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Check out the top five coins, banknotes of 2020
Tied with three other coins as the highest-graded 1948 silver dollar, this example brought about $50,000 at auction last April. It was the highest price paid for a Canadian coin at auction in 2020. Photo by Geoffrey Bell Auctions.
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 silver dollars issued in 1948, it crossed the block as Lot 255 of Geoffrey Bell Auctions’ (GBA) Spring Sale. Other third-party grading services, including Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC) and Canadian Coin Certification Service, also haven’t certified a 1948 Canadian silver dollar above MS-64, according to auctioneer Brian Bell, of the New Brunswick-based auction house. Continue reading →
OTD: Macdonald coin marks 200th anniversary of first prime minister’s birth
The first of four coins (top left) honouring the 200th birthday of Sir John A. Macdonald was unveiled in Kingston, Ont., on today's date in 2015.
Collectors will be watching their pocket change for their latest circulating commemorative coin, a $2 piece honouring the 200th anniversary of the birth of Canada’s first prime minister, Sir John A. Macdonald. Launched on Jan. 11 in Kingston, Ont., the community most associated with Macdonald, the coin shows a portrait of the father of Confederation on the core, with a modern map of Canada in the background. The outer ring has the dual dates 1815 and 2015. The security features of micro-engraved maple leaves and laser etching also appear on the obverse. Continue reading →
