The bi-annual Paris Coin and Collectibles Show will once again return to the Paris Fairgrounds on Sunday, February 4, 2024.
The winter event will run from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. inside the Exhibition Centre building and the cost of admission will be five dollars.
“There’s going to be the main collector items to buy like coins and bank notes, or people can also sell them to the dealers that are there,” said Jared Stapleton, owner of the Paris Coin Show. “The event will have over 40 dealers that will bring their wares, and people can wander around the show, talk with the dealers or buy and sell with them.”
The Paris Coin Show, formerly known as the Southwestern Ontario Numismatics (SWON) show, is a one-day event that has been running since 1996 and is always held on the first weekend of February, and again on the second weekend of August.
Stapleton, who owns Metro Coin and Banknote in Toronto, and also runs the Toronto Coin Expo, acquired the rights to the SWON show from Ted Bailey back in 2017 and has since kept the tradition alive.
“I call it ‘Canada’s best one day coin show,’ and it’s something I did not want to see fall to the side. I’m passionate about events for our numismatic community and it was very much a question of, ‘what can I do to support it?’” he said. “So this is how I support it, by giving people a safe place to talk, to buy, to sell, and to have a day with friends. It’s not just about me, it’s about the other dealers, it’s about the collectors, it’s about the industry and it’s about one of the oldest hobbies that we know of.”
Stapleton said that there are differences between a collectible coin, and one made for circulation, especially when it comes to its worth.
“With coins, you always try and get the best condition because people want a coin that is perfect. Let’s say it’s something like a 1949 silver dollar, the commemorative year; When it’s in your pocket and banging around, it gets worn down with knicks and stuff,” he said. “The difference in the price from an uncirculated one to a circulated one is huge. You could have circulated one which could be worth $20, and you can have an uncirculated one which could be $200 that year or even more if it’s really nice.”
He noted that finding something that is rare and unique is all part of the thrill.
“Sometimes we get something like a banknote and banknotes are paper, so they’re not going to survive a lot of abuse,” said Stapleton. “A popular banknote that we used to have in Canada was from the Molsons’ Bank and to get a really nice, uncirculated note from that bank is almost impossible and so we’re always hunting for something like that, something unique and different. It’s very thrilling.”
Stapleton encouraged those who are interested, serious collectors or not, to stop by and check it out on the day.
“If you have a few coins and you don’t know what they’re worth, you can come talk to any of the dealers, there’s no pressure and they’ll let you know what you have,” he said. “Come in with an open mind and just have a fun day.”
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
