Let’s start with the first question that may come to mind when you see “ANDA Money Expo Review” and that’s quite possibly “What on Earth is a Money Expo and why would I want to attend?”. The ANDA (Australasian Numismatic Dealers Association) is the professional body representing individuals and businesses that deal in rare coins & banknotes throughout Australasia. They abide by both a Constitution and Code of Ethics, both of which are designed to promote, develop and maintain a high standard of moral ethics in all business dealings for members and the public. In summary, ANDA is a group of highly regarded coin, banknote and stamp dealers who are both trustworthy and reputable.
The position of organising the iconic ANDA Money Expos is a role which I am truly grateful to be able to fill. It was actually just a few short years ago that I was begging my employer at the time (Ken Downie) for the opportunity to represent Downies at the Melbourne Money Expo. Ken relented and
later acknowledged that it appeared as though “Matt would have probably crawled over broken glass just to be at this expo”.
It was at that first Money Expo I realised how vast the array of Australian coin and banknote dealers truly was. To wander around the event and have the
opportunity to interact with so many experts from all over the country was both overwhelming and exciting for someone who was full of enthusiasm and very limited experience in the industry.
In the years to follow I had the privilege to attend a Money Expo in each of the 4 states (VIC, QLD,
NSW and WA) and experience the excitement and enthusiasm of collectors from across the country. So naturally, in 2019 when the role of Show Organiser became available I put my best foot forward and fortunately, managed to secure the position.
So now that you have a little more insight as to who I am, let’s continue the journey together as I offer you the first of many Money Expo reviews where we take a look at the good, the bad and anything of note in between!
The 2023 Brisbane Money Expo was the first to be held at the Queensland Sports and Athletics Centre. Any time a new venue is introduced there are many factors that need to be taken into consideration for the hosting of these events. Several committee meetings and an untold amount of emails and phone calls resulted in what we had hoped would be a suitable and appropriate home for the Brisbane Money Expos moving forward.
Source: ANDA Money Expo [at Brisbane Money Expo]
The venue was a resounding hit for both dealers and collectors with excellent service from venue staff and a quality cafe serving up coffees that even a Melbourne coffee snob such as myself could truly enjoy! The room managed to successfully hold the significant crowd on Saturday morning and provided a very pleasant atmosphere as the event progressed.
I was also delighted to receive positive feedback on my carefully curated “ANDA Show” playlist which played over the speakers throughout the duration of the event. I’ve always been a firm believer that you can’t have a great event without some great music to complement it!
Prior to taking on the role of Show Organiser my impression of organising a coin show of this scale effectively amounted to “set up a few tables and chairs, how hard could it be?”. I will let you in on a fun fact now, it can be exceptionally stressful and difficult! There are many moving parts to these events including security, interstate freight logistics, storage, catering, PA equipment, crowd control, show products, mailing lists, door prizes, volunteers and of course the ANDA members.
Now I don’t want you to interpret this in any way shape or form as Matt having a whinge about his role as I can assure you that it still remains a dream job for me and I take great pride in facilitating what I believe to be the best numismatic events in the country on an annual basis. It’s just a much more complicated process than positioning tables and chairs in a room.
Saturday morning arrived and as expected there was a large crowd of collectors eager to get into the event and get their hands on the limited edition PNCs which were limited to 500 of each. The PNCs for this event were AC/DC Flick of the Switch as well as Black Ice in addition to the Creatures of the Deep. There was also a 1oz Silver Kookabura in a presentation card which featured a Brolga Privymark. These were limited to 2,000 in total.
The event was quite busy on Saturday morning and I often encourage anyone who is wanting to spend a little more time conversing with dealers
to avoid the initial burst of collectors first thing on Saturday morning as by lunch time the event had calmed down and there was much greater scope for interacting with the myriad of dealers in attendance. A number of attendees were also pleased to have been able to sell their collections at the event as a number of the dealers were actively buying a variety of material at the show.
Sunday, which was also Mother’s Day, was a much more subdued day and allowed for plenty of dealers to relax a little and I know of a few great deals which were snapped up by astute collectors on this day which is always great to see at these shows.
Sunday also appeared to be a popular day for fastidious collectors who were in search of particular coins whether they be ancient, sovereigns or something else entirely. I had a number of conversations with enthusiastic collectors who were delighted to be able to browse through such an incredibly diverse range of items at the show which
is a very positive refiection on the breadth of dealers in attendance. Everyone from the $2 coin collector to the high end rarity investor was presented with a stunning array of choice at the event.
Another aspect of the show which was quite positively received was the PCGS submission centre being run by Imperial Coins which never seemed to be without an eager collector submitting their prized coins for grading.
In conclusion, the Brisbane Money Expo was a great success, and we are already planning for next year’s event to be even bigger and better. We are confident that the event will continue to grow in popularity and we are hoping to have the attendance of the Perth Mint and Royal Australian Mint at future events which will be sure to be a hit with collectors.
Overall, the event was a testament to the passion and dedication of collectors and investors who share a love of numismatics. It was an honour to be a part of the event, and we look forward to continuing to support and promote the study and collection ofcoins and banknotes.