George Cook had three passions in his life: his family, his country and his coins.

Cook immigrated to Canada in 1951 from Germany, fleeing "the tragedy of war in Europe," his longtime friend says.

"He was able to combine the passion for coins and his love for Canada in building this incredible set," friend Cris Bierrenbach told theCalgary Eyeopener on Friday.

[He] set out in this wonderful journey to build the most important and the most significant collection of Canadian coins ever assembled."

Cook carefully researched the coins and frequently spoke with his collecting friends. Sometimes he paid over market value in order to obtain onethat was missing in his collection.

"It was a wonderful thing to see. He enjoyed them fully through his last days on this earth," Bierrenbach said.

To read the complete article, see:
Canada's rarest coins: Calgary businessman's massive collection heads to auction(https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.5112540)

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
HERITAGE TO OFFER COOK CANADIAN COIN COLLECTION(https://www.coinbooks.org/v22/esylum_v22n10a18.html)