Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Canada Proof-like Sets

Coinsnpaper has had a consignment of Canada Proof-Like Sets. These are officially uncirculated coins, which were specially selected, or usually specially struck, sealed in pliofilm, and issued in an envelope. The sets are nickel- dollar types, where all the originally silver coins of 10, 25, 50 cents and 1 dollar were made of nickel. These coins are now being removed from circulation by the mint, and being melted, as nickel is becoming a valuable metal.
The designs are the original 1937 or 1960 types. They are the voyageur and Indian in a canoe, with a background of a tree and the Northern Lights on the 1 Dollar, the Canadian coat of arms (original design in 1937, with a broad shield, modified in 1959 to the narrow shield, and one colour corrected in 1960) on the 50 Cents, the caribou on the 25 Cents, the Bluenose sailing schooner on the 10 Cents, the beaver on the 5 Cents, and the Maple Leaf on the 1 Cent. The obverse is the Machin Old Head design showing Queen Elizabeth, first used in Canada in 1965.
There are a number of special commemorative coins, all of which were issued for circulation. In 1970, a special 1 Dollar was issued commemorating Manitoba joining the Canadian Confederation. (This is also a very low mintage year for almost all issues). This bears the provincial flower, the prairie crocus. In 1971, the 1 Dollar coin shows the BC crest, commemorating BC joining Confederation. In 1973, there are 2 commemorative coins. The 1 Dollar shows the Prince Edward Island legislature building, commemorating PEI joining Confederation, and the 25 Cents shows a Royal Canadian Mounted Police Musical ride member on his horse, commemorating the centennial of the RCMP (originally RNWMP) .
The sets also the series of minor design changes done by the mint, especially the 1977 set which hs the designs in a circle of dots, and redesigned hair on the obverses (lower relief, more definate hair lines).
These sets are available through coinsnpaper on ebay.ca- http://ebay.ca/coinsnpaper&refid=store .