Archives
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December 15, 2014
New Acquisitions
The recent additions to the National Currency Collection described below are from very different parts of the world and are between 1500 and 2500 years old.
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November 28, 2014
The Big Nickel
The commemorative 1951 5 cent piece was issued to mark the 200th anniversary of the naming of nickel and its isolation as an element. Recently, I had the great pleasure to participate in the Big Nickel anniversary festivities and give a talk about the design competition for the 1951 5 cent coin.
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November 6, 2014
The Adventure of Exhibit Planning VI
This is not the time for ‘nay sayers’. Basically, we planned a luxury car knowing that when all was said and done, it was going to be a very nice family sedan (maybe with the big engine?).
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September 29, 2014
The Adventure of Exhibit Planning V
Now the writer takes a deep breath and attempts to take a subject like the ‘representation of 75 years of national identity as depicted on stamps and bank notes’ from 50 pages of research and squash it into 65 words.
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August 6, 2014
The Senior Deputy Governor’s Signature
For much of their history, Canadian bank notes have represented a promise, a guarantee that they could be redeemed for “specie” (gold and silver coins) at their parent institution.
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July 29, 2014
Just Add Milk!
27 June – 30 November 2008
This colourful exhibition of curiously shaped and widely varied milk tokens took visitors back to a time when a milkman and the rattle of bottles on your doorstep were a familiar part of every morning. -
July 28, 2014
Becoming a Collector V
Suppose you walk into a bar frequented by currency collectors and in an attempt to join in you refer to a ‘planchette’ as a ‘rosette’ (beer mugs hit the tables and the pianist stops playing). This could be pretty humiliating and you’ll probably never be able to go to that bar again, at least not on numismatic night.
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July 21, 2014
Becoming a Collector IV
Now that you have a grasp of preservation techniques for coins, you might want to familiarize yourself with the finer points of their anatomy. It is all part of your numismatic education and besides, you need to be informed and sound informed when you are buying coins at flea markets or coin fairs.
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July 15, 2014
First Series $1000 Note
The $1,000 note was printed by Canadian Bank Note Company Ltd. The front carries a portrait of Sir Wilfrid Laurier, Canada’s seventh prime minister.
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July 15, 2014
First Series $500 Note
This was the only $500 note ever issued by the Bank. Printed by Canadian Bank Note Company Ltd., it features a portrait of Sir John A. Macdonald, Canada’s first prime minister, wearing a fur-collared coat.
