May 19, 2011 – The first major Singapore coin show held in over 10 years proved to be an unqualified success. The 3-day Singapore International Coin Fair (May 6-8) attracted over 1,500 visitors on the first day, when a long line formed before the doors opened, nearly 4,000 on day two, and about 2,500 attendees on the closing day. Even though the show was scheduled to close at 6 PM, hours were extended to 7 PM every day – to allow the crush of people to complete their business with the over 40 dealers and mints attending. SICF 2011 was organized by Panda America, with the support of Numismatic Society (Asia) and the Singapore Coins and Notes Museum.
Dealers and mints were unanimous in their praise of the show. Mr. Chen Zichuan, the Chairman of China Gold Coin Incorporation, remarked that “next year we will have to bring even more staff to handle the large crowds and overwhelming demand.” Mr. Anthony Williams of Sunshine Minting International (Shanghai) Co. Ltd. was an exhibitor who was amazed by the crowd, mentioning to Panda America President Peter Yeung that “all of my brochures were taken within the first day – I even had customers offering to buy a brochure! Mr. Anthony Lee, owner of Hong Kong New Century Coins & Bank Notes, said he was “so busy I didn’t have time to leave the booth, to eat lunch or even go to the bathroom – there was that much activity!” And IIan Shaya of the Israel Coins & Medals Corporation was overheard saying that he had sold out of every bullion coin he had brought to the show, and was forced to sell his samples to meet demand. After he sold his samples, Mr. Shaya ended up cutting out pictures of his coins from pamphlets and putting them in place of the coins in the showcase.
The following mints and central banks had booths at SICF 2011: Banco de Mexico, China Gold Coin Inc., Israel Coins and Medals Corp., The Royal Mint, The Singapore Mint, and South African Mint Company. In addition, representatives of the following mints and central banks attended: The Royal Canadian Mint, The Perth Mint, The Royal Australia Mint, Central Bank of Russian Federation (Bank of Russia), and The Spanish Mint.
Kitty Quan, CEO of Panda America, Peter Yeung, President of Panda America, HRH the Crown Princess of Pahang, Malaysia, Princess Azizah Iskandar, and her attendants. The Crown Princess attended SICF 2011 to have her gold coins appraised (left to right)
Although they did not have bourse tables, 20 dealers who had traveled from Shanghai spent the weekend roaming the fair, actively buying modern Chinese coins. By the end of the show they were spotted looking exhausted, with all of their money spent and their suitcases completely full.
SICF 2011 also allowed for numerous private meetings between dealers and mints, old and new friends – and over 150 participants gathered for a banquet on Friday night, hosted by Peter Yeung, President of Panda America, that lasted until the wee hours of the morning.
Almost all of this year’s participants have already confirmed their attendance at SICF 2012 scheduled for March. Additional interested dealers and mints are invited to contact Peter Yeung, President, Panda America, 3460 Torrance Blvd., Suite 100, Torrance, CA 90503; for sending an email, click here.