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ISSN 1212-8945
E-ZINE CONCERNING PHILATELY AND OTHER COLLECTING INTERESTS
http://www.japhila.cz/

FAIR COLLECTOR PRAGUE 2004:
RECORD BROKEN ONCE AGAIN!

Reklama:

Svaz českých filatelistů  

   Every year the number of exhibitors and visitors rises at the international trade fair Collector in Prague. This year’s seventh annual event, which was held from 10th to 12th September was no exception. A record number of 220 exhibitors from 34 countries came to the trade fair, and 12 thousand visitors came.

The trade fair moved to a different hall on the Prague Exhibition Grounds which is one thousand square metres larger than the hall where it had been held before. The exhibitors thus occupied a gross area of 4700 m2. This year, women had free admission to the trade fair for the first time.

In the field of philately, post offices from Belorussia, Cyprus, France, the Russian Federation, Austria and Switzerland exhibited for the first time, as did Filatelie Podskalský from Prague and Album Michal Zika from Bratislava, Laurent Salera from France, Vojta & Peters from Austria, Paul Wijnants Philately from Belgium, and the German traders Briefmarken Finger, Briefmarkenhandel Kannenbäckerland, Briefmarken dr.Rohde + Kornatz, Trinoga Briefmarken and Zwirello Briefmarken.
Some of those in the field of numismatics who visited Prague for the first time were the mints of Hungary, Portugal, Austria and Singapore, the firm Marvin Spa from San Marino, Numismatica Notafilia Diamantino from Portugal, Auktionen Meister & Sonntag, MDS Münzlogistik, Mietens & Partner and Numiscom from Germany and Filip Stefanov from Finland.

For the first time this year, the field of minerals and precious stones was enriched by the exhibitors Baltic Amber from Lithuania, Szabolcs Somogyi from Hungary, the firm Real Gems from the German city of Idar-Oberstein, and the Czech traders Luboš Poděbradský, Jiří Špalek and Mine Art.

This year the field of telephone cards also welcomed for the first time the firm Sirius from Germany, Marc Mortelsman from Belgium, Husamettin Atik from Turkey, Tamara Boban from Croatia, the Association of Telephone Card Collectors and Sebastien Barri from Japan and telephone card collectors from South Africa.

At the 7th International Trade Fair of postage stamps, coins, telephone cards, minerals and collecting, there were exhibits from postal administrations, mints, traders and collectors from Australia, Belgium, Belorussia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, the Netherlands, Croatia, Ireland, Japan, South Africa, Canada, Cyprus, Lithuania, Latvia, Hungary, Germany, Poland, Portugal, Austria, Romania, Russia, Greece, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Turkey, Great Britain and the United Nations.

The trade fair was accompanied by many events which pleased the visitors. For example, the collector Ludvík Pytlíček exhibited unique items from global philately. The author and engraver of postage stamps, Rudolf Cigánik, presented his work at the trade fair and held an autograph signing session for visitors. The Curiosity Collectors Club also organised an autograph signing session of famous people at the trade fair. Sunday was declared UN Day at Collector, when the Czech Post Office franked consignments with a special rubber stamp bearing the United Nations emblem.

At the trade fair, a free advice service of specialists in the field of philately, numismatics, telephone cards, minerals, precious stones and other non-traditional fields of collecting was available. Children at Collector underwent a so-called preparatory course for future collectors where they were acquainted with the magic of collecting.
For the first time in three years, the organisers carried out a survey of visitors. The results are still being processed, but even now it is possible to state that the proportion of visitors from abroad has increased significantly, especially in terms of visitors from Slovakia, Poland, Austria and the new German federal states.

This year was also the first of a new project which ran at the same time as the trade fair Collector - the trade fair Antiquariat Prague, in which eleven second-hand book dealers from the Czech Republic and one from the USA participated. Despite the fact that the start of Antiquariat Prague was modest, the new trade fair has all the right conditions for it to grow significantly next year.

The seventh annual Collector trade fair has finished. The eighth annual event will take place in Prague on the dates 16th -18th September 2005.

Survey of visitors to trade fair Collector 2004

A survey was carried out at Collector which was intended to show the current composition of visitors. The survey was carried out on all days of the trade fair on a sample of 271 randomly selected visitors.
From the survey it emerged that 48.3% of visitors were from Prague, 36.9% were from outside Prague, and 14.8% were from abroad. This means that an average of one in seven visitors to the trade fair came from abroad. There has been a significant increase in foreign visitors since 2002, when a similar survey was conducted.
(Note: 48% of all exhibitors were from abroad this year!)
For 32.1% of visitors, one day at the trade fair was insufficient, and they visited more than once. Thus every third visitor was at the trade fair for at least two days.
87.8% of visitors were satisfied with the offer (in 2002 it had been 85%).

At the trade fair, the greatest interest was in philately and postcards (32.5%), coins and medals (22.2%), minerals and precious stones (12.2%), historical picture postcards (8.9%), telephone cards (8.7%), gems made of precious stones (4.3%) and banknotes (3.3%). 7.9 % of visitors came to the trade fair for other fields of collecting.
In answer to the question as to how you rate the trade fair Collector in comparison with other collecting trade fairs and exchanges which you know, 24% of visitors said Collector is the best, 31% said it is better, 41.7% said it is the same, and 3.3% said it is worse.
84.9% of visitors will return to Collector next year, and 14% have not yet decided. Only a mere 1.1.% of this year’s visitors will not return.
The fair was visited by 12,155 visitors.

What they said about Collector 2004

“This trade fair is a positive event, and we are pleased that we can participate in it, because a great offer of coins is presented here. And it is the very breadth of the offer that gives Collector a leading position amongst trade fairs in this field.”
Mrs. Jana Repčoková, Mint Kremnica, Slovakia

“If I can start with Prague, it is a beautiful city and is becoming one of the centres of Europe. And so I am glad that this trade fair is held in Prague, where it is possible to make the necessary contacts for our collecting activity.”
Mr. Barrio Sebastien, Japan Telephone Card, Japan

"Offering philatelic material in the environment of this trade fair also requires dignified conditions for its presentation, and we have such conditions at Collector. We feel good here. We are surprised at the genuine rather than feigned interest that the people have. It truly is a trade fair of people enthusiastic about an interesting hobby. It is true that I face competition, but that is part of every large event.”
Mr. Mirijan Kuhelj, Philatel d.o.o., Croatia

"This trade fair addresses people who don’t go to auctions. This expands the view of numismatics and the other fields of collecting present at Collector. And this trade fair also makes sense for us in that it raises the profile of our firm, our shop."
Mr. František Křesťan, Aurea Numismatika, Czech Republic

“We are glad that this trade fair is international, but we will be pleased if even more foreign exhibitors are represented here in the years to come."
Mr. George Pastellis, Cyprus Post, Cyprus

"We will definitely return next year. This is our first time here, and we don’t regret it. Collectors discovered our stand on the very first day and showed great interest in commemorative coins in particular. We weren’t bothered that we didn’t sell some coins right away. And could I venture my most favourable impression? You have many collectors in the Czech Republic – people who spend their free time actively. And if it gives them an opportunity to meet, to make contacts, to exchange experience, it goes beyond the meaning of one trade fair, and it is a positive social event."
Mrs. Zsuzsanna Astalos, Hungarian Mint, Hungary

“We would like to thank you for the kind support which we received from you at the trade fair. We were very pleased to participate in this trade fair.“
Mrs. Conceicao Coimbra, Imprensa Nacional Casa da Moeda, Portugal

„Ahoj!I hope Sberatel 2004 was a success for you. I enjoyed the show and want to return in 2005. Please reserve for me - if possible - the same stand as this year.“
Mr.Trevor Pateman, Great Britain
„Progres Partners? A good unit apparently. Congratulations.“
Mr. Jiří Stošek, Filatelie Hobby Praha, Czech Republic

Exhibitors according to countries:

Czech Republic 114
from abroad 106

of that
Germany 22
Slovakia 9
Austria 5
Poland 5
Great Britain 4
Croatia 4
Bulgaria 4
Hungary 4
France 4
Russia 3
Australia 3
Lithuania 3
Portugal 3
Netherland 3
Switzerland 3
Japan 2
Belarus 2
Latvia 2
Greece 2
Finland 2
Belgium 2
Slovenia 2
South Africa 2
Romania 1
Bosna and Hercegovina 1
Canada 1
Singapore 1
San Marino 1
Turkey 1
USA 1
New Zealand 1
Cyprus 1
Ireland 1
United Nations 1

Dr. JINDŘICH JIRÁSEK

PROFILY:

  LADISLAV DVOŘÁČEK - František Beneš
  NEDOCEŇOVANÉ ZNÁMKY ČESKOSLOVENSKA - Jan Karásek
  LADISLAV FISCHMEISTER - František Beneš
  ENRICO STANKO VRÁZ & JOSEF KOŘENSKÝ, Břetislav Janík
  FRANCOIS FOURNIER - geniální padělatel ke škodě sběratelů, Břetislav Janík
  ARŠÍK "KDE DOMOV MůJ?", Peter Hoffmann, Švédsko
  JOSEF HERČÍK A 1. grafická společnost
  ONDRÁČEK Miloš, český grafik a rytec
  MISTŘI PERA: Pierre MAHÉ & Jean Baptista Phillip Constant MOENS
  DÍLA NĚMECKÝCH tvůrců na československých poštovních známkách
  LEXIKON českých a slovenských autorů a rytců poštovních známek
  KDO JE DĚVČÁTKO Z POŠTOVNÍ ZNÁMKY?, Karel Černý
  NĚMECKÉ MĚSTEČKO NA SLOVENSKÉM ARŠÍKU? Gerhard Batz
  MISTR JOSEF HERČÍK, IN MEMORIAM
  DÍKY, PANE MOENSI
  BOHUMIL HEINZ
  FILIP DE FERRARI - Pan Filatelista - Pan Ferrari

KONTAKT:

Inet since 17.05.1999 
Last edit: 03.10.2004
ISSN 1212-8945
© 1999-2004 BRETISLAV JANIK
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