Long-time numismatic error specialist and award-winning exhibitor Patrick Glassford, of Bonnechere Valley, Ont., has died at age 65.
A former chief at the Algonquins of Greater Golden Lake First Nation, Glassford managed the long-running Canadian Numismatic Publishing Institute (CNPI) at cnpi.ca (formerly coinscan.com), which went offline after his death. The website detailed Canadian error coins, Canadian minting varieties and other technical aspects, foreign coins struck by the Royal Canadian Mint, Canadian silver dollars and more.
Glassford acquired the CNPI from founder Somer James, a Winnipeg publisher, in the late 1990s.
“This is both a shock to many of us but also newsworthy,” said dealer Sean Isaacs, the owner of Alliance Coin & Banknote in Almonte, Ont. Glassford “will go down in our personal history as a renowned authority on errors – hence his moderation of both Canadian and world error Facebook groups with worldwide membership – but also as a First Nations statesman as a former chief of the Algonquin people,” added Isaacs. “Heck, I believe even as a teenager, he was winning some of North America’s most prestigious numismatic awards for his error work.”
Another dealer, Brian Grant Duff, of All Nations Stamp & Coin in Vancouver, B.C., called Glassford “one of the main buyers of Canadian error coins. He was always willing to share his expertise. His death was unexpected, and he seems irreplaceable.”
Glassford was a life member of the Royal Canadian Numismatic Association, from which he received a President’s Award this July.
2 Comments
One of the nicest guys you would want to meet. And did he know his stuff!!!
I had the pleasure of knowing Pat for many years. It turned out my family and his came from the same town in Ontario. He, being chief of the tribe on whose lands my family are buried, was always a gentleman and a source that one could rely on when presented with a new error or something not seen before. I saw Pat at the RCNA in July and cannot believe he is no longer with us. He will be missed !