February 6, 2014 – The 43rd Annual New York International Numismatic Convention (NYINC), scheduled for January 3-11, 2015 at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, located at 301 Park Avenue, between 49th and 50th Streets, has a sold out bourse, according to long time Bourse Chairman Kevin Foley, who said, “At our just concluded 42nd Annual NYINC we had 130 of the leading dealers in world and ancient numismatics with us as booth holders. All but three renewed their spaces prior to departing from the show and those three booths have now been assigned to dealers who had been patiently standing by on our waiting list. This is very typical of the NYINC, i.e. an at the show renewal and commitment by 98%+ of our booth holders for the following year’s event. New dealers can have a perplexingly long wait to gain one of our coveted bourse slots and when they do, they come back year after year. There is quite simply a certain magic about the NYINC. Collectors know that they can interact and do business with dealers who they just can’t find at any other convention in the United States. From the perspective of the booth holders, they know that the typical NYINC attendee is really serious in their collecting and acquisition interests. As a result, dealers will hold back special items to first offer at the NYINC and buyers will make a point of coming for the opportunities that they are likely to find in our bourse area. It just seems to really work for everybody.”
Foley added, “But a truly world class bourse is just one part of our formula. We have slightly more than an entire week of specialty auctions, in 2015 from the Sunday prior to the Thursday, January 8 move in by our bourse dealers, through the Sunday evening just after the close of the bourse. Our multiple auction houses making official presentations are Heritage; Classical Numismatic Group; a cooperative troika consisting of M&M Numismatics, Dmitry Markov and Baldwin’s, as well as Stack’s-Bowers-Ponterio; Gemini Auctions and Kolbe & Fanning Book Sellers. Between our bourse area and our eight days of auctions, just about anything one can imagine in the areas of world and ancient numismatics is likely to be found at the NYINC. Our event is sort of an F.A.O. Schwartz for adults, a real wonderland of historical artifacts and collectable items related to world and ancient numismatics.”
He continued, “Since coming to the Waldorf for the first time in 2002 after the destruction of our previous site, the World Trade Center, the Waldorf-Astoria has become very much a part of our identity. Just sitting in the lobby any evening when our auction viewing, our auctions or our bourse are in progress, can be like a literal who’s who experience for collectors. Many of the most prominent players in the world and ancient fields can be seen strolling through the Waldorf lobby on their way to dinner – or perhaps more accurately, scurrying to their next meeting with a client or numismatic professional. The action at the NYINC just never seems to stop. Deals are always going on, whether in the privacy of a Waldorf-Astoria room, in a quiet corner of our 18th floor meeting room level, over dinner at a nearby restaurant or in the bourse area itself. The NYINC is a near 24/7 experience for those who come, whether as buyers or sellers.”
Bourse Chairman Foley then added, “But the NYINC isn’t just about buying and selling. It is very much a learning experience for all who come. On the Saturday when our bourse is in session – in 2015, January 10 – we’ll have a full day of club and society meetings sponsored by various collector groups. These meetings always feature some particularly fascinating talks by recognized researchers and authors in the specialty area that the meeting sponsor focuses on. There can be almost an academic overload on Saturday. The talks are always just plain really good and typically spark a desire to learn even more on the part of the attendees.”
The Waldorf-Astoria event site will be offering a considerable range of rate choice for NYINC attendees in 2015. Rooms without breakfast included can be booked by calling the hotel at (212) 355-3000 and mentioning rate code “NYZ”. Choices include: Duluxe Queen accommodations for $289, single or double; Superior King rooms for $319; Superior Double/Doubles for $319; Luxury King rooms for $359; One Bedroom King Suites at $389; One Bedroom Luxury Suites at $859 and Waldorf Towers Kings for $449. Those citing rate code “NYA” will be able to avail themselves of a Deluxe Queen with breakfast for $314 single or $339 double; a Superior King for $344 single or $369 double; a Superior Double/Double for $344 single or $369 double; a Luxury King for $384 single or $409 double or a One Bedroom King Suite for $414 single or $439 double. The regular menu price of the breakfast included under rate code “NYA” is $52 per individual.
Bourse Chairman Foley also said, “The Waldorf for 2015 is also including complimentary in room internet access for guests under our room block. The normal charge for this is $18.95 per day, so this is an especially valuable enhancement for our attendees. It needs to be remembered, however, that for the free in room internet access to apply, the reservation needs to be actually entered under our room block at our “NYZ” or “NYA” rate codes”.
Foley added a warning about the reservation process. “Every year I receive reports that outside sources contact our booth holders, represent that they are either part of the NYINC or of the Waldorf and offer to make reservations for our people. Neither the NYINC nor the Waldorf has authorized anyone to contact our booth holders for the purpose of assisting them with their reservations. Such contacts should be viewed with suspicion and may constitute an effort to obtain confidential financial information, such as credit card numbers, expiration dates or security codes. Our attendees should always call the Waldorf directly at (212) 355-3000 to ensure that their reservation will be properly entered and that unpleasant surprises will not surface at a later date.”
Although the NYINC bourse area for 2015 is sold out, dealers specializing in world or ancient numismatics can be added to the waiting list by e-mailing Bourse Chairman Kevin Foley and providing full contact information, including personal and business name, mailing address, phone and FAX numbers, as well as a brief summary of the focus of their dealing activities.
More complete information about the NYINC is available on the convention’s website. The preliminary Schedule of Events can be found there, as well as a listing of booth holders, contact information for the official NYINC auction companies, in addition to the auction lot viewing and auction session schedules.