Royal Canadian Numismatic Association medals and awards

By 1954, a new trend was beginning to emerge for the Royal Canadian Numismatic Association as annual meetings evolved into annual conventions. Working with the Toronto Coin Club as host, the first such convention was held in Toronto in 1954. The conventions offered an agenda of educational forums, bourse activity, competitive exhibits with awards to the winners, and a closing banquet, with the highlight being a special guest speaker. . It was also in 1954 that the association issued its first ever medal to commemorate the event. The tradition of an annual convention and a convention medal continues to this very day. [ The Charlton Standard Catalogue of the Canadian Numismatic Association’s Medals and Awards, 1st Edition, R. Brian Cornwell, Introduction, 1991, The Charlton Press, Toronto, ISBN 0-88968-100-7]

The Canadian Numismatic Association’s official seal would eventually be used on many convention medals. The seal is an adaptation of Emmanuel Hahn’s famous “Voyageur” design, which was used on Canadian Silver Dollars since 1935. The first year that this seal was eventually used was 1963. The original die was engraved by H.F. Sarson of Pressed Metal Products in Vancouver. [ The Charlton Standard Catalogue of the Canadian Numismatic Association’s Medals and Awards, 1st Edition, R. Brian Cornwell, Introduction, 1991, The Charlton Press, Toronto, ISBN 0-88968-100-7]

The Royal Canadian Numismatic Association's official seal would be used beginning with the 2009 convention medal, following the official name change of the organization in 2008.

Annual Convention Medals

Since 1954, the Royal Canadian Numismatic Association has sponsored the striking of a convention medal as a way of commemorating the occasion. The concept was that these medals would be for those attending the event. Eventually, variations were used as awards for those competing in the many convention display exhibits. The annual convention was directed by a host club. Occasionally, the members of the club were responsible for the designing of the medal. The mintages have varied from year to year as the mintage is determined by the host club. The contributing factors will include projected attendance, the economic climate and location of the convention. Consequently, mintages for the medals vary from year to year. [ The Charlton Standard Catalogue of the Canadian Numismatic Association’s Medals and Awards, 1st Edition, R. Brian Cornwell, Introduction, 1991, The Charlton Press, Toronto, ISBN 0-88968-100-7]

1954 CNA Annual Convention

The inaugural CNA Convention was held at Toronto’s King Edward Hotel on August 23 and 24, 1954. The Toronto Coin Club hosted the occasion and the guest speaker was Peter Seaby of London, England. To commemorate the event, a medal was issued for the attendees of the convention. The designer was P.S. Favro and it was struck with the participation of the H. Barnard Stamp & Stencil Company, from Hamilton, Ontario. Eventually, the dies were turned over to the Toronto Coin Club and given to the Royal Canadian Numismatic Association on permanent loan in 1981.

1957 CNA Annual Convention

The fourth CNA Convention was held in Hamilton, Ontario on August 30 and 31, 1957. The Hamilton Coin Club hosted the event. The guest speaker was J.D. Ferguson, and recounted “Memories of Fifty Years in Numismatics.” The obverse of the medal displays the host city’s coat of arms. [ The Charlton Standard Catalogue of the Canadian Numismatic Association’s Medals and Awards, 1st Edition, R. Brian Cornwell, p. 4, 1991, The Charlton Press, Toronto, ISBN 0-88968-100-7]

1960 CNA Annual Convention

The seventh annual event was held in Sherbrooke, Québec from August 18 to the 20 at the New Sherbrooke Hotel. The guest speaker was Major Sheldon S. Carroll and the medal that was presented was larger than in previous years. The medal was in the form of a plaquette with a wooden mount and the design was an adaptation of the Habitat penny of 1852 with suitable convention legends. Canadian Artistic Dies Ltd. of Sherbrooke struck the medal. The medal was struck from a die engraved by O. Lombardo. [The Charlton Standard Catalogue of the Canadian Numismatic Association’s Medals and Awards, p.7, R. Brian Cornwell, The Charlton Press, Toronto, Ontario, ISBN 0-88968-100-7 ]

1963 CNA Annual Convention

The tenth annual convention was hosted by the Vancouver Numismatic Society. The Convention took place from August 15 to 17, 1963. For the first time ever, the C.N.A.’s official seal was incorporated into the design. The C.N.A. seal is an adaptation of Emanuel Hahn’s Voyageur Dollar reverse design. The reverse depicts a view of “The Lions”, twin mountain peaks of the North Shore coastal range, with the Lion’s Gate Suspension bridge in the foreground. The medal was designed by Larry Gingras, Leslie C. Hill, and Lawrence Kristmanson. It was struck by Pressed Metal Products of Vancouver. [The Charlton Standard Catalogue of the Canadian Numismatic Association’s Medals and Awards, p.12, R. Brian Cornwell, The Charlton Press, Toronto, Ontario, ISBN 0-88968-100-7 ]

1966 CNA Annual Convention

The thriteenth annual convention was held in Winnipeg. It marked the first time that the Convention was held in Manitoba. The Manitoba Coin Club was the host club for the Convention. It was held at the Marlborough Hotel from August 25 to 27. The guest speaker at the banquet was Major Sheldon S. Carroll. The obverse depicts the arms of the province of Manitoba and the reverse presents a view of Lower Fort Garry. The dies were cut by Benjamin Ireland and the medals were struck by Wellings Mfg. of Toronto. Once again, the dies were destroyed in 1973. [The Charlton Standard Catalogue of the Canadian Numismatic Association’s Medals and Awards, p.18, R. Brian Cornwell, The Charlton Press, Toronto, Ontario, ISBN 0-88968-100-7 ]

1969 CNA Annual Convention

The sixteenth annual convention was held in Toronto. The Toronto Coin Club hosted the event from August 28 to August 30. The banquet speaker was Ernest F. Brown, Acting Master of the Royal Canadian Mint. This was the convention where the J. Douglas Ferguson gold medal was inaugurated and the first recipient was Fred Bowman. The medal was an irregular shaped medal and marked the fourth time that the convention had an irregular shaped medal. The other instances where irregular shaped medals were used were 1956, 1959, and 1960. The shape of the Toronto Convention medal was a pentagon. The obverse was designed by Roger Fox and David Ashe, and shows a view of the new Toronto City Hall. The reverse was designed by Hazel Munro. It has the badge of the Toronto Coin Club. Canadian Artistic Dies of Sherbrooke struck the medals. The dies are part of the C.N.A. archives. [The Charlton Standard Catalogue of the Canadian Numismatic Association’s Medals and Awards, p.24, R. Brian Cornwell, The Charlton Press, Toronto, Ontario, ISBN 0-88968-100-7 ]

1972 CNA Annual Convention

The nineteenth annual convention was held in Toronto and was in conjunction with the Canadian Paper Money Society. The event was from August 2 to August 5. The year's Best of Show Exhibit winner was C.F. Rowe.

The obverse of the Convention Medal shows the device of the C.N.A. and the C.P.M.S. The reverse illustrates the coat of arms of the City of Toronto registered with the College of Arms, London, England. [The Charlton Standard Catalogue of the Canadian Numismatic Association’s Medals and Awards, p.30, R. Brian Cornwell, The Charlton Press, Toronto, Ontario, ISBN 0-88968-100-7 ] The obverse of the medal was designed by R.W. Irwin and the reverse by W. English. The medals were struck by the Lombardo Mint. [The Charlton Standard Catalogue of the Canadian Numismatic Association’s Medals and Awards, p.30, R. Brian Cornwell, The Charlton Press, Toronto, Ontario, ISBN 0-88968-100-7 ]

1985 CNA Annual Convention

The 32nd Canadian Numismatic Association annual convention was held in Regina, Saskatchewan from July 17th to July 21st, 1985.

The theme for the obverse was the “Northcote at Batoche 9 May, 1885.” The design features naval action, which was part of the Northwest Rebellion led by Louis Riel [The Charlton Standard Catalogue of the Canadian Numismatic Association’s Medals and Awards, p.56, R. Brian Cornwell, The Charlton Press, Toronto, Ontario, ISBN 0-88968-100-7 ]

The J.D. Ferguson Award

[ The Charlton Standard Catalogue of the Canadian Numismatic Association’s Medals and Awards, 1st Edition, R. Brian Cornwell, p. 67, 1991, The Charlton Press, Toronto, ISBN 0-88968-100-7]

Royal Canadian Mint Award

On July 8, 1976, Royal Canadian Mint president, Yvon Gariepy announced that an annual award would be bestowed to the Canadian deemed to have contributed the most to numismatic education in Canada. The award was in the form of a sterling silver medal, and would be known as the Royal Canadian Mint Award. It measures 45 mm in diameter and depicts a view of the Royal Canadian Mint building on 320 Sussex Drive in Ottawa. The name of the recipient and the year are engraved on the reverse. A panel of numismatists, along with the Royal Canadian Mint, selects the winner. The award is presented at the Annual Royal Canadian Numismatic Association Convention. [ The Charlton Standard Catalogue of the Canadian Numismatic Association’s Medals and Awards, 1st Edition, R. Brian Cornwell, p. 68, 1991, The Charlton Press, Toronto, ISBN 0-88968-100-7]

References

External links

* [http://www.canadian-numismatic.org/ferguson.php/ J. Douglas Ferguson Award]