Nearly two-dozen coins from the archives of Alberta’s Sherritt Mint were recently certified by Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) and auctioned in the U.S. for about $135,000 Cdn.
Altogether, 22 gold coins from Canada, Colombia, the Philippines, Lebanon and Syria brought $103,500 US, including buyer’s premium, during the Sept. 12-14 sale by Stephen Album Rare Coins.
Located in Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., the Sherritt Mint was at one time Canada’s largest private mint, and its “importance in the field of numismatics has been greatly overlooked,” wrote PCGS grader Jay Turner in a blog post this September.
The mint can trace its roots back to the 1920s, when Sherritt Gordon Mines began operating as a copper-mining business. After moving to nickel as copper supplies were exhausted, the mine further diversified into producing rolled nickel strips for radio manufacturing (and later, amid a nickel shortage, 10 million nickel blanks for the Royal Canadian Mint).
A pair of 1970 medals marking the 25th anniversary of the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization each brought $375 US, plus buyer’s premium, as Lots 1215 (left) and 1216, respectively.
“With this order, the mines greatly expanded their production and manufacturing outputs,” wrote Turner, who added production increased to 83 million blanks delivered in 1964.
The mine began marketing its blanks to other countries and in 1966 acquired a coining press.
“This continued their success with the production of commemorative medals and coins,” added Turner, who said the Sherritt Mint eventually “produced blanks and coins for countries around the world in many metals.”