Currency collectors expected to turn out for coin, stamp fair

THE first instalment of what is hoped to become a recurrent event for numismatics and philately enthusiasts in Ballarat will take place tomorrow.

The Western Money Fair, a project of the Geelong Numismatic Society, will be held at the St Patricks Cathedral Church Hall in Lyons Street from 10am to 3pm.

More than 20 dealers from throughout Victoria will gather at the hall to buy and sell Australian and international coins, banknotes, stamps, accessories, collectibles and more.

Entry will be $2 at the door.

According to event manager Philip Richards, a former society president, interest in numismatics is “huge”.

“Coins go back a long, long way, even before Jesus Christ was a pup,” he said, adding that many people collected items such as ancient coins, pre-decimal coins and more – some worth many thousands of dollars.

‘Error’ coins – coins with flaws or defects on them – are also worth thousands.

Richards said an example was a 20-cent piece with the platypus on it: on some, the platypus has four claws and on others it has five.

He said a lot of enthusiasts practised ‘noodling’, which is buying rolls of coins and going through them in the hope of discovering a defect on a coin or one with an error in it.

Errors and defects were still being discovered, he said, including on the coloured $1 and $2 coins in circulation.

Richardson organises bimonthly fairs in Geelong and western Melbourne, and decided to schedule one in Ballarat after moving to the city late last year.

“I thought I’d give Ballarat a go, see how it works out,” he said. “If it goes well I’ll do more of them.”

Richards said he was hoping for a large turnout tomorrow and knew that many people have been spreading the word about the event.

“There’s a lot of collectors in Ballarat,” he said.

The Western Money Fair’s website is westernmoneyfair.com.au and its Facebook page is at facebook.com/westernmoneyfair