Category Archives: Top Story

A circa 1817 Beaver Club of Montréal medal named to David David, the first Canadian-born Jew, sold for $84,000 US (about $106,000 Cdn.) as part of the Donald Partrick Collection this April. The extremely rare engraved gold medal crossed the block as Lot 3060 of Heritage Auctions’ April 22-25 Central States sale, where it was... Continue reading →

Executors carry a considerable burden any time they’re called to carry out an estate plan, even for relatively small estates with few assets. Collectors should consider whether post-mortem or “inter vivos” (Latin for “between the living”) estate planning would best suit their needs. While the latter offers more certainty your dying wishes will be fulfilled,... Continue reading →

A 30-piece group lot of Newfoundland copper cents, dating from 1865-1947 and including 20 examples certified at the top of their respective population reports, will cross the auction block in late April. Dubbed the Perth Collection, the complete set of Newfoundland circulation cents is offered by The Canadian Numismatic Company (TCNC) as part of its... Continue reading →

Counterfeit coin expert Mike Marshall has been fighting fakery in Canadian numismatics for nearly 15 years. In recent months, his sights have been set on a string of suspected counterfeit $2 coins reported in cities and towns, big and small, across the country. Marshall, a resident of Quinte West, a city just west of Belleville,... Continue reading →

With many of Ontario’s COVID-19 restrictions still in place, Kitchener’s Colonial Acres is gearing up for its third virtual Premier Auction this April. It will be Colonial’s seventh Premier Auction since 2018, about three years after the coin-dealing company entered the auction business. But since last spring, just as the pandemic was beginning to take... Continue reading →

A noteworthy Canadian moment took place amid the feverish bidding at a recent U.S. auction, where more than 3,200 bidders pushed total realizations beyond $17 million US (about $21.75 million Cdn.). While the 2021 New York International Numismatic Convention (NYINC) was cancelled due to COVID-19, the event’s official auctioneers – eight in total – went... Continue reading →

While COVID-19 has changed much about the hobby, its impact on young collectors remains to be seen. Many of today’s collectors have returned to the hobby in retirement – after their families were raised and careers completed – but most of them were also exposed to numismatics at a much younger age. As discussed in the series’... Continue reading →

The Canadian Numismatic Company (TCNC) hosted its first sale of the new year on Jan. 8-11, when about 1,400 lots crossed the block for nearly $1 million in total realizations. The New Year’s Sale – an annual offering from the Québec-based auction house – featured the McFaden Collection, the fourth part of the Gem Collection, and... Continue reading →

A key-date silver dollar in high Mint-State (MS) condition was the top-earning Canadian coin at auction in 2020. Certified as MS-66 – one of only three examples recorded in that grade by Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) – the 1948 dollar hammered down for $49,000 (plus $9,800 buyer’s premium) at auction last April. One of only 18,780... Continue reading →

In late 2019, after speaking with several leading collectors, dealers and auctioneers, CCN wrote Canadian numismatics was “on the upswing” as it entered the 2020s. After dozens of shows and the sales of two high-end collections in 2019, the past year has been marred by pandemic restrictions that pushed virtually all dealers and auction houses... Continue reading →