Tag Archives: new brunswick

Saint John Coin Club issues commemorative medal for Canada 150 featuring Three Sisters

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In conjunction with the Royal Canadian Numismatic Association’s Canada 150 medal program, the Saint John Coin Club has issued a commemorative medal featuring the Reed Point Light or “Three Sisters,” as it is known locally, on the obverse.  Canada’s sesquicentennial is a significant milestone for our nation and the club thought it appropriate to celebrate Saint John with this medal.

Erected in 1842, the Reed Point Light acted as a navigational aid vital to the safety of seagoing vessels entering the harbour.  The light was rededicated to the Saint John Harbour Pilots after its restoration in 1967, Canada’s centennial year, so it seemed a fitting choice to represent Saint John for Canada 150.  Today the light is a proud symbol of the importance of the sea to the city of Saint John.

The reverse of the medal features the official Canada 150 logo created by Ariana Cuvin of Toronto, Ontario, whose design was chosen from over 300 eligible entries after a nation-wide competition.

The medal, designed by Saint John Coin Club member Kevin Day-Thorburn, was struck by the Mississauga Mint of Ontario in silver, bronze, and copper in mintages of 40, 50, and 100 respectively.  At the time of writing, only a few medals remain.  Inquiries can be made to the Saint John Coin Club via their Facebook page or website.

Irving Canaport Medal

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by Tom Craig

Sometimes when you are able to source a small collection from someone or a friend, it can have some unusual items that you may or may not have seen in a long time. This is one of those times.

The item in question is an “event medal” struck to commemorate this local event in Saint John NB.

Irving Canaport Medal

The occasion was the opening of the Oil Terminal, Canaport, December 1969, as we know it, in Saint John. It would allow oil to be unloaded from the large ships to shore tanks. You may know this, but it was the Western Hemisphere’s first Deep Water Terminal!   Canaport was built by SUN OIL at the time in partnership with, IRVING OIL.  Irving Oil now operates the terminal to this day.

This was quite an accomplishment when you think of it, the terminal is located several kilometres off shore and the oil is pumped ashore by a submerged line that practically floats.

The medal is made of bronze; dia. is 45mm, approx. thickness is 5 mm. weight is about 2 ozs.

It is not know who manufactured this or how many were struck. A second medal for this event is also known to exist but is much larger diameter at about 110 mm.

No GST

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One Saturday morning while waiting for Fundy Coins to open uptown I spotted a new shop on King Street and since it was the only thing open, I went in to browse. There was a decent assortment of antiques and such, but there wasn’t a lot that caught my eye until
I eyed a pin in a box with a label marked, “50 cents to a dollar.” It ended up costing a dollar.

NoGST
The pin is about the size of a 25-cent piece, but resembling a loonie in shape and design, except that’s a bit of an exaggerated bill on that loon! The words, “No GST” appear in the design too. On the back it has engraved, “Made in NB,” and a New Brunswick telephone number. When I looked up the phone number, it showed a business near Moncton.

R & R Antiques
R and R Antiques and Collectibles – a new shop on King Street in Saint John

I contacted the business to see if they remembered the pin. The current owner, Terry Mollins told me that he did recall that item. He told me it was made before he came into ownership of the business in 1989 or 1990, which would make sense since the Goods and Service Tax came into being January 1st, 1991. Terry said it was a promotional pin made by the shop “as a message against the proposed GST.” The name of the business at that time was Rockcliffe Trophies.
The current shop is called Premium Awards and Recognition and is located at 164 Bateman Mill Road, Shediac Cape, NB.