New year kicks off with a rarity-filled auction

PEI holey dollar and chartered banknote two ‘jewels’ of the sale, auction house says

By Mike Walsh

The new year is off to a fantastic start for collectors as the first major auction of 2024 is offering many rarities, including a Prince Edward Island holey dollar, a 1838 Province of Nova Scotia treasury note, a premium militaria collection and “stunning” lots of top-graded Canadian coins.

It all starts on Friday, Jan. 19 with Session 1 of the Canadian Numismatic Company (TCNC)’s popular New Year’s Sale, featuring 2,200 numismatic and militaria lots, including three major collections and 62 other consigners.

“This fantastic 2024 New Year’s Sale event should make some spectacular moments and active evenings of auctioning,” says auctioneer Marc Verret. “We expect this to be one of the most prestigious numismatic online events of 2024 featuring several rarities never offered to the public.”

According to Verret, “the first three sessions are highlighted by three attractive coin and banknote and war medal collections.” These include “The Brown Collection of Canadian banknotes Part II,” “The Little Collection Part VIII” of Canadian coins, and “The Militaria Collection Part I” of war medals and related items.

The curtain to the five-session auction opens first to the Militaria Collection, which the auctioneer says offers “a premium selection of carefully chosen elusive war medals of Canada and Great Britain issue.”

Lot 1, for example, features a Canada Military General Service Medal 1793-1814 with Chateauguay and Fort Detroit clasps and an edge graving naming the recipient: “JO’s AUCLAIRE, CANADn MILITIA.” With the original ribbon, the lot even includes copies of documents showing proof of issue. A similar medal but with only one Chateauguay clasp and no ribbon was sold at TCNC’s Prominence VIII Sale for $14,200. Lot 1 has a pre-sale estimate of $5,000-plus.

Another unique offering, Lot 2, features two medals awarded to Canadian Capt. E.F. Mackie of the Lord Strathcona’s Horse regiment, including a Distinguished Service Order medal and a Queen’s South Africa Medal with clasps, including the names South Africa 1801, Belfast, Orange Free State and Natal. Mackie received these medals for his service in the 1899-1902 Second Boer War. In July 1915, he was promoted to lieutenant-colonel. With a pre-sale estimate of $2,500-plus, the lot includes a supporting document.

Another “amazing grouping” is Lot 62, offering 10 medals including the Royal Navy Distinguished Service Cross, the 1939-45 Star, the Atlantic Star, the Africa Star, 1939-45 War Medal, Queen’s Coronation Medal, Legion of Merit Officer Medal and Ribbon, Legion of Honour (the highest French order of merit for military and civil merits), France 1939-40 War Star and the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. The auction firm says documentation supports the medals belonging to a Capt. Martin James Evans of the Royal Navy. With a pre-sale estimate of $3,500-plus, the lot includes miniature and dress bars, belt buckles and two boxes that hold the medals.

With 380 lots in Session 1, collectors of Canadian commemorative medals will want to check out the Governor General Medals that start at Lot 360, plus other commemorative and award medals.  These include two offerings (Lots 373 and 376) of the 76-millimetre 1867-1927 Diamond Jubilee of Confederation medals.

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