Volume 53#03

May 19 – June 1, 2015

Two coins displayed by pre-eminent counterfeit expert Mike Marshall are fake $5 silver bullion coins purchased for $1.05 each from a website based in China. (Photo courtesy of the Belleville Intelligencer)

No end in sight for counterfeits

As counterfeit coins continue to plague the hobby, some claim the powers that be – including the Royal Canadian Mint, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Ministry of Finance – aren’t doing enough to fight back. With no one taking charge and hundreds of counterfeit Canadian coins turning up on online markets every day, collectors – and their valuable, culturally significant investments – are all but forgotten. Continue reading →

Features

Banknote security features working against counterfeiters

Page 1

Henry Nienhuis receives ONA’s highest honour

Page 9

Scott Douglas on the numismatics of Niagara Falls

Page 26

The Numismatists Club of Bas St-Laurent launches historical book

Page 27

Coin program ‘a great way to get the kids hooked’

Page 32

Regulars

Focus on Maritimes

Page 10

Are you buying or selling?

Page 30

Check out the shows in your area

Page 33

Editorial

Fakes permeate the market, and these pages

It wasn’t planned this way, but the counterfeit theme is prevalent in this issue of Canadian Coin News. First, there is the last of our special three-part series on counterfeit coins in Canada, which I will discuss a little later. Then, there is the story in our regular “Almost Uncirculated” feature on how police in Israel busted a massive coin-forgery operation.

Continue reading →

By mwalsh