The numbers tell the story of the success of the 2006 New York
International Numismatic Convention, held Jan. 12-15 at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City: A 34.5-percent increase in attendance from the previous year; a 21.6-percent increase in Early Bird attendance; and more than $15 million in auction sales.
?It was an incredibly active show, enhanced by the number of auctions,? said NYINC Bourse Chairman Kevin Foley.
Attendance for the show was 1,922, compared to 1,429 last year. There were 169 attendees who paid extra to attend Thursday?s Early Bird session in order to get first picks before the regular public hours on Friday. That compared to 139 in 2005.
Auctions were held by Heritage Galleries and Auctioneers, Classical Numismatic Group, Gemini LLC (Harlan J. Berk and Freeman & Sear), Dmitry Markov/Baldwin?s/M&M Numismatics and Ponterio & Associates.
Totals for the five auctions came to about $15.55 million, with 15-percent buyer?s fees included.
Heritage?s $3 million world coin sale saw an example of the first silver dollar of the New World sell for $375,000. The Mexico Carlos and Joanna eight reales was produced in 1538, two years after the Mexico Mint began operation.
Dealer Dmitry Markov said his $3.5 million auction, in conjunction with Baldwin?s of England and M&M Numismatics, included $2.2 million in Russian coins sold.
?I believe that is the largest single auction of Russian material ever done,? he said.
Ponterio & Associates did $1.6 million in sales and Harlan Berk said Gemini LLC, which he runs along with Freeman & Sear, had $1.85 million in sales (see story on Page 17).
?Our whole sale was strong,? Kent Ponterio said. ?There are more buyers in the market than sellers. A lot of new collectors have come in, and gold and silver are at a 20-year high.?
Floor activity was no slouch, either, with dealers reporting good sales, but difficulty buying new material.
