It's time to add to your collection of loonies, toonies and spectacularly-colored bills with the 2013 September Sale Canadian paper money and numismatic auction that is set to take place Sept. 27 on iCollector.com.
Why would you want to settle for boring old American greenbacks when you can add consistently colorful Canadian purchasing power to your folding money and world coins collections? With items ranging from 19th century $1 bills to more modern collectible pieces, the September Sale auction has everything a coin collecting Canuck-lover could covet.
Fine artwork on paper money
Americans, with their relatively staid bills, often forget that printed money can be a canvas for beautiful drawings. In Canada, and in much of the rest of the world, that isn't the case.
Take, for instance, the $100 Bank of Canada note from 2004 that will be up for grabs in the coming auction (lot #92). Featuring Sir Robert Borden, Canada's Prime Minister from 1911 to 1920, the wide-ranging palette of pale greens, blues, yellows and oranges that decorate the bill show the kind of technique and eye for color that one would expect to see on a classic painting.
Then there's the boldly stylized Canadian Bank of Commerce $10 note from 1912 (lot #2). Its vivid artwork practically jumps off the paper at you, with nearly half a dozen angels flitting about, and another one recording the action in its sketchbook.
Even the oldest bills are examples of fine craftsmanship. An 1870 $1 bill from the Dominion of Canada (lot #32) exhibits fine stenciled detail that brings out the various shades of green and black that bring life to the seemingly simple schematic.
Canadian coins aren't just about funny names
Canadian coins with names like loonie and toonie have been cause for derision in America for quite a while. But if one takes a closer look at some of them, especially the classic and rare ones being offered in the upcoming auction, that condescension would surely be replaced by awe.
The lustry silver loonie from 1963 (lot #622), with a young Queen Elizabeth II on one side, is a simple yet elegant piece of work. And an 1885 5-cent piece adorned by Queen Victoria is another example of how reflecting the changing tides of history on coins can lend them more opulence and grandiosity.
A perusal of the monetary wares available in the Sept. 27 auction will surely lead any Canadian to a greater appreciation for his or her country, and any American to have deeper respect for the U.S.'s neighbor to the north.
iCollector is your place for the paper money and numismatic gems that will lend you a greater appreciation for modern civilization.