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Live Online Auction Starts In
2024 Oct 04 @ 17:30 (UTC-4 : AST/EDT)
Buyer’s Premiums will be added on all items as per the Terms & Conditions of the sale. Invoices will be emailed out after all sessions of the Toronto Coin Expo Spring Sale have concluded.
(c. 1824) R.W. Owen Ropery Token, Breton-564. VF20 ICCS.
27mm. 7.59g. The R.W. Owen Ropery token is one of the monumental rarities in Canadian numismatics. Writing in Imperial Designs (2019), Christopher Faulkner describes the Owen Ropery token as “extremely rare and thus beyond the means of all but a very few collectors.” Earlier, R.W. McLachlan, commenting in “Our Rarest Canadian Coins,” published in the July 1882 issue of the Canadian Antiquarian and Numismatic Journal, called the token “a great rarity” that “has always been esteemed by Canadian collectors one of the gems of their collections.”
The Ropery tokens were issued by R.W. Owen of Montreal, who started a rope-making business in or just before 1824. According to McLachlan, “It was a small affair situated in Gain street in the eastern part of the city, and consisted of an open shed by the side of a fence, under which was wheel turned by hand. The quantity of hemp used was less than four tons per annum, and a small supply of lines rather than ropes, the product.” Owen sold his ropery to Mr. J.A. Converse in 1825 and subsequently moved to Kingston, Ontario. McLachlan, who gleaned his information from Mr. Converse’s reminiscences (he was still alive at the time the article was published), claims Owen’s tokens were struck in Birmingham and issued about 1824. The short amount of time between the tokens’ issuance and Mr. Owen selling his business may explain the token’s rarity today.
In 2022, we estimated 15 to 25 examples of the Owen Ropery token extant. Since then, researcher Franck Fortin has published and maintained a roster of known representatives at numicanada.com, totalling 18 pieces. Of those, five survivors are in institutional collections, leaving just 13 in private hands. About half of those tokens display some form of damage.
This is a problem-free example in Very Fine condition. Each side exhibits deep-brown colour overall with steel accents and minor surface porosity. Although the token had been lacquered at one point, the lacquer has been removed and no trace of it remains. Additionally, this impressive rarity can be traced back to the June 1941 sale of the important Dunham Collection, one of the most impressive groupings of Canadian colonial material offered in the post-WWI era. Auctioneer B. Max Mehl described it as “Very Fine. Excessively Rare,” noting that Mr. Dunham had paid more than $100 to acquire it — a substantial sum at the time. We expect considerable interest and spirited bidding for this significant and well-pedigreed Canadian numismatic trophy.
Ex: The W. F. Dunham Numismatic Collection (B. Max Mehl, 6/1941), lot 3642; unknown intermediaries; Richard Cooper; Cooper Collection / Toronto Coin Expo Spring Sale (Geoffrey Bell Auctions, 4/2016), lot
783, where it realized $22,800.
Auction Location:
Toronto Reference Library, 789 Yonge Street (1 street north of Bloor), Toronto, Ontario, M4W 2G8, Canada
Previewing Details:
Location:
Toronto Reference Library
789 Yonge Street (1 street north of Bloor)
Toronto, ON
M4W 2G8
Lot viewing available online, or in-person from 10:00am-4:30pm
HST of 13% will be applied to any purchaser from ON; HST of 14% will be applied to any purchaser from PE; HST of 15% will be applied to any purchaser from NS, NB, NL, PE; All other provinces in Canada 5% will be applied. No tax is charged on out of Country purchases.
Taxes:
| Tax | Rate | Desc. |
| HST |
13% |
HST |
| GST |
5% |
GST |
| HST |
14% |
HST |
| HST |
15% |
HST |
Buyer's Premiums:
| From (Incl.) | To (Excl.) | Premium |
| 0.00 |
Infinite |
20% |
Additional Fees:
Shipping Details:
Lot pick-up/Shipping Details: Lots will be available for pickup at the Toronto Coin Expo on Saturday. All lots not picked up will be shipped at the bidders expense. We charge actual shipping costs (minimum $15) plus $5 per package for packing and processing the order. Insurance is $5 per thousand.
Payment Details:
Payment Details: Cheques must clear before shipping; money orders and certified cheques will be verified and shipped within 48 hours of receipt. eTransfer, or Direct deposit into our TD Canada Trust account will result in immediate shipping. Credit Card and Paypal payments are accepted at a 3.5% premium to cover fees.
Accepted Payment Methods:
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Terms and Conditions at Geoffrey Bell Auctions
Credit and Deposits: All bidders must be approved. Those who do not have an established relationship with Geoffrey Bell Auctions must provide an approved reference or a credit guarantee prior to the sale.
Buyer’s Premiums: A buyer’s premium of 20% will be added to the hammer price. Appropriate GST or HST will be added for lots delivered in Canada. No taxes will be added if shipped out of the country. US Funds accepted at 2% under the posted rate on xe.com on the day of the auction. All accounts not paid within 30 days will result in an interest charge of 2% per month calculated from Oct 31st, 2024.
Auction Conduct: All our starting bids will be opened at approximately 10% above the second highest mail or computer bid. If there are no mail bids, auctioneer will start the bids at the reserve price, or half of the low estimate, or where possible, call for an opening bid. Advances are at the discretion of the auctioneer. In the event there are identical bids, earliest bid and floor bids will take priority. We reserve the right to withdraw any lot prior to the sale. Lots are sold to the highest bidder at an average rate of 150 lots per hour.
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0 – 250 10
250 – 1,000 25
1,000 – 2,000 50
2,000 – 5,000 100
5,000 – 10,000 250
10,000 –20,000 500
20,000+ 1000
Grading Standards and Description: The Cataloguers have taken every reasonable measure to ensure that all the lots are as described by Geoffrey Bell Auctions. Many of the lots are third party graded by PCGS, BCS, PMG, ICCS, NGC, CCCS - We feel these are the most recognized grading companies in the industry.
Return Policies: Returns will be accepted by absentee bidders for lots that have been misattributed or incorrectly catalogued. We guarantee that all items are genuine and we will refund anything that has been misrepresented by the cataloguers. Certified grading concerns are to be dealt with through the certified grading company, not Geoffrey Bell Auctions. No returns will be accepted on graded material. All floor sales are final, including those who choose to use our agent. Absolutely no returns will be accepted after 45 days as consignors are then paid in full.
Lot pick-up/Shipping Details: Lots will be available for pickup at the Toronto Coin Expo on Saturday. All lots not picked up will be shipped at the bidders expense. We charge actual shipping costs (minimum $15) plus $5 per package for packing and processing the order. Insurance is $5 per thousand.
Payment Details: Cheques must clear before shipping; money orders and certified cheques will be verified and shipped within 48 hours of receipt. eTransfer, or Direct deposit into our TD Canada Trust account will result in immediate shipping. Credit Card and Paypal payments are accepted at a 3.5% premium to cover fees.
Catalogue Values: All values are listed in Canadian Funds.
Listing of Abbreviations and References Used: available at www.gbellauctions.com