Members of the Canadian numismatic community came together for the opening of the 66th annual Royal Canadian Numismatic Association (RCNA) Convention this morning in Calgary.
Outgoing RCNA President Henry Nienhuis, who will soon resign from the helm of the association, was joined by Royal Canadian Mint Master Marie Lemay, show chair James Williston, who’s also president of the host club Calgary Numismatic Society, and original CCN consultant Clifford Mishler, who was recently elected as an American Numismatic Association governor.
“It’s a real honour to be here today,” said Lemay, who added it’s her first numismatic convention.
“I’m looking forward to going around and meeting a lot of people. I’ve had the opportunity since I’ve started to see how passionate people are about coins.”
After her first five months as the Mint’s president CEO, Lemay said it’s an “exciting time because we are renewing our numismatic business and we are putting you, the customer, at the centre of this, so exciting things to come.”
EDUCATIONAL SYMPOSIUM
Today’s four speakers include:
- Michael Souza, talking on “The Occupation of Hong Kong and the Life of a Veteran” at 1 p.m.;
- Lisa Dare, talking on “Numismatics 101 – A Spouse’s Guide to Understanding and Living With a Collector” at 2 p.m.;
- Barrie Renwick, talking on “R. Tait McKenzie, His Life and His Art” at 3 p.m.; and
- Neil Probert, talking on “Organized Numismatics in Calgary” at 4 p.m.
CCN is in Calgary for the entire 2019 RCNA Convention and will be publishing live coverage on social media plus full reviews in the print edition of CCN after the event. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for non-stop numismatic news.
Also meeting over the next three days are more than 10 numismatic societies, including:
- the Canadian Paper Money Society;
- J. Douglas Ferguson Historical Research Foundation;
- Society of Bearded Numismatists;
- Canadian Errors and Varieties Numismatic Association;
- Newfoundland Numismatic Enthusiasts;
- Canadian Association of Wooden Money Collectors;
- Canadian Numismatic Research Society;
- Canadian Association of Token Collectors;
- Canadian Tire Coupon Collectors Club;
- Canadian Association for Numismatic Editors and Writers; and
- Canadian Centennial Collectors Club.
On July 20, from 8 a.m.-9:30 a.m., CCN will also host a “Meet the Trends Editor” session in Plaza Room 5.
Also on July 20, from 10:30 a.m.-noon, the RCNA will host its annual general meeting.
Later that evening, from 7 p.m.-10 p.m., the RCNA Banquet will be held to present this year’s major numismatic awards. The keynote speaker is Calgarian and long-time collector Greg Ingram, who will highlight the evolution of the Hudson’s Bay Company fur trade and its use of tokens. The author and co-author of four books on pre-Confederation tokens, with more books on the way, Ingram is also a member of the CNS.
Pre-purchased tickets are required to attend the banquet.