Discovered treasure: New Mexico Coin-Stamp & Collectible Expo features appraisals, 31 dealers

Something valuable might be collecting dust in your garage without you knowing.

Find out if that old antique or passed down collectible is worth money at the New Mexico Coin-Stamp & Collectible Expo, being held from noon to 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 9; 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 10; and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 11, at the Ramada Plaza by Wyndham Albuquerque Midtown, 2020 Menaul Blvd. NE. Admission is $5 per day or $10 for a VIP weekend pass. Guests who bring a canned food item will receive a collectible item. The food items will be donated to local food pantries.

Discovered treasure: The New Mexico Coin-Stamp-Collectible Expo features appraisals, 31 dealers

The expo will feature 31 dealers from nine different states appraising, selling and buying collectibles. Appraisals are free with the cost of entry.

“There’s people that have stuff in their attic that they inherited, that have no idea what it is,” said John Krist, event organizer. “Their dad or mom might have collected it. So people like that. They just bring whatever they find at their house. It’s kind of like the ‘Antiques Roadshow’ and there’s people there that will tell you what it’s worth. And if you want to sell it, they’ll make you an offer on it.”

Krist said he has seen expensive and unique collectibles at the expo.

“Some guy paid $5,000 for a set of dinosaur bones,” he said. “... (I’ve seen) coins that people think are worth nothing. One of the lead dealers, offered some guy $25,000 for one coin. There’s a lot of people that found stuff (like) record albums that are worth a dollar or two, and some of them are worth $500.”

Krist said attendees can also ask for assistance if they need help bringing in their collectibles.

“If they’ve got a lot of stamps or a lot of coins, and they’ve got them in a box, we’ll help them bring them from their car into the hotel and get them set up,” he said. “We had one guy come in with 30 boxes of stamps. (We helped him) load them up, and one of the stamp dealers bought them off of him for like $7,000. (The stamps) were just sitting in his attic.”

Krist said stamps, coins, baseball cards and postcards can be worth a pretty penny. He added one of the dealers will pay $20 to $30 for a postcard.

“It’s directly better when they have writing on them and then a stamp because people like reading the history of this person, where they went, you know, to England or something, and they like reading about what they did that day,” he explained.

The range of collectibles is endless.

“Everything’s collectible, from thimbles to matchbook covers to Hot Wheels,” Krist said. “It’s amazing, the range of collectible things, toy soldiers, license plates, African art. There’s all kinds of stuff. I even met a guy that collects antique vacuum cleaners. There’s people that collect clocks, marbles, it’s just amazing how many different things (there are to collect).”

Krist said a big part of why he puts on the expo is to get children involved in collecting.

“And you always need that next generation if you want your collectibles to be worth something, somebody has to want them, so you have to have the next generation want them or the hobby just dies,” he said.

Krist has been in the collectible business for 45 years. Years ago, he owned a shop in southeast Albuquerque.

“I used to have a shop on south San Mateo and little kids used to come into my shop and buy baseball cards and stuff like that,” he said. “And now I see them grown up, you know, firemen, policemen, one of them is a lawyer. So it’s kind of neat to see kids grow up into the collecting hobby.”

He added he has also seen families bond through collecting.

“(There are) some families that collect stuff together, mom and daughters collect Beanie Babies, father and sons collect baseball cards and stuff like that,” Krist said. “It’s a family affair.”