An August Update
It’s been more than three months since I last posted, which, I admit, is too long. I could blame it on a busy cataloging season with the ANA’s World’s Fair of Money coming up or on a newfound ability to see friends and family within reason two weeks after my second vaccination. I could say the weather has been nice and that I have been taking advantage by hitting the links at every opportunity. And, hey, I was on vacation for a week! But there are no excuses at JLRC.
Good news is that I was able to set up at a show for the first time since November 2019. The Ottawa Westboro Coin Show, which is slated to be a monthly event (next show is September 12), hosted 10 dealers at a local legion on July 24. Doors opened slightly before 9am. A line had been forming for 20 minutes or so, which was nice to see, and there was a steady stream of collectors coming in and out until things died down around 2pm. Most dealers brought Canadian decimal and paper money. Coins were generally raw, but there were scattered higher end pieces. More attendees were under the age of, say, 40 than expected, representing a good mix of collecting areas from those I spoke with. It was great seeing some friends for the first time in a long time, and always interesting meeting new people. Mask wearing and distancing compliance were generally excellent.
On the NEWPS front, I have purchased a couple of really neat collections since we last spoke. One consisted exclusively of Canadian medals and the other was an incredible accumulation of Canadian military and militia buttons, a few dating to the Revolutionary War and War of 1812. Buttons aren’t something I usually buy, but this was too cool to pass up. And they’re round and struck. The Partrick sales have also provided an opportunity to pick up some fantastic Canadian tokens.
Finally, I need to give a shoutout to Wayne Homren and the E-Sylum. Every week, Wayne puts out the greatest newsletter in numismatics — for free. Currently, there are more than 6,600 subscribers from around the world. If you haven’t already, please add your name to the list by emailing whomren@gmail.com. Or, if you prefer, let me know if you want to sign up and I can pass the message along.
