This is a very important column! Today, I am asking you to take a good, hard look at your collection and ask yourself, “what will happen to it when I’m gone?” You’re not immortal. None of us are. So the day will come, when you will no longer be around to take care of your... Continue reading →
I’ve just returned from another fabulous RCNA convention and once again, I’m having a very difficult time deciding just what the highlight of the six-day event was. Running from July 19 until July 24, the convention had so many great moments and events that I certainly won’t be able to cover them all in this... Continue reading →
Over the years I have been fortunate enough to meet, and get to know, some numismatic giants. Unfortunately, many are not with us anymore. Not that long ago I added another name to the list of great numismatists I will no longer see: Chet Krause. Among collectors his name is legendary. Shortly after the Second... Continue reading →
Chester 'Chet' Krause of Iola, Wisconsin launched what was then known as Canada Coin News in June 1963. The popular and successful hobby publisher died in June 2016.
Volume 1 No. 1 of Canada Coin News, as it was then known, was officially launched on June 3, 1963 by publisher, Chester L. Krause of Iola, Wisconsin. He was likely better known as the founder of Numismatic News and for his hobby publishing empire, Krause Publications; but without Krause’s efforts in creating CCN, who... Continue reading →
PCGS graded this 1872H 25-cent piece as a copper sample in AU condition with environmental damage.
For one collector, an unusual coin has turned out to be a remarkable find. Four years ago Daryl Anderson, a United States collector from Washington State, spotted the coin, an 1872H 25-cent piece struck in copper, for sale online. With an interest in Canadian coins, Anderson was intrigued by the novelty. The British owner of... Continue reading →
There are plenty of numismatic events happening across Canada and the U.S. this summer.
Summer is quickly approaching and it’s at this time every year that we all begin to dream about our summer vacations. Why not blend your annual vacation with numismatics? There are a number of coin shows that you might want to take in this summer including the Brantford Coin Show on June 12 at the... Continue reading →
Royal Canadian Mint President and CEO Sandra Hanington (left) unveils a commemorative Star Trek coin with William Shatner.
The Royal Canadian Mint annual report is out, and once again the collector is king. For years, I have always looked at the numbers in our favourite crown corporation’s fiscal year end and pointed out the significant fact that sales to collectors has always been the most reliable, and generated the best profit margins, of... Continue reading →
A 2010-dated Canadian five-cent coin (commonly referred to as the nickel).
The recent Desjardins report does not mean the immediate end of the nickel, but it certainly is an indicator of what lies ahead. We can’t forget that the first sign the humble penny was on the way out was a similar report from the same organization. The Royal Canadian Mint doesn’t have to follow Desjardins’... Continue reading →
Columnist Jeff Fournier used a dazzling 40-note sheet of uncut 1973 series $1 banknotes to impress his audience of schoolchildren.
I recently had an opportunity to teach a group of junior and senior kindergarten kids about money: what it is, why we use it, where we can get it and why people collect it. That kind of thing. These were some of the concepts I tried to cover and some of the questions I tried... Continue reading →
Walter Ostromecki, the ANA’s past president was the keynote speaker at the 2016 ONA convention banquet. Scott Douglas, right, was the master of ceremonies.
“We can’t keep doing things the same way because of tradition….we must change our culture, attitudes and values or our hobby will die.” This, according to ANA past president, Walter Ostromecki. He was the keynote speaker at the ONA’s April 9 convention banquet and although he delivered what might appear to be a bleak message,... Continue reading →