Calgary Coin & Antique Gallery

Robert Kokotailo, the proprietor of Calgary Coin Gallery, buys and sells collectable coins and paper money from all over the world. His day-to-day business in the small shop involves selling to Canadian coin collectors, appraising collections and buying gold and silver. What is especially amazing about this unassuming shop on Centre Street in Calgary’s Beltline is that it features an extensive collection of ancient and medieval coins dating back hundreds and even thousands of years.

“They’re not rare things,” explains Robert, leaning on a glass counter where a couple of dozen classical and medieval Chinese coins are on display. “That’s more of a North American point of view. If you lived in Europe, you might dig up a medieval coin in your backyard.” He estimates he carries around 2,000 coins from ancient Greece, the Roman empire and Asia.

The store is really Robert's lifelong vocation. It started as a childhood hobby that evolved into wheeling and dealing in historical coins as an adult. He eventually opened Calgary Coin Gallery in the early 1990s, making the hobby a thriving business. Don’t expect a museum in his shop, however. Most of the coins are under lock and key, and many of these are purchased by international collectors at the Calgary Coin Gallery online store.