Torex June 2007

The Canadian Coinoisseur June Torex® Auction features a complete collection of Canadian Decimal Coins among its offerings of Coins, Tokens, Medals and Paper Money. The 1918 lots range from bulk and group lots through nice collectible pieces to the finest known examples. Among the highlights are two rare Indian Peace Medals and a nice example of the 1921 Fifty Cents.



We received consignments from sixty-six collectors for this sale, and they provided us with an outstanding mix of numismatic material in a broad range of grades, with multiples of many of the key dates. There appears to be something for nearly everyone.


The June Torex® Auction will be conducted in two sessions, Friday and Saturday the 22nd and 23rd of June at the Radisson Admiral in downtown Toronto. The First Session, at 5:30 pm on Friday the 22nd begins with 134 lots of Paper Money, including a high-grade example of the 1924 Queen Mary Five, a very rare 1954 Two Dollars G/R Test Note and a nice selection of Replacement Notes. Among the selection of Commercial Bank Notes in the sale, an uncut Specimen sheet of four Commercial Bank of Windsor 186_ Twenty Dollars is believed to be unique.


With the World Coins, we again include a selection of high grade certified pieces from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. These have received increasing attention in our last few sales as the ‘rest of the world’ begins to accept certified coins. Over fifty lots of Canadian and World Gold then follow, with highlights such as a 1913C Sovereign in ICCS and PCGS MS-63, an ICCS MS-63 example of the 1912 Canadian Ten Dollars and a Swiss 1796 Duplone in NGC MS-63.
The 33 lots of Mint Sets begin with an ICCS certified 1908 Specimen Set with a Small 8 Five Cents, and includes ICCS certified 1948, 1951 High Relief and 1970 VIP Specimen sets. And there are 19 Proof-Like sets from the 50s, including an ICCS certified Gem 1953 Shoulder Fold set. Then follow 65 Bulk Lots.


Maritime Decimal coins come next, with over 180 lots, beginning with an 1861 New Brunswick Half Cent in PCGS MS-65 that is about 75% red. The Newfoundland copper includes an 1890 in ICCS MS-64 Red and a dozen other mintstate Large Cents. Highlights among the Newfoundland Five Cents are a 1946C in PCGS MS-67 and another example in AU. An ICCS MS-60 example of the 1903 and a PCGS MS-68 1912 stand out among the Ten Cents pieces. High grade Victorian Newfoundland Fifty Cents pieces include an 1881 in PCGS MS-63, an 1882H in PCGS SP-62, another in ICCS MS-63 and an 1885 in ICCS and PCGS AU-58.


The First Session continues with over 200 lots of Canadian Large and Small Cents including many certified Red Gems. Of interest among the Victorian Large Cents are an 1859 Wide 9 Over 8 in ICCS MS-64 Red, an 1876 No H Pattern in ICCS SP-65 Red and an 1876H in ICCS MS-66 Red, which is near full red. A stand out among the Small Cents is the ICCS SP-65 Red Belzberg example of the 1923.


Key dates among the more than 150 lots of Five Cents Silver include three examples of the 1875H Large Date, five examples of the 1884 and four examples of the 1921. As well, there are many early Victorian pieces in EF, AU and Uncirculated. Other highlights are an 1871 in ICCS MS-65, an 1872H in ICCS MS-64 and an 1885 Large 5 in ICCS MS-63. The First Session concludes with 75 lots of Nickels, significant among which are a 1928 in PCGS MS-66, a 1931 in PCGS MS-65 and a 1934 in ICCS and PCGS MS-64, along with many George VI and Elizabeth certified Gems.


The Second Session begins at 5:30 Saturday evening with 59 lots of Tokens, both certified and uncertified. Prominent among these are an EF example of Breton 520, the Magdalen Island Penny, a Breton 916 Prince Edward’s Island Sheaf of Wheat in ICCS F-15 and a Breton 928 Hudson Bay Company ¼ Made Beaver, Brass, Not Punched in ICCS MS-62.


A highlight of the sale is a pair of Indian Peace Medals. These two examples have been unknown to the collecting community, having been in the same family for well over a century, and passed down from generation to generation as mementos, rather than as the numismatic treasures that they are.


The first is an undated George III 38mm diameter piece in solid silver with an original ornamental loop. This is an extremely rare piece, with one example in the Glenbow Museum, an example reported in 1966 to be in the Chateau Ramezay Museum, and whose whereabouts is currently unknown, a third example from the John J Ford Collection, and this piece. It is in Extremely Fine condition, and it will attract strong bidding.


The second Indian Peace Medal is an 1814 George III 75.6mm diameter piece in solid silver with an original ornamental loop, while the loop is original, the attaching pin appears to have long ago been replaced by a nail. This piece is a nice Very Fine with evidence of cleaning on the reverse, and while not as rare as the previous piece, with some three dozen examples known, I predict that it too will see spirited bidding.


The session then continues with over 60 lots of Medals, Breton and Leroux Printing Blocks and Canadian Error Coins, before resuming the Canadian Decimal Coins with 172 lots of Ten Cents pieces. These start off with an ICCS AU-50 example of the rare 1858 Over 1558. There are VF or better examples of every date, including the 1875H, 1884, 1889 and 1893 Round Top 3 all in PCGS VF-30. Victorian mintstate examples include 1870 Narrow 0 and 1882H, both in ICCS MS-64 and an 1888 in PCGS MS-64.


An outstanding piece is the 1899 Large 99 in ICCS MS-66 with great eye appeal and is most likely the finest survivor of the variety. And, not to be ignored is the 1899 Small 99 in PCGS MS-66, and a bit later, a PCGS AU-55 example of the key 1913 Broad Leaves variety.


Among the early Elizabeth Ten Cents pieces are many PL-66 and PL-67 examples. These are followed by the only certified example of the 1967 Pattern in Nickel, then a 1969 Large Date in ICCS VF-30, one of only about two dozen known to exist, and the scarce 2000P in PCGS MS-67, one of the finest known.


The nearly 200 lots of Twenty and Twenty-Five Cents pieces include VF or better examples of every date and there are spares of most of the key dates. An 1899 and a 1900 in PCGS MS-65 and a 1905 and a 1936 Bar in PCGS MS-66 are some of the major earlier pieces, and among the Elizabeth are many examples in PL-66, PL-67 and PL-68. There is also a very rare 1967 Pattern in Nickel.


The 177 lots of Fifty Cents pieces commence with two examples of the 1870 No LCW in ICCS VF-20 and continue with every date in the series. Included in these are seven mintstate Victorian pieces, among which are an 1870 LCW in ICCS MS-64, an 1881H in ICCS MS-63 and an 1888 in ICCS MS-63. The 1890H is PCGS VF-35, the 1894 is ICCS VF-30, the 1921 is PCGS VG-10 and among the nine examples of the 1932 are PCGS MS-63 and ICCS EF-40. There are two 1947 Maple Leaf Curved 7 examples: ICCS EF-40 and PCGS VF-35.


The June Torex® Auction concludes with 287 lots of Silver Dollars, including Specimen examples of the 1935, 1937 Mirror, 1949 and 1953 No Shoulder Fold. There is a 1935 in PCGS MS-66, a 1936 in ICCS MS-65, a 1945 in NGC MS-65 and eleven 1948s ranging from PCGS MS-64 to EF. Among the Elizabeth are over a dozen PL-67 pieces and the solo highest PL-68 example of the 1965 Type II. There are three examples of the 1966 Small Beads, two examples of the 1967 Diving Goose and two of the 1967 Double Struck, one in ICCS MS-66, the other an uncertified Gem.


The lots can be viewed online and bids can be placed, either in advance or simultaneously on eBay LiveAuctions by going to www.coinoisseur.com and follow the links to the auction. Live lot viewing is scheduled for 12:00 to 9:00pm on Thursday the 21st and from 10:00am to 5:00pm on both Friday and Saturday the 22nd and 23rd of June at the Radisson Admiral in Toronto.


Printed full-colour catalogues can be ordered online at www.coinoisseur.com or for $15.00 from the Canadian Coinoisseur #345 Unit 101 - 1001 West Broadway, Vancouver, Canada V6H 4E4.