CAFNE raises five figures for numismatic education

By Jesse Robitaille

The Canadian Association for Numismatic Education (CAFNE) replenished its coffers during its annual reception this July, when it raised nearly $15,000 from more than a dozen clubs and individual collectors.

Held July 18 in conjunction with this year’s Royal Canadian Numismatic Association (RCNA) Convention in Calgary, the 2019 CAFNE Reception saw donations from all levels – local, provincial and national – plus a few individuals.

“Some of you may recall there was a bit of a donation war last year between us and the Edmonton Numismatic Society, one that I recall we won thanks to a loonie at the end of the night,” said Trevor Phillips, president of the Calgary Numismatic Society (CNS), which donated $1,001 to CAFNE at last year’s reception in Mississauga.

“This year, I thought we’d step it up a bit,” Phillips added this July, before presenting former CAFNE chair Bob Forbes with a $2,500 cheque on behalf of the CNS.

“I think the Calgary club has been very, very generous to CAFNE,” said Forbes, who stepped down from his role as CAFNE chair after being named RCNA president at the latter association’s annual general meeting this July.

The CNS, which was the host club for this year’s RCNA Convention, also arranged the use of – and paid for transportation to – the reception venue, the Nickle Galleries, at the University of Calgary.

Calgary Numismatic Society (CNS) President Trevor Phillips presented a $2,500 cheque to CAFNE on behalf of his organization at the July 18 reception.

U.S. SUPPORT

At the reception, U.S. numismatist Michael Turrini, of Vallejo, Calf., announced he and fellow California-based collector Alexander “Xan” Chamberlain will each donate $500 US to CAFNE “every year until which time something happens.”

Previously, the pair donated $2,000 US for every $1,000 Cdn. received from the floor on the night of the annual reception, which was first held at the 2016 RCNA Convention in Ottawa.

In addition to the CNS, Turrini and Chamberlain, other donations made this July came from:

CAFNE’S PLANS

About 100 people attended this July’s reception, which was held at the University of Calgary Nickle Galleries. Guests were treated to a comprehensive museum exhibit highlighting Calgary’s numismatic history.

CAFNE’s mandate includes educating the public about numismatics with a primarily Canadian focus “but also including other cultures, past and present, through the provision of educational programs and activities,” according to the association’s website.

CAFNE is also mandated to conduct research – again with a primarily Canadian focus – as well as offer “scholarships and bursaries for the study and research of numismatics.”

“CAFNE pays for the educational symposium that some of you may have attended at this convention,” Forbes said this July, of the RCNA’s annual two-day, eight-speaker educational symposium.

“CAFNE also does things like run the grading and preservation seminars that are held in Toronto.”

In the future, Forbes would also like to see the seminars expanded and brought to western Canada – a plan that’s similar to the shared vision for the RCNA’s national youth program, “Coin Kids,” which CAFNE also supports.

“Could we do ‘Coin Kids’ in western Canada in the same way that we do it southwestern Ontario? That’s another one of the ventures that – in combination with the RCNA and CAFNE – we may push forward with in the future. These are the sorts of things CAFNE does.”

Because CAFNE is an educational charity, however, everything it spends its money on “must be educationally related to numismatics,” Forbes added.

“Anything in that area, we will take applications to fund.”

For the year ended April 30, 2019, CAFNE reported $4,475 in “cash awards and grants” expenses – up from $2,620 the previous year – and a balance of $75,816.

To apply for funding, contact CAFNE Secretary Paul Johnson at 5694 Highway #7 East, Suite 432, Markham ON Canada L3P 1B4 or by telephone at 647-401-4014.

For more information about CAFNE, visit cafne.ca.

The 2019 Canadian Association for Numismatic Education (CAFNE) Reception was co-sponsored by The Canadian Numismatic Company (TCNC) as well as Trajan Media, publisher of CCN and Canadian Stamp News.

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