In Munich in 1971, the then
editor-in-chief of the international specialist magazine “Münzen- Revue”
A.-M. Beck, together with seven organizers of European coin bourses, founded OEMB,
the Organisation of European Coin Bourses. Among the association’s fundamental
targets and regulations were the coordination of event dates and admission conditions,
mutual support, a marketing union and common standards regarding the rejection
of forgeries or imitations at bourses.
From
a coin bourse to the World Money Fair
The first international event
organized according to the OEMB guidelines was held on January 22, 1972 in Basel.
The event stuck to the concept of classical coin bourses, same as all other events
in the following 10 years, of which the Basel Bourse proved to be the most popular
in terms of attendance. While general interest in numismatics and the number of
powerful coin collectors continued to grow year by year, a fundamental defect
of a mere coin bourse became apparent. What had hitherto been missing was direct
contact between international mints and the strong European collector market.
The time was ripe for an integrative concept of a trade fair as a professional
forum for presentation and marketing, a platform for worldwide dialogue, a top-class
marketplace, but also as a meeting space where experts from mints and the supplying
industry could communicate with each other.
The
Royal Canadian Mint ventured to take the first step!
On the occasion
of the 10th anniversary of the Coin Bourse in Switzerland, on 31.01/01.02.1981,
the Royal Canadian Mint was the first state mint of the world to take part in
an international coin bourse. Besides showcasing their coin assortment, the Canadians
provided general information about their country, presented the work of their
mints and, in front of a keenly interested audience of experts, demonstrated the
process of minting a coin. It was an outstanding success, and in the following
years further state mints and coin distributors enrolled for the first international
specialist fair dedicated to numismatics. After the USA and Portugal, in 1984
the GDR was the World Money Fair’s guest of honor, followed by China, Mexico
and many other countries from all over the world. Today, more than 50 nations
participate in the world’s biggest numismatic fair.
Showcasing
coin novelties
Interest in the yearly press conferences where coins,
numismatic novelties and technical innovations are presented has been growing
steadily. Today these events are attended by around 500 guests. Meanwhile, the
Media Forum, as an integral part of the World Money Fair has become established
as the leading marketing platform for coin producers and the supplying industry.
And since the Technical Forum was launched in 2005, the Fair also comprises an
independent conference section open only to professionals of the minting industry.
From
Basel to Berlin!
From 1972 to 1998, on the way from a classical coin
bourse to becoming a European coin fair, the Basel event was a pure family business.
By setting up a public company in 1999, the basis for further development was
laid. The World Money Fair has established itself as a neutral and international
trade fair of numismatics in Europe, aiming at collectors, dealers and coin.
By
moving from Basel to Berlin, the World Money Fair has positioned itself in the
heart of Europe’s strongest coin market. Berlin’s Estrel Convention
Center provides a perfect venue where the international visitors are invited to
take part in an ambitious combination of presentations, conferences, meetings
and trade, professionally set up on spacious, generously designed floors. Every
year, over 270 international exhibitors and about 13,000 visitors make use of
this unique fair program to exchange views and experiences, to trade coins or
feel the fascination of the medieval craft performed by historic and modern engravers
and coiners.
