Category Archives: Top Story
My Design, My Inspiration contest begins month-long vote
These five finalists are among 25 designs chosen as part of the Royal Canadian Mint’s ‘My Design, My Inspiration’ contest. This category, ‘Our Wonders,’ is one of five and celebrates Canada’s beauty.
ck (and you’d also be fairly forgetful, seeing as the Royal Canadian Mint has held public design contests in the past). Mint spokesperson Alex Reeves said the nationwide “My Design, My Inspiration” contest is open for voting throughout the month of September. And while the Mint chose the top 10 designs for each of the... Continue reading →
Rare 1862 gilt coins offer glimpse into B.C.’s gold rush
These British Columbia pattern coins were struck in 1862 amid an urgent need for coinage with which to exchange the gold that was mined during the province’s first gold rush. Today, these coins are worth $2.5 million altogether.
Coin shows are often full of special finds, and the recent RCNA Show and Bourse didn’t disappoint as collectors had an opportunity to view a rare set of 1862 British Columbia pattern coins. The two rare coins were on display at Sandy Campbell’s booth, during the 62nd annual convention of the Royal Canadian Numismatic Association... Continue reading →
Notable numismatists earn hobby’s top honours
Serge Pelletier (right) is given the highest honour in Canadian numismatics, the J. Douglas Ferguson Award, by Ron Greene.
Serge Pelletier and William Cross received some lofty and well-deserved recognition from the hobby at the 62nd annual convention of the Royal Canadian Numismatic Association (RCNA). Pelletier was given Canadian numismatics’ highest honour, the J. Douglas Ferguson Award, for his great contributions to the advancement of the hobby in Canada over the past 12 months;... Continue reading →
Glean before you clean when unearthing coins
At the 1934 World’s Fair in Chicago, this token was given as part of Chrysler’s exhibit, where each person who stopped by would receive one.
Who knows what’s under all that dirt? That’s the question being asked by many interested collectors following two separate numismatic discoveries that were reported in Canadian media outlets on the same day this July. For collectors, it’s exciting to consider what treasures could be found beneath the Earth’s surface. Continue reading →
Rare banknote sells for $49,000 at Torex auction
This rare 1870 $1 ‘Payable at Victoria’ banknote, of which only two are known to exist, sold for $48,875 at the Torex auction. The other example belongs to the National Currency Museum.
other Torex show and auction. Held in conjunction with The Canadian Numismatic Company (TCNC), the three-session sale saw more than 2,200 lots cross the auction block at a total value exceeding $2.5 million. The auction’s first two sessions were held June 26 and 27 at the Regency Ballroom in downtown Toronto’s Hyatt Regency hotel, and... Continue reading →
Canadian numismatics suffers great loss with death of Charles ‘Chuck’ Moore
This picture of Charles ‘Chuck’ Moore was taken in January 2015 at the FUN Show in Orlando, Fla., where he was promoting the Legacy II sales, held in February in Toronto.
Born in Detroit, Mich., on Aug. 5, 1946 where he also attended college on a football scholarship, Moore eventually moved to Canada during an escalation in the Vietnam War, which had seen many young Americans shipped off to fight communist forces in the jungles of Southeast Asia. It was a controversial war with no clear... Continue reading →
Bank of Canada acquires ‘amazing’ note from Ontario dealer
Gary Fedora, right, hands an 1813 $1 army bill to Paul Berry, chief curator of the Bank of Canada’s National Currency Collection. Photo courtesy Henry Nienhuis.
The Bank of Canada has bolstered its collection once again with the addition of an ultra-rare military banknote – the only of its kind known to exist – that tells the history of paper money and banking in Canada. Sold by Georgetown, Ont. numismatic dealer Gary Fedora, the $1 banknote was originally issued in 1813... Continue reading →
Online bidding no substitute for floor experience, auctioneers say
Attendance at auctions has definitely been impacted by the growing trend to bid online.
But Internet has its advantages in a large country like Canada The auction scene has had a change of face in recent years, with many auction houses using new technology to modernize their bidding systems and bring the bidding floor directly to their customers, wherever they may be. While many of Canada’s most prominent auction... Continue reading →
Bell auction features pre-Confederation tokens in ‘outstanding’ condition
This 1924 Dominion of Canada $5 banknote – one of two offered in the upcoming sale – should attract attention.
Events at the Spring 2015 Toronto Coin Expo will hit very close to home for the Bell family as Geoffrey Bell’s collection of pre-Confederation tokens and coins take centre stage. Presented by Geoffrey Bell Auctions as part of the annual spring expo, the upcoming auction will also feature the Richard Cooper collection’s first instalment of... Continue reading →