Author Archives: Jim Szeplaki

The bullion market is under pressure, and the effects are beginning to ripple through both dealer networks and collector behaviour. In the latest issue of Canadian Coin News(V64N02), released March 31, industry veteran Michael Findlay outlines how volatility, tightening liquidity and refining delays are reshaping the way gold and silver are bought and sold. Continue reading →

Counterfeit banknotes are once again making their way into everyday transactions across Canada, and police say the risk to the public is growing. From online marketplace deals to routine retail exchanges, fake bills are slipping through often unnoticed until it is too late. Recent cases in Ontario highlight the problem. In both South Simcoe and... Continue reading →

More than 50 years after purchasing his first wooden nickels, Norm Belsten is still adding new listings to the most comprehensive catalogue of Canadian wooden money ever assembled. Now 92 and living in Newmarket, Ont., Belsten continues to refine and expand his landmark Canadian Woods Catalogue, cementing his reputation as the hobby’s leading authority on... Continue reading →

On a bitterly cold night in February 1916, as Members of Parliament debated the fishing industry inside Ottawa’s Centre Block, flames began to creep through the House of Commons Reading Room. Within hours, the Great Fire would reduce the heart of Canada’s Parliament to a blackened shell, claiming seven lives and toppling the iconic Victoria... Continue reading →

Copper has long been a familiar metal to coin collectors, but in recent months it has taken on a very different profile. In the latest issue of Canadian Coin News (Vol. 63, No. 24), we examine how copper has surged to record highs amid tightening global supply and soaring demand from industries that barely existed... Continue reading →

Soaring gold and silver prices are reshaping Canada’s coin market in ways collectors haven’t seen in decades, and the latest issue of Canadian Coin News takes an in-depth look at what it all means. In Volume 63, No. 23, released today (Jan. 20, 2026), long-time Winnipeg dealer Ian Laing of Gatewest Coins shares his perspective... Continue reading →

A unique electrotype tied to Canada’s most celebrated numismatic rarity – the 1911 silver dollar – is set to cross the auction block this month, offering collectors what specialists describe as the closest private-market link still available to the legendary coin known as the “Emperor.” The piece, catalogued by Heritage Auctions as an Imposing George... Continue reading →

Silver’s late-year surge has sent a jolt through Canada’s collecting and bullion communities, with prices accelerating at a pace few anticipated only weeks earlier. After starting December near the low $80 range, silver powered through key resistance levels, reigniting conversations about market momentum, melt values and the long-term implications for collectors. Continue reading →

Hamilton’s history as the “Ambitious City,” the “Birmingham of Canada” and “Steel Town” is mirrored in a numismatic legacy just as rich and varied. From busy 19th-century marketplaces to Depression-era grocery counters and mid-century nightlife, Hamilton’s tokens, medals and banknotes tell a uniquely Canadian story of industry, community and everyday life. Continue reading →

The election of Pope Leo XIV this spring has sparked renewed interest in Vatican City coinage as collectors look back on the remarkable numismatic legacy of his predecessor, Pope Francis. Each papacy has long left its mark on world numismatics, but the transition from Francis to Leo XIV — the first U.S.-born pope — has... Continue reading →