Category Archives: Top Story

This April, for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began in early 2020, Colonial Acres will hold its biannual Premier Auction live and in person. While Colonial held its past four Premier Auctions online with no in-person floor bidding, this year’s spring event marks a return to the in-person auction after the Ontario government... Continue reading →

With the help of a pair of well-known Canadian dealers, the Bank of Canada Museum has acquired what was the only publicly available 1911 silver dollar. A pattern coin (an experimental piece struck to evaluate production details such as proposed designs, metal compositions and die formats), the iconic silver dollar now belongs to the central bank’s National... Continue reading →

Three collectors and part-time dealers in southern Ontario have launched the Canadian Numismatic Assurance Service (CNAS), a new “sticker service” aimed at levelling the inconsistencies among third-party grading services. The three CNAS founders – Will Christie, 22, Cole Lawrence, 19, and Josh Lucrezi, 23 – have more than 45 years of collecting and dealing experience, which... Continue reading →

In the early 1880s, the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) began bringing settlers into present-day southern Saskatchewan to farm the prairie landscape. The village of Weyburn was founded in 1899, six years before the Province of Saskatchewan entered Canadian Confederation. Earlier in the decade, the federal government divided the southern region of the North-West Territories into four... Continue reading →

Ontario researcher Scott Coleman has taken a groundbreaking new approach to studying ancient coins using 3D imagery. At the University of Calgary’s Nickle Galleries, Coleman worked throughout the pandemic alongside collections specialist Marina Fischer and technology specialist Jed Baker to experiment with photogrammetry, which is used in mapping, archaeology and 3D modelling. Mirroring this technology,... Continue reading →

Long-time collector Steve Zimmermann has found a modern error on a 2014 silver coin with what’s supposed to be selective gold plating. The Royal Canadian Mint issued 8,500 of the one-ounce silver coins, dubbed “Perched Bald Eagle,” in 2014. The proof-quality piece belongs to the Mint’s five-coin series of silver, gold and platinum coins – all... Continue reading →

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 →