An electrotype replica of the legendary 1911 Canadian silver dollar is crossing the auction block today in New York, offering collectors a rare opportunity to acquire one of the closest obtainable stand-ins for what is often described as the “Emperor of Canadian coins.”
The George V 1911 dollar electrotype exhibition piece is being offered today in New York at the with a pre-sale estimate of US$100,000 to US$120,000. As of 7:20 a.m. today, online bidding remained at the opening bid of US$50,000. Presented by Heritage Auctions, Lot 34128 is being offered as part of the NYINC World & Ancient Coins Platinum Session and Signature Auction, New York #3129.
As previously reported online by Canadian Coin News, the 1911 silver dollar occupies a singular place in Canadian numismatic history. Intended to be Canada’s first silver dollar, the denomination was authorized through legislation introduced in 1910, following decades of reliance on foreign coinage, provincial issues and small-denomination Canadian coins. Bill 195 formally called for production of a silver dollar, reflecting growing national interest in a large-format Canadian coin.
Although production preparations began later that year, progress was slow. The creation and delivery of dies proved time-consuming, and nearly a year after Bill 195 was accepted, a change in government brought the project to an abrupt end. The cancellation left only the master dies and three trial strikes as evidence of Canada’s first attempt at a silver dollar.
Those three pattern specimens are among the great rarities of Canadian numismatics and are now housed in the collection of the Bank of Canada Museum, where they are carefully preserved and not available to collectors.
The piece being offered today is an electrotype replica, believed to have been produced by the Ready brothers for exhibition purposes. With the original trial strikes both inaccessible and closely monitored, electrotype replicas were created to meet public interest and to allow museums and mints to display representations of the historic issue.
Struck as an electrotype composed of approximately 86 per cent copper and 12.5 per cent silver, the specimen measures 36 millimetres in diameter. Graded MS-63 by Professional Coin Grading Service, it closely follows the original 1911 dollar design and is widely regarded as the closest alternative collectors can obtain to the fabled pattern itself.
For Canadian specialists, the electrotype represents a rare opportunity to own a tangible link to one of the most important unrealized chapters in the nation’s coinage history. While not a pattern strike, its historical association, display origins and close fidelity to the original design have long made such electrotypes highly desirable.
For more details on this lot, click here.