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By Bret Evans
Geoffrey Bell Auctions' sale July 13, in Windsor, Ont., just days before the Royal Canadian Numismatic Association (RCNA) annual convention and sale held in the same city.
As has been the case with other recent sales, the market was strong for collector coins, but soft at the very top.
"The more affordable and better stuff is selling now" Brian Bell said."It doesn't have to be high grade, but it has to be hard to find.
"The really rare material is hit and miss right now."
Bell added that the coin hobby, which had seemed immune to a weak economy, now seems to be feeling the pinch a bit, and buyers are being cautious.
"I think the overall economy has hit the collectible market,"he said. "People are being a bit more selective about what they are buying. In some cases they are moving to bullion."
Even so, he said the sale did well, and the firm is pleased with the results.
"Overall, we are pleased," he said. "We sold $630,000, that's a number we are pleased with.
"We also had a great show as well, Windsor treated us very well."
The Specimen set sold and the Devil's face $5 replacement note sold, and those were very positive.
The sell-through for the sale was 85 per cent.
The sale, being between the Torex sale held a few weeks earlier, and just days before the official RCNA sale, was the second of three large auctions to be held in less then 30 days.
The firm has acquired a reputation for diversity, and this sale lives up to that name, with not only Canadian decimal and paper money, but a substantial offering of medals.
The sale opened with modern Royal Canadian Mint product: nearly 100 lots of modern commemorative coins followed by bulk lots and sets.
The selection of tokens and medals is wide-ranging. Lot 544, an Indian Chief silver medal, struck for use in the Prairies between 1872 and 1899, estimated at $8,000+ sold for $6,000, while lot 671 a Canadian confederation silver medal, UNC and from the Sid Belzberg sale, estimated at $2,000+ sold for $2,750. A staggering group of more than a dozen shooting medals won by Sgt. K. Matthews of the Victoria volunteer Rifles of Canada, many hallmarked to early Montreal silversmiths, was estimated at $5,000+ and sold for $3,750.
Some decimal highlights were lot 291, an 1862 Nova Scotia cent in PCGS MS-64 Brown, ex-Norweb, estimated at $20,000+ which sold for $16,00.
Early Canadian paper was well represented.
Lot 773A a rare 1837 $1 Upper Canada Provisional Government note issued by William Lyon Mackenzie from the United States, was estimated at $10,000+ sold for $16,000. Lot 772 a rarely offered example of French regime card money, valued at 15 sols sold for $10,000 against an estimate of $20,000+.
Lot 888, a complete set of specimen notes from the 1935 Bank of Canada French series, it was estimated at $75,000+ and sold for $48,000.
The popular Bank of Toronto notes were represented in a number of lots, including No. 1141, an 1880 $5 with Petrolia overprint, estimated at $12,000+ which sold for $14,000; and lot 1146, a 1912 $10 in PCGS VF-35 estimated at $3,000+ which sold for $1,700.
It was the fourth sale held by the firm, which has previously conducted a number of "marquee" events, including the famed "Father Bernie" collection.
For more information, visit www.gbellauctions.com.
August 30, 2011 to September 12, 2011 issue of Canadian Coin News
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