These very strong results were due largely to the running of the auction simultaneously on eBay LiveAuctions. We had 531 bidders registered on eBay LiveAuctions, and of them, 136 were successful, taking a total of 668 lots. This represents 42.7% of the lots sold, and 26% of the prices realized. The floor bidders won 615 lots or 39.4% of the lots sold. While the floor took fewer lots than the Internet, they took well over twice as much in value, contributing 58% of the prices realized.

Of the 81 registered mail bidders, 49 were successful, taking 280 of the lots and 16% of the prices realized. This is a considerably smaller portion than we usually have, but many of our traditional mail bidders opted to submit their absentee bids via the internet. Also, several of the major successful internet bidders had viewed lots in Vancouver, Edmonton or Toronto, and then went home to click away on their computers, so they might actually be considered as floor bidders.

Prices were very strong; more than 425 of the lots sold for over 90% of catalogue, 260 of them for more than full catalogue and 56 of them for better than one-and-a-half times catalogue. Overall, we achieved an average of 79.9% of catalogue prices and sold 84% of the consigned lots, so my consignors are very happy.

Among the highlights was an 1872H Inverted A Over V 50 Cents piece, catalogued as EF-AU at $6,000 that sold for $21,850. There were several mail bids in the $4,500 to $5,000 area. When I opened the bidding at $5,000, I saw a sea of bidder’s cards, and many cards stayed up as the bidding passed the $10,000 and $15,000 marks. The consignor will be very happy; he had paid $945 for the piece in 1987.

Nice George VI and Elizabeth copper pieces were in demand, as demonstrated by a 1948 A Off Denticle Cent in ICCS MS-65 Red selling for $1,380, and an MS-64 Red example getting $375, both well above Trends. A 1954 No Shoulder Fold Cent in PCGS PL-67 Red brought $2,530, more than three times catalogue, while a Shoulder Fold version in NGC PL-67 Red brought $345, more than four-and-a-half times catalogue.

George VI and Elizabeth silver pieces were also hot, with many selling for more than double catalogue. A 1949 10 Cents piece in ICCS MS-64 Heavy Cameo sold for more than two-and-a-half times catalogue at $211.50. A 1949 Dollar in PCGS MS-68 brought $4,600, almost twice the price achieved for the only other example last year at the Belzberg Sale in New York . A 1955 25 Cents piece in ICCS PL-66 Ultra Heavy Cameo brought $195, while a 1957 ICCS PL -65 Cameo 25 Cents sold for over $380 and a High Relief 1952 25 Cents piece in ICCS MS-64 sold for over $280. A 1965 Type 1 Dollar in ICCS PL-65 Ultra Heavy Cameo sold for a few cents short of $1,000.

I had intended to limit this auction to around a thousand lots, and I turned away many consignors, but we still ended-up with over eighteen hundred and fifty lots. That meant two very long sessions, each over seven hours long. Throughout these, Linda Robinson diligently clicked the eBay connection as I called the sale, and it is because of her skill, perseverance and patience that the Internet connection worked so well.

Some of the notable lots of Paper Money were a 1975 Fifty Dollars BC-51aA *HC in EF that brought $1,150, nearly double catalogue, a 1937 Osborne-Towers Hundred in EF-AU that sold for $998 and a 1937 Osborne-Towers Twenty in Unc that went for $1,380. A highlight among the paper errors was an Uncirculated uncut pair of 1973 Asterisk Dollars, BC-46aA, which sold for $1,380.

Among the world coins, a 1739 British Half Crown in PCGS MS-63 brought $2,115, an 1821 British Six Pence in NGC MS-65 sold for $999 and an 1822 Brazilian Peca in PCGS MS-64 went for $1,880. A 1931S Lincoln Cent catalogued as Choice Red Uncirculated at $125, sold for $575 to a floor bidder and an 1883 Hawaii Quarter in ICG MS-66 brought $883.

The belief that there is no demand for Newfoundland coins was dispelled by this auction; the great pieces in the sale brought great attention. Prime examples were an 1888 50 Cents piece in AU-55 that brought $17,250, an 1873 20 Cents piece in AU-Unc that sold for $1,725, an 1873 50 Cents piece in EF-AU that went for $2,070, an 1873H 5 Cents in Fine for $2,185 and an 1870 50 Cents in AU-Unc that brought $3,450. The more than three-hundred lots of Newfoundland coins brought strong bids, demonstrating an increasing demand for these pieces in the scarcer high grades.

There were multiples of most of the key dates and varieties of Canadian decimal coins in the sale. Significant among these were a 1921 5 Cents piece in ICCS VG-8 that Trends for $2,500 and sold for $2,990, and a second example in VF-EF that sold for nearly full catalogue at $4,888. There was an 1892 Large 9 Ten Cents piece in PCGS AU-50 catalogued at $2,500 that sold for 3,450, an 1889 25 Cents piece in ICCS EF-45 Cleaned that brought $2,300 and an 1889 Ten Cents piece in ICCS F-15 that achieved $2,185.

An 1870 No LCW Fifty Cents piece in ICCS VF-30 sold for $4,400, a 1947 Maple Leaf Curved 7 Fifty Cents piece in ICCS VF-30 brought $2,415 and an 1893 Round Top 3 Ten Cents in ICCS G-6, catalogued at $650, sold for $881, while a second example in ICCS VF-30 brought $4,025.

The three 1948 Silver Dollars in the sale brought strong prices. The first MS-62 example sold for $1,495, the second for $1,380 and the AU example brought $920. A 1966 Small Beads Dollar in PCGS PL-64 reached $2,990 and a 1967 Diving Goose in MS-63 brought $633. There were two 1967 Double Struck Dollars in the sale, the MS-63 example brought $999 and the one in MS-62 sold for $764, while a 1967 Triple Struck Fifty Cents piece in MS-63 sold for $690.

This auction has clearly shown a strong demand for Canadian and Maritime coins across a wide range of grades and price levels. Each of our past auctions have brought a significant increase in new bidders, and this time it was well beyond my expectations and predictions. These new bidders tend to drive prices up as more and more collectors compete for a limited number of pieces.

I will be taking a bit of a break through April, May and June to recuperate from four months of the non-stop crunching required to catalogue, present and wrap-up this auction, but I will be back on the ground at the June Torex and the July CNA to begin receiving consignments for the October Torex Auction.