This fall’s Toronto Coin Expo, scheduled for Oct. 2-3 in the Ontario capital, is cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite the show cancellation, organizers “will be actively assisting and promoting Geoffrey Bell Auctions (GBA) as they move forward with their online sales that have proven so popular in the absence of physical shows,” according to a joint statement issued by show organizer Jared Stapleton and GBA auctioneer Brian Bell, who hosts a sale in conjunction with each Coin Expo.
“We know many of you have been awaiting this update and would like to thank you for your patience,” adds the statement. “The City of Toronto is taking the reopening phase slowly, doing their best to address immediate dangers and the possibility of a second wave of COVID-19.”
The cancellation – made in light of the ongoing restrictions on social gatherings – came yesterday, July 19, as Ontario reported 164 new COVID-19 cases (a 0.4 per cent increase from the previous day). It was the second consecutive day with more than 150 new COVID-19 infections in the province, which in the past week had consistently reported new case numbers in the low 100s.
As of yesterday, there were 509 active confirmed cases in Toronto.
While most of Ontario moved to stage three of the province’s reopening strategy on July 17, the Greater Toronto Area and other parts of southern Ontario, including the Niagara Region, remain in stage two.
Stage three will see a return to indoor gatherings of up to 50 people and outdoor gatherings of up to 100 people, but physical distancing is still required for anyone outside your household or established “bubble.”
The biannual Coin Expo shows regularly draw hundreds of attendees over both days—far beyond what’s permitted with these latest restrictions.
Yesterday, Toronto Mayor John Tory also tweeted a letter he sent to Ontario Premier Doug Ford requesting “additional measures,” including mandatory masking, early closing times, stricter capacity limits, staff screening and customer log requirements for contract tracing, for the city’s bars and restaurants.
“It takes only one case (perhaps asymptomatic) in a bar to infect many people, possibly equivalent to several times Toronto’s average daily total,” Tory wrote, referencing similar outbreaks at establishments in Quebec, Alberta, U.S. states and South Korea.
This March, Stapleton also announced the cancellation of the May 1-2 spring show due to COVID-19.
I’ve sent a letter to Premier @fordnation with a request for additional measures to be implemented as part of Stage 3. These six recommendations will help protect our City from further spread of #COVID19 & help ensure we continue safely reopening. pic.twitter.com/k26BxDsDT4
— John Tory (@JohnTory) July 19, 2020
GBA SEEKING CONSIGNMENTS
Bell is currently seeking consignments for the Fall Toronto Coin Expo Sale, which will be held on Oct. 1-2 at GBA headquarters in Moncton, N.B.
“Please contact Brian ASAP to arrange your items to be promoted alongside the Cornwall Collection and the Montreal Currency Collection,” reads the joint statement issued by Stapleton and Bell, which adds the fall sale “is going to be certainly the most exciting 2020 Canadian sale.”
GBA’s next auction – the single-session Paris Sale – will be offered on Aug. 8 in Moncton.
HOPEFUL FOR 2021
“The Toronto Coin Expo prides itself on providing a hub for all of our numismatic community to participate, and that doesn’t seem possible now or in the very near future,” adds the joint statement.
“It is our goal to refocus our efforts and make the 2021 coin show season one that will facilitate safety, security and equality as we welcome new and past vendors and attendees to the reopening.”
Next year’s show dates are April 30-May 1 and Oct. 1-2.