Brian Cornwell, who more than three decades ago founded Canada’s first third-party grading service, has died at age 82.
Born in Vancouver on Oct. 14, 1940, Cornwell moved east to attend the University of Toronto before diving into Canadian numismatics in the mid-1970s. By November 1986, he teamed up with two well-known coin dealers with strong ties to organized numismatics – Ingrid Smith and Bill Cross – to launch the International Coin Certification Service (ICCS).
In 1997, Cornwell received the J. Douglas Ferguson Award, the highest honour in Canadian numismatics, and in 2005, he was appointed as a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Numismatic Association. He was also a Fellow of the Canadian Numismatic Research Society, which he also served as president.
Cornwell died on Nov. 21.
A memorial visitation will take place at the Highland Funeral Home on 3280 Sheppard Ave. E. in Scarborough, Ont., on Dec. 11 at 11 a.m.
The next issue of CCN (Vol. 60 #20) will feature a full tribute to Cornwell and his numismatic legacy.