By Toronto Coin Expo ……
In a young country still forming its national identity, it’s odd that the earliest coins that circulated in Canada for well over a century have been largely ignored. This is changing and one of the most important collections of North American French Colonies coinage, with many of the coins estimated to approach final bids of $10,000 each, is being offered at auction in Toronto on May 2, 2019.
Toronto Coin Expo, Canada’s premier coin and banknote show, has partnered with Geoffrey Bell Auctions Ltd. and are pleased to offer an extensive collection of the coins that actually circulated in French North America – many of which continued to circulate in both Canada and the United States (especially the areas acquired as part of the Louisiana Purchase) into the early 19th century. Dubbed the Arcadia Collection, it focused on the coins that were used on a routine basis by those who lived in the region from the 1640s through the early 1800s and shows the wide variety of coin types available.
These coins were made to circulate, not to be placed in the cabinets of European collectors, and while a few have survived in remarkably nice condition, others exist only well-worn, attesting to their long and useful life in commerce. This is a series that is focused less on perfect condition and more on the intrinsic history wrapped up in these rare surviving pieces of daily life.
This is one of the largest offerings of such coins at public auction, on par with the 500+ coin Robert A. Vlack collection sold in January 2008 and the 450+ offering of the John J. Ford collection sold in January 2006 – though each of these three collections is stronger in different areas. Included in this offering are many extremely rare pieces that have never appeared for public sale before, others that are completely unlisted in the scant reference material, and some other unusual delicacies. After the sale, the auction catalogue will be something that can be used as a reference work for the series as a whole.
The Toronto Coin Expo 2019 Spring Sale takes place May 2 and 3, with these French Colonies coins hitting the blocks in the first session. The event takes place at the Toronto Reference Library with bidding also available online.
For more information please visit www.torontocoinexpo.ca, or contact Toronto Coin Expo, at [email protected] or (647) 403-7334.
