A medal commemorating the British conquest of Montreal, two major Bank of Hamilton notes and unusual Royal Canadian Mint test tokens are among the highlights of Geoffrey Bell Auctions’ fall sale.
The 690-lot auction will be held Oct. 23 in conjunction with the Toronto Coin Expo at the Toronto Reference Library. The sale brings together Canadian medals, coins, tokens and an extensive selection of paper money from several important collections.
Opening the sale are 179 lots from the Geoffrey Bell Canadian Medal Collection, representing the second offering from Bell’s collection. Among the standouts is a silver 1760 Montreal Taken medal commemorating the fall of Montreal during the Seven Years’ War. Estimated at $15,000-$20,000, the medal features imagery connected to the British victory over New France.
A much more recent piece of Canadian numismatic history is a group of three Royal Canadian Mint “Colour Technology” test tokens produced for the 2015 Currency Conference in Vancouver. Featuring Canada flag, poppy and fish designs, the three-piece lot is estimated at $2,500-$3,500.
Paper money forms a substantial portion of the sale, including Dominion of Canada, Bank of Canada and chartered banknotes. Among them is a 1971 Bank of Canada $10 “Good Over” variety graded BCS Extra Fine 40. Only seven examples are reported on the registry, according to the auction catalogue, and the note is estimated at $10,000-$12,500.
Two Bank of Hamilton $10 notes from the Bob Graham Collection carry some of the auction’s highest estimates. A 1904 issue, one of only four examples recorded in private hands, and a 1922 50th-anniversary issue are each estimated at $20,000-$30,000. Both are Charlton plate notes.
Together, the lots span more than two centuries of Canadian numismatic history, from medals associated with the Seven Years’ War to Royal Canadian Mint experimentation and the development of the country’s paper-money system. The auction begins at 5:30 p.m. EDT on Oct. 23, with lot viewing Oct. 22 and 23.
This is one of several articles available in the latest issue of Canadian Coin News, Vol. 61, No. 15.