Every year, hundreds of medals, trade notes, wooden tokens, souvenir notes and other numismatic collectibles are issued across Canada. Many are produced in small quantities, quickly disappearing into private collections before anyone records their existence.
Veteran numismatist Yvon Marquis believes that should concern every collector. While classic references by Breton, Leroux and Courteau preserved the stories behind Canada’s early numismatic treasures, Marquis fears many of today’s issues could be forgotten altogether.
Speaking during a recent Royal Canadian Numismatic Association virtual seminar, Marquis argued that modern medals, tokens, local currencies and souvenir notes deserve the same careful documentation as the coins and paper money that now fill our catalogues.
His own research reveals the scale of the challenge. In Quebec alone, Marquis has identified hundreds of modern numismatic items issued during the past decade by clubs, municipalities, festivals, businesses and collectors. Many were produced in limited numbers, and some have already become difficult to find.
Marquis believes preserving this history cannot be left to one researcher. Instead, he is calling for a coordinated national effort to catalogue today’s issues before they disappear from memory and future generations lose an important chapter of Canada’s numismatic heritage.
In this issue, Canadian Coin News explores Marquis’s vision, the surprising stories behind some of Canada’s most elusive modern collectibles and why documenting today’s issues may be one of the hobby’s most important challenges.