"Endless coins" at Torex sale

By Hans Niedermair

Thousands of certified decimals, impressive paper highlight T.O. auction

Rare banknotes and the "Niagara" collection of silver, dollars, decimals, and gold will highlight the October Torex sale.

To be conducted Oct. 25 to 27 by Moore Numismatic Auctions of Walnut Creek, Calif., the sale's 2,300 lots is comprised of over $2.5 million of material from 48-plus consignors.

Consisting of over 2,600 certified and graded coins, the Niagara collection was awarded the Jean Bullen award for the best Canadian decimal exhibit at last year's CNA convention. Worth about a quarter of a million dollars, the Niagara collection is spread throughout the sale, and makes up about 200 lots.

In addition to the Niagara decimals, another 1,000-plus certified coins are available in the auction.

More than 150 of the decimal coins in the sale are in the top 10 grading census of the various third-party firms.

"Overall, it's my largest, and probably most impressive sale to date," said auctioneer Chuck Moore, who has been in business since 1977. "There's endless numbers of coins."

Among these are five "Princes of Canadian Coins," a.k.a. 1921 five-cent pieces. They range in grade from Good to UNC, with estimates from $1,500 to $30,000.

According to Moore, the majority of the Canadian decimals in the sale have been ICCS-certified. The emphasis is on Victoria, Edward VII and George V, but there are numerous George VI pieces as well.

Highlights include four Mint State Victorian 50-cent pieces, as well as key date silver dollars in nearly all grades.

Also featured in the sale is a selection of major Canadian Proof sets, most of them from the John Jay Pittman collection. Representing the George VI issues, sets featured in the sale include 1937, 1944, 1946, three 1947s, 1949, 1950, 1951, and 1952. Moore said the sets range in estimate from $1,250 to $20,000.

Coinage from the east is also well-represented, with copper and silver from New Brunswick, "rare specimen and ultra-rare pattern proofs" from Nova Scotia, as well as copper coinage in top Mint State, and Newfoundland coins from cents to $2 coins.

One of the strongest areas of Moore's sales is always the Canadian paper section.

From the chartered banks are included a 1902 Imperial Bank of Canada $20 Specimen note in UNC estimated at $5,000, and a 1900 Bank of Ottawa $5, one of only two known and formerly of the J. Douglas Ferguson collection, valued at $2,500.

From the Bank of Canada, an Osborne-Towers 1935 French text $50 in VF is estimated at $7,500, while an uncut sheet of ten Dominion of Canada shinplasters in Gem Uncirculated condition is expected to fetch $20,000.

As well, two collections featuring over 100 Proofs and Specimens have been consigned to the sale, the majority from the 1989 and 1990 archive sales of the American Bank Note Company. Lots from these collections include many sheets in four- and eight-note format and notes that are rarely obtainable or unobtainable as issued notes.

The sale also includes Canadian tokens, medals and U.S. coins.

The auction will be divided into three sessions: Oct. 25 at 7 p.m.; Oct. 26 at 5:30 p.m.; and Oct. 27 at 5:30 p.m.

For more information on the sale, e-mail moorecoins@astound.net or call 925-946-0150.

The Torex show itself takes place Oct. 27-28 at the Radisson Admiral Hotel, 249 Queen's Quay West, Toronto.

For more info on the show, visit www.torex.net.

October 2 to October 15, 2007 issue of Canadian Coin News