In 1999, the City of Toronto acquired one of the largest and most valuable private collections ever assembled to document the history and culture of Toronto. Donated to the City by Mrs. Rose Becker, the Larry Becker Collection consists of over 20 inter-related collections, containing thousands of postcards, documents, photographs, pamphlets, newspapers, maps, medals, artifacts and diverse ephemera created between about 1800 and 1997. The City of Toronto Archives is responsible for everything except about 4,000 medals, badges, bottles and other artifacts cared for by the City's Culture Division.

By April 2002, enough of the collection had been processed to enable a 6-month-long exhibition of over 500 items to be displayed at The Market Gallery in Toronto. This virtual exhibition is based on that show, Collecting Toronto: Through the Eyes of Larry Becker. Researchers interested in viewing the extensive, and still growing, archival holdings are invited to visit the City of Toronto Archives at 255 Spadina Road.