The Paris Coin Show, which runs twice a year, was held at the Paris Fairgrounds on Sunday, August 9, 2026.
An estimated 500-plus dealers and collectors attended the show to buy and sell their valuable coins and banknotes.
Dealers presented and sold their silver bullions, numismatic coins, vintage collectibles, paper money and vintage foreign currency.
Joe Singer, a vendor at the show, who operates physicalmedals.ca, displayed his silver, gold and platinum bullion along with his other vintage and numismatic coins. Silver discussed the relative values of gold and silver and said that demand for silver has increased as buyers look to offset a weaker Canadian dollar.
“Everyone wants to put their money into silver just to correct inflation,” said Singer.
Another vendor, Paul Harding, said it was his third time attending the Paris Coin show, and he brought a 1862 U.S. one-dollar gold coin known as the “Indian Princess.”
For some vendors, coin collection is not a main job but just a hobby or a side gig. David Potok, a member of the North York Coin Club, collects as a hobby. He spoke about not having been at the Coin Show for over a decade, then coming this year. His table included an 1858 dime, a penny, and a five-cent piece, the very first coins issued by Canada, and a 1845 coin from the Roman Empire. He spoke of his favourite piece being a Canadian dime from 1901, graded mint state 66, from a collection called “Landon”.
“It is just a fun hobby, and you get to meet all sorts of new people” said Potok.
Jared Stapleton, organizer of the show and also a member of the North York Coin Club, talked about the history of the Canadian banks and notes. The federal government used to grant charters to banks, such as the Bank of Nova Scotia, the Bank of Montreal, the Bank of Commerce, the Imperial Bank, the Royal Bank, and so on. Under that system, banks were allowed to print their own currency in denominations of $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100. Although banks would have to hold reserves to back the notes they issued, this was later stopped, and a deadline was set for 1945 to withdraw the bank-issued notes from circulation.
While some vendors spoke about the Coin show and explained the history of the coins and banknotes, there was also another side to the show. Some vendors declined to put their names out publicly; the reason they cited was concerns about being targeted outside the show. Dealers mentioned that the broad inventory makes them a target, and the people usually steal the coins not for their historical value but to get them melted and sell them for their silver and gold value, which is much higher than their original value, stolen coins and collectibles are often moved into Quebec, where sellers are not required to provide ID, unlike in Ontario, where dealers must collect identification from sellers and hold purchased items for a set period before reselling it into the market according to a vendor.
“I think everyone I have talked to has been super excited to be here. I can’t wait for the next show,” said Stapleton.
