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ONTARIO TODAY COLLECTING MONEY BY JACK HAMBLETON ANT to double your money -- or lose your shirt? Try coin collecting. It's the fastest grow- ing hobby in Canada today. It has long been argued that fishing and hunting were the greatest "participator" sports in Canada and that stamp collecting was the "biggest" hobby in the world. Right now, though, coin-and-bill collecting is racing through the country like wildfire, The Canadian Numismatic Association, which has world-wide affiliations, is jump- ing its membership by at least 50 per month and has gained more than 5,000 Roman coin collection, Jriginal -- | ioe anadian CERTIFIED 8 YEAR-OLD CANADIAN WHISKY Original ... because it was the first certified 8-year- old Canadian whisky on the market. Fine... because it is aged for 8 years in small oak casks for that fine, full flavour that only comes with age. Canadian ... bécause it is made for Canadians and by Canadians--a whisky of truly outstanding quality. Canad OSchenley sz "Distillers of Certified Aged Whiskies" ORDER OF MERIT, AGED 12 YEARS + RESERVE, AGED 6 YEARS + GOLDEN WEDDING, AGED 5 YEARS SATURDAY, JUNE 3, 1961 in the past 10 years (most of the joiners having come along in the past two years). Why the sudden interest? William Myles, Osh- awa coin dealer, says in his town, workers at the largest manufacturing plants have more time to spare and are seeking some interest to occupy their spare time. J. E. Charlton, Toronto, whose "Standard Cata- logue" is regarded as the final authority among dealers and collectors when it comes to prices of coins, believes the influx of Europeans, many of them collectors, others interested in learning something of Canada, have either brought their hobby with them or collect Cana- diana to assist them in their studies of Canada's history. ~~ And some, of course, are in it for the money they make or hope to make. Not too long ago, four girls in a Winnipeg bank were counting change. They ran across a 1921 fifty cent piece. It sold for $1,500. HERE are, however, few of these around in the junk piles. That's why they sold at such high prices. For it isn't the age, generally,-of a coin or bill that makes it worthwhile from the collectors' standpoint. It's a matter of condition or scarcity. You can buy a 1961 silver dollar, for instance, for $1 at any bank. You can buy the first one minted in Canada, a 1935, for around $1.25 to $4, depending or' condition. Yet a 1948, much newer, sells for around $75 to $85, again depending on condition. The reason: Only about 18,000 were minted in 1948. How many private collectors -- and there are thousands -- make a profit on their hobby? Not too many. According to Mr. Myles, there are very few hobbies which do not cost the hobbyist some money. "If a fisherman or golfer spends money to enjoy him- self, he cannot sell his clubs or tackle back at a profit, nor can he get back any small wagers he loses. A coin collector can, if he wishes, combine investment with pleasure and purchase coins in addition to those 'he needs, on the assumption the price will increase . . . Coins purchased at face value during the year of issue are also a good item as the price can only stay at face, or go up." Probably the most profitable, if it's money you're looking for, are the "Mint sets." which are sold by the Royal Canadian Mint at Ottawa in the "year of issue." For $3.00, payable by certified cheque or money order to the Receiver General of Canada, collectors may obtain a set of 1961 coins containing a one cent piece, a nickel, a dime, quarter, half dollar and dollar. The face value of the coins is $1.91. The balance goes to the government for selection, packing, mailing, etc. Be sure you send a certified cheque or money order. For though the Receiver General seems to have no objection to personal cheques in payment of such trivialities as income tax, he wants to make sure you have the money to pay for the money you buy when you deal with the Mint.