Toronto Coin Expo Recap
It was great to be back behind the table for the Toronto Coin Expo this past weekend. Kudos to Jared Stapleton for running such a tight ship. Small touches like adequate power bars, the correct number of lamps and keys, snacks, and other niceties go a long way toward making the show enjoyable for those of us setting up. The Toronto Reference Library is a wonderful venue. The Geoffrey Bell Auctions team is also to be commended for their hard work in conjunction with the Expo.
I arrived in Toronto from Ottawa around 1:30pm, dropped my stuff off at the show, said hello to some friends I haven’t seen in years, then headed off to the Anndore House hotel. The hotel was conveniently located four blocks away and if not for the vinyl record player in place of a coffee maker and the lights turning on automatically in the middle of the night I would have said it was perfect. The hotel had a great little cafe and trendy, modern touches. I returned to the Toronto Reference Library at 5:30pm for Session One of the Geoffrey Bell auction, which began promptly at 6:00pm.
The sale of the Michael Joffre Collection of Canadian Historical Medals went fabulously well. With the exception of two lots that carried reserves, the sell-through rate was 100% and the total hammer price was within 0.2% of the catalogue estimate. Of course, like any auction there were a few bargains to be had and a few of the lots went for extremely strong prices. The sale of the Treaty 6 medal for $58,000 hammer to a phone bidder was incredibly exciting. Personally, it was a career highlight to have been involved in the cataloguing and sale of this collection, and it was a tremendous success for the consignor, auctioneer, and all of those lucky enough to walk away with something for their collections.
Dealer set-up began at 7:30am on Friday. I got to the bourse floor around 8:30am. Set-up was quick and easy, giving me a chance to walk the floor and pick up a few new pieces for my inventory. Doors opened to the public at 10:00am. There was considerable floor activity through early afternoon, after which things died down. Friday’s sales were steady and exceeded expectations. We closed up at 5:00pm and I headed back to the hotel for a brief respite before meeting up for dinner with an old friend (I highly recommend Sushi on Gerard next time you’re in Toronto’s east end).
Saturday was slower than Friday from the get-go. There were fewer people walking the floor, and from what I gathered from other dealers, fewer deals being done. After three intense days and with a four and a half hour drive ahead of me, I was just about done by 2:00pm, though I did stick around until the close of the show at 4:00pm. The drive back up the 401 listening to the Ezra Klein Show went by quickly, and I was happy to get back home soon after sunset.
From left: Jacob Lipson, Geoffrey Bell, Michael Joffre, Brian Bell, and Dawn Bell before the sale of the Michael Joffre Collection of Historical Medals. April 28, 2022.