Toronto Coin Expo Sale Sets Alliance Records Across Canadian Coins and Currency

Alliance Auction’s October 2 sale, held alongside the Toronto Coin Expo, produced a 99.4% sell-through rate and several company price records. The highlights span a mint roll, a high-grade 1942 Tombac five cents, a Victoria brockage half dollar and a scarce 1924 five-dollar note. Together, they show the range of material that drew strong bidding at this sale.

Alliance reported 3,052 bids and 497 lots divided among 117 successful bidders. The company also noted a striking change in where bidders were based: the vast majority were from Canada, and fewer than half a dozen packages went south of the border. That pattern came despite the sale including the largest selection of United States coins Alliance had featured in a single auction.

These results offer a useful snapshot of this particular sale, rather than a broad measure of demand across the market. The sell-through figure describes the lots offered by Alliance on October 2; the individual prices below are hammer prices, before the buyer’s premium. For collectors comparing results, that distinction matters: the hammer price is the winning bid, while the final amount paid can include additional charges.

Four highlights, four different collecting stories

The records reached across distinct areas of Canadian numismatics. One result came from an original mint roll, another from a graded early wartime nickel, and a third from an error coin. The top hammer price belonged to a banknote. Each lot therefore offers a different point of interest for collectors assessing condition, variety, format or serial number.

Lot #169 – Canada One Cent 1985 “Pointed 5”, Mint Roll – $975.

An all-time Alliance record for any original Mint roll!

Lot #169 was a 1985 Canadian one-cent “Pointed 5” in mint-roll form. Its $975 hammer price set Alliance’s record for an original mint roll. The format is part of the lot’s appeal: an intact roll keeps the coins together as a group, giving buyers a different collecting proposition from a single-cent example. The source does not provide details about the roll’s packaging or the condition of its individual coins, so the result is best read as a record for the lot as described.

Lot #185 – Canada Five Cents “Tombac” 1942, ICCS Specimen-66 – $3,200.

 We believe this to be a world-record price realized for a 1942 Tombac!

Lot #185 brought $3,200 for a 1942 Canadian five-cent “Tombac,” graded ICCS Specimen-66. Alliance described the price as what it believed to be a world record for a 1942 Tombac. The grade and designation are central details for anyone following the result: they identify how the coin was certified and classified, while the “Tombac” name identifies the issue noted in the lot description. The record claim is Alliance’s, and the source gives no broader comparison set or population figures.

Lot #349 – Canada Victoria “Brockage” Half Dollar – $9,500.

The highest hammer price ever achieved in an Alliance sale for any Error!

The Victoria “Brockage” half dollar in lot #349 achieved a $9,500 hammer price, the highest price Alliance says it has recorded for an error coin in one of its sales. The result gives this unusual piece a place among the auction’s standout lots, with the brockage feature distinguishing it from standard-issue material. No date, grade or further diagnostic information appears in the source, so collectors should consult the full lot description for those specifics when comparing the coin with other examples.

Lot #379 – Canada Five Dollars 1924, Serial #000002 – $37,000.

Among the finest notes we have had the privilege of offering, and the single-highest hammer price achieved at an Alliance Coin Auctions sale to date!

Lot #379 led the sale at $37,000. The 1924 Canada five-dollar note carried serial number 000002, and Alliance called it among the finest notes the company had offered. Its hammer price set the highest result in Alliance Coin Auctions’ history, according to the firm. The low serial number is an explicit identifying feature in the lot description; the source does not state a grade, so none should be inferred from the company’s description of the note’s quality.

What to watch from Alliance

Alliance thanked its consignors and bidders and said its next diverse sale is planned for May, alongside the 2026 Ontario Numismatic Association annual convention in Ottawa. For collectors, the next opportunity will be to see which categories and individual pieces feature in that offering. This October sale’s records give a clear set of reference points: $975 for the 1985 “Pointed 5” mint roll, $3,200 for the ICCS Specimen-66 Tombac, $9,500 for the brockage half dollar and $37,000 for the 1924 note with serial #000002.