By Jesse Robitaille
Realizations include buyer’s premium.
Canadian paper money continued to attract bidders’ attention at Colonial Acres’ latest Premier Auction.
One of the only major in-person auctions held in Canada since the pandemic began, it saw more than 1,300 lots cross the block at Trajan Publishing’s National Postage Stamp & Coin Show in Mississauga, Ont. Despite ongoing pandemic concerns, the sale’s live floor was well attended with bidders vying for material in person for the first time in more than two years.
“This auction was exciting as it was our first live venue since the pandemic started, and it was nice to see familiar faces at the show and in the auction room,” said Kirk Parsons, a co-owner with the Kitchener, Ont.-based auction house. “We were very pleased with the show, and the turnout was better than we expected – so an all-around success.”
The April 8-9 sale also provided “many surprises” with some material selling for “well above” auctioneers’ expectations, Parsons added.
“As we have been seeing over the past few years, our auction results continue to be very strong with many items selling for full Trends – and many higher than full Trends – which means there is strong demand for these rarer items. We saw strong results in paper money as always. Chartered and dominion notes sold strong as expected, but a pleasant surprise was some of the unique numbered notes and replacements, many of which sold for over book value.”
BANKNOTE BONANZA
In the sale’s second session, a banknote section stocked with several high-grade rarities included several pieces that topped their estimate.
A 1954 $50 radar note (BC-42c-N1-i) from the “Canadian Landscape” series – the Bank of Canada’s third issue – featured a “solid eight” serial number reading “B/H8888888.” Also with the Lawson-Bouey signature combination, the note was certified as Gem Uncirculated-66 “EPQ” (exceptional paper quality) by Paper Money Guaranty (PMG). It doubled its $6,000 estimate, selling for $12,650 as Lot 1148.
Among the errors, a 1969 “Scenes of Canada” $20 note (BC-50a-E24-iii) included what auctioneers called “an excellent example of a folding and cutting error featuring two or more notes.”
“As a bonus, part of the colour bar at the top of the note is also featured,” said Parsons, who added folding and cutting errors “happen as a result of a fold existing in the sheet prior to cutting, resulting in an extra piece of an adjoining note attached.”
Featuring the Beattie-Rasminsky signature combination, it brought …
To read the full story and others in this issue, click here and subscribe now.
Already a subscriber? Click here to continue reading in the digital format.