By Jesse Robitaille
Colonial Acres is hosting its first-ever live public auction, which promises to satisfy all kinds of collectors, on May 22 and 23.
The new auction house – dubbed Colonial Acres Auctions – has something for everyone, said co-owner Kirk Parsons.
“Continuing with Colonial Acres’ tradition within the coin community as a store that caters to all levels of collectors and their budgets, we have carried this tradition over into our auction,” said Parsons. “Our auction will feature more than 900 lots, ranging from higher-end rare coins and banknotes for the serious collectors right through to more affordable items and group lots for the novice collector.”
For this inaugural auction, Colonial Acres’ will be using a multi-bidding platform, in which the public can bid by mail, telephone, fax or the Internet – known as proxy bids – as well as in person at 991 Victoria St. N. in Kitchener, Ont.
Parsons said he’s hoping the platform will encourage new people to join in on the bidding.
“With the transition of buying coins slowly changing from the old ways to more online sales, we feel our auction will take that intimidation factor away and allow everyone to try out the new online bidding platforms, join in the fun and hopefully walk away with a few good deals to help build their collections.”
One great feature of the new platform is its accessibility, as it brings both young and old together without forcing either to change their ways.
“For the old-school collectors who may not be computer savvy enough to attempt online bidding, they can still come sit and join the bidding in person.”
Parsons said the new auction house offers all kinds of material for every type of numismatic collector.
“We’re one of those Heinz 57 businesses, where we have items for collectors looking to spend $10 and items for collectors looking to spend $1,000. We’re one of those businesses catering to the whole industry,” he said. “Whether it’s for a beginner or a long-term collector, we have something for everyone.”
AUCTION HIGHLIGHTS
The auction’s centrepiece is lot 284, a Newfoundland 10-cent coin struck in 1894. Featuring the portrait of Queen Victoria on its obverse, the 10-cent Obverse 5 coin is graded MS-63 by the International Coin Certification Service (ICCS) and estimated at $8,000. Another highlight is lot 6, a five-coin Premium Lunar Monkey Panda five-coin set issued by China in 2004, also estimated at $8,000.
Another interesting offer is lot 634, a $5 banknote, with no seal and a serial number reading B471720, issued by the Dominion of Canada in 1912. It’s graded CU-64 by the Paper Money Guaranty and estimated at $7,200.
In the Canadian 5-cents, lot 199, a 1921 5-cent in ICCS-graded VG-10, is estimated at $6,000. Lot 249, a 1953 5-cent No Shoulder Fold Near Leaf Mule – one of only two known – in ICCS-graded SP-64 is estimated at $5,000.
Parsons said he and his staff hope to host two auctions each year.
“Depending on how the first few sales go, it’s something we would like to do two times a year,” he said.