While this conjures up all sorts of wonderful thoughts – I mean, how often do you get to spend time with the ultimate “anything?” – you may find that this site is not quite what you imagined. That is, at least until you dig in and spend some time there. You will have to be the ultimate judge.

Upon first sight, there is a slightly formal appearance to the home page, with minimal colour – black, white and gold – and a simple mission statement, printed just below an ever-changing series of ads for coin sellers, that reads as follows: “Utilizing the Internet medium, the producer has tried to expose important numismatic reference material in an organized, interactive, and fun manner. Perhaps you have some old coins stored away in a drawer? In a trunk up in the attic? Maybe you received a collection as part of an inheritance, or managed to tuck a few away through the years. The Canadian Coin Reference Site will lead you to important information, which will help you learn more about the numismatic treasures you adore.”

It is necessary to scroll down a ways to see the entire first page. There are two hot-link word statements just below an ever-changing series of ads for other coin sellers which say, “Are you a Believer?” and “Free Coin Show Listings.”

These are followed by a variety of links to Torex, an award statue, and a black box with three links to Discussion, Marketplace, and Coin Shows. Lastly comes connection to the Archive Page, the FAQ area, a couple of other coin company ads, and a series of colourful photos of some Canadian coins. At the very bottom is the often-seen set of small font links to most of the features on the site.

While all of this is intriguing, at the left side of the home page is a wide bar in which is a special drop-down box with the title “Please Select.” A quick click of the mouse drops down 20 choices! Some lead to the same place as the other links on the white area, such as FAQ and Archives, but many are not seen on the regular page, such as Guestbook, Gallery, Coin Clubs, Grading, and several others. This section also sports a Goggle link, which is very handy for doing research without leaving the main site – a very nice feature.

It is also worth noting that the designers have taken the time to ensure that as you scroll over the gold link statements found throughout the site, they change colour so you can easily see where you will be going. Many web people omit this little bonus, which really helps those of us who are “visually challenged” and often find the backgrounds interfere with the visibility of the script.

Since a good place to start any browsing is at the FAQ, that is where I went. I was greeted with a friendly “How do I navigate this site?” The answer was exactly as I expected, which was encouraging. There were six other questions, all answered efficiently, too.

Since one of the main things I am looking for is a consistent level of professionalism in the presentation, a good place to learn that is in the Discussion area. Here is where you see the “who” of the site.”

There are over 1,400 members in the group, and just a quick browse shows that they are used to spending time together, and, more importantly, that they are quite supportive of each other. There is a positive tone in the chats I scanned, and I felt like it would be fun to join in. It is free to join after you agree to the terms and conditions of membership (quite logically) and I recommend this as a must-do if you are a beginner, but also for those looking for some “coin partners.”

The archives – about 170 articles on a wide variety of topics – are definitely worth a scan as there is something for everyone from beginner to expert, child to senior collector. It will be easy to spend a lot of time in here – be forewarned.

The Dictionary is quite impressive, as I had hoped for a reference site. There were about 150 definitions for just “A, B, and C” and nothing seemed to be omitted. The area is a good review for any collector, just to ensure everyone is on the same page about the meanings of the specific terminology. Words and phrases are ever-changing as time and technology trudge on, and a scan of the basics every now and then is beneficial, even to the most experienced collectors.

There are pleasant surprises in the video section, the Grading area (excellent articles by Tom Becker), the Coin Club list, and the very extensive Links list. Every good resource site is very liberal with connections to others in the area of study, even if they are not direct patrons. CCRS is no exception, kind helping all collectors to see in a glance what will make their hobby more fun. There are a few other areas to explore, too. I’ll leave those for you to snoop through.

In March 200, Robert Aaron said in the Toronto Star that this “site” has a balance of entertainment, robust content, lively discussion forums, and streamlined functionality. Collectors by the tens of thousands are turning to this popular website as a primary information site…” It seems that seven years later, his statements are still true, and there is a great comfort in that. We collectors understand and even embrace change, but we love the consistency of the old traditions and standards, too.

So, ultimately, only you can decide if CCRS has everything you’d hoped for. However, I have to state that it is unique and exciting enough to place it in my top 10.

My compliments and thanks to all the folks who have continued to word so hard for the general good of the hobby.