Category Archives: Top Story

Long-time dealer Ian Laing, the 43-year owner of Winnipeg’s Gatewest Coin, has earned a spot in Coin World’s Most Influential People in Numismatics 1960-2020. The only Canadian on the “Top 60” list of numismatics’ key players over the past six decades, Laing was chosen by the U.S.-based hobby publication for his lifelong interest and success... Continue reading →

Robertine Barry, an early feminist who became the first female French-Canadian journalist despite widespread backlash from her counterparts, may see her colourful literary legacy championed on the face of Canada’s new $5 bill. Born in 1863 in L’Isle-Verte, Qué., about 200 kilometres northeast of Québec City, Barry developed keen writing senses at a young age.... Continue reading →

With this July’s instalment of Canada’s 30th Governor General, the Royal Canadian Numismatic Association (RCNA) is once again seeking a grant of patronage to continue using the “Royal” title in its name. Canada’s national coin club was first granted royal patronage in 2006, when then Governor General Michaëlle Jean accepted an invitation from what was... Continue reading →

In 1992, Canadian numismatics experienced a watershed moment as many of today’s top collectors were introduced to the hobby. That year, as the country came out of an economic recession, the Royal Canadian Mint issued its first 25-cent circulation coin program. It marked the country’s 125th anniversary, known as “Canada 125,” and it was the... Continue reading →

The Canadian Numismatic Company (TCNC) is set to return to the auction block this November for the Québec-based firm’s fifth Prominence Sale. It’s the latest in a series of auctions dating back to November 2020, when TCNC hosted its inaugural Prominence Sale. The fifth iteration will offer more than 1,500 lots across five sessions on... Continue reading →

As Rocky Balboa once declared, “The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows.” While the fictional boxer was referring to the “mean and nasty” world in general, the statement also extends to specific matters, including numismatics. Like just about everything else, the hobby is ripe with misinformation and scams, and ongoing technological advancements and changing social... Continue reading →

For the first time, the Toronto Coin Expo Fall Sale will feature an auction partnership offering bidders an increased scope of numismatic material over two days. Alliance Coin & Banknote, based in Almonte, Ont., will conduct the sale’s first session on Sept. 30. Geoffrey Bell Auctions (GBA), based in Moncton, N.B., will handle the second... Continue reading →

Third-party grading has driven Canadian numismatics more than anything else in the past 30 years. Now supported by the Internet and its far-reaching research implications, third-party grading has significantly impacted numismatics since it came on the scene in Canada in the mid-1980s. Since then, graders have applied their trusted standards to almost all numismatic material,... Continue reading →

This September, for the fourth time since the pandemic began in early 2020, Colonial Acres will hold its biannual Premier Auction virtually, with no in-person floor bidding. While the National Postage Stamp & Coin Show, where Colonial typically hosts its Premier Auction, will return to its usual in-person venue on Sept. 11-12, the two-session sale... Continue reading →

A long-time collector, leader of the Newfoundland Numismatic Enthusiasts (NNE) and active member of the Royal Canadian Numismatic Association (RCNA), Bill Kamb has received the latter group’s highest distinction. Kamb, of Powell, Ohio, took home the Paul Fiocca Award, which RCNA awards committee chair Bill Waychison called “our most important and significant” honour, during the... Continue reading →