Mint engraver to attend 53rd annual ONA Convention

An engraver from the Royal Canadian Mint will be speaking at the upcoming 53rd annual ONA Convention, set to take place this weekend at Niagara Falls’ Crowne Plaza hotel.

Event chair Lisa McPherson said Matthew Bowen, a Mint engraver from St. Eugene, Ont., will be answering questions and doing signings on Saturday, April 18.

“He’s the engraver of the Brock coin, which was struck for the War of 1812 – so it ties in with the Niagara Falls area,” said McPherson, adding that organizers will be selling the coloured 25-cent War of 1812 Sir General Isaac Brock circulation coins in two by two coin holders for $1.

Bowen will close out Saturday night answering questions at the president’s reception at 11:30 p.m., following the convention’s annual banquet. 

Since November 2011, Bowen has worked as an engraver with the Mint – first as an apprentice and after March 2014 as a full-time engraver. Recently, he’s created the 3D models used in the production of master tooling. Additionally, he’s done some design work for numismatic and foreign coins. His most recent work includes the $15 silver “Exploring Canada – The Voyageurs” coin; the quarter-ounce gold “150th Anniversary of the Charlottetown and Québec Conferences” coin; and the half-ounce Fine silver coloured “Wait for Me Daddy” coin.

Overall, Bowen has worked on both Canadian and foreign numismatic and circulation coins, Canadian bullion and the Mint’s Geographical Society Medals.

“You’ll get information about the Mint and what they’re working on. You can ask him anything about the engraving process,” said McPherson. “The other thing is it gives our dealers someone direct from Mint to ask questions to, perhaps about any error coins that may have come out of the last print or the printing of the Brock coin – or , again, questions about the engraving process.”

Bowen will also do a public signing at the coin kid’s table on Saturday morning at 11:30 a.m.

“Basically, the kids will get free stuff from the coin kid’s auction, and not only do they keep what they bid on, but they get goodie bags,” said McPherson, adding that the goodie bags come with a copy of the Coin Collector’s Guide, written by Kyle Woodward. “There are also supplies put in there, and we have a piggy bank from the Wish Foundation donated by Hallmark.”

For more information, visit the convention page at the ONA’s website.

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