Mark Garner, born and raised in Ontario’s Niagara Region, specializes in a distinct class of numismatic medals made 125 years ago in Port Colborne, Ont.
“I created a Facebook group called ‘SS Beaver Museum’ where I have posted several hundred photos and descriptions of several different commemorative medals made from the sunken SS Beaver,” said Garner, who now lives in nearby Hamilton, Ont.
“She was built for the HBC in 1835, she had the first production steam engines in the world, the first steamer to cross the Atlantic from east to west, first steamer in the Canadian Pacific Northwest and this was the first time someone made keepsake medals from a shipwreck,” Garner wrote, adding he currently boasts the world’s largest collection of this material.
To request to join the nearly 200-member private group, visit facebook.com/groups/814896362394852.