical securities and other collector’s material.
Alongside the Sberatel Fair, the Minerals and Gemstones Fair is taking place at the exhibition centre, and on Saturday 9 September, an event aimed at collectors of gramophone records and music memorabilia, the Vinyl & Stereo Expo.
A complete list of exhibitors can be found here.
Red, photo: Vatican Mint, Czech Mint and Sberatel Fair
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