By Jesse Robitaille
With the 2020 convention of the Royal Canadian Numismatic Association (RCNA) only six months away, organizers are putting the final touches on this July’s gathering.
Held yearly since 1954, the RCNA Convention is set to return to the east coast – Halifax – on July 22-25, when the host Halifax Regional Coin Club will welcome collectors from across the country to Nova Scotia capital.
“It’s all looking quite good,” said RCNA Executive Secretary Paul Johnson, who assists the respective host clubs with planning the massive numismatic event each year.
As of Jan. 7, the bourse is nearly sold out, with only a couple of dealer tables still available. A final dealer listing will be posted on the RCNA website, rcna.ca, within the next six weeks, and the final program of events, including all tours, will be announced soon, Johnson added.
“Everything is coming together for the convention so far. I know a lot of people are planning to attend, so we’ll be keeping everyone informed.”
COIN GRADING COMING TO HALIFAX
On the heels of hosting a “very successful” educational workshop in Toronto last November, the RCNA announced it will offer the coin-grading portion of that course at the upcoming convention in Halifax.
“It’ll likely be a four-hour workshop,” said Johnson, who added organizers are “just finalizing the details on that, but it will be a go.”
A new venue for the workshop on the east coast – and held in conjunction with the RCNA’s annual convention – is part of the association’s initiative to promote the hobby across the entire country.
“The positive about that is people attending the convention from all across the country and the United States will be able to attend the coin-grading workshop,” said Johnson. “Usually, when it’s held in Toronto, you only get people in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) or nearby, so with this there will be a wider scope.”
Previously, at the 2018 convention in Mississauga, the RCNA hosted a paper money preservation course that drew “a room full of people.”
In Halifax this July, the coin-grading workshop will be led by RCNA President Bob Forbes, who – along with conservator Susan Maltby – led the one held in November.
The cost for the upcoming workshop is $50 a person—much less than the cost of misunderstanding the difference between even a single grade point, especially in the higher grades.
“It’s very important to learn how to grade coins properly because obviously it affects the values of coins,” said Johnson, who added the difference between a Mint-State (MS) coin in MS-63 and one in MS-64 “could be hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
“Bob will be walking people through the process of what to look for in higher grades in the Mint-State range.”
Space will be limited, and more details will be announced in the coming weeks.