Author Archives: Bret Evans
Innovation is the key to survival
The numismatic market is crowded. This month, for instance, the Royal Canadian Mint has put more than 30 coins into the market, the exact number depends on if you count different variations of the same design. Now, I’m not picking on the RCM, because while they may be more aggressive than some other mints, they are not the only ones. In truth, I can’t think of a single coin issuing authority releasing fewer coins now than they were 20, or even 10, years ago. Continue reading →
Hologram coin marks space anniversary
Astronaut David Saint-Jacques, from the left, Royal Canadian Mint board member John Bell, astronaut Jeremy Hansen and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) president Walter Natynczyk unveil a silver collector coin celebrating the 25th anniversary of the CSA at the 2014 International Astronautics Congress in Toronto.
The 25th anniversary of the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) is the subject of a new silver coin, just the second Canadian coin to use an achromatic hologram. The coin, unveiled in early October, shows an image of an unidentified Canadian astronaut floating above the Earth. The astronaut is anchored to a foot restraint on Canadarm2, which bears the Canada word mark. In the distance is the cloud-mottled blue surface of Earth, backed by the black depths of space. The hologram lends depth and movement to the design; the astronaut seems to float above the Earth. Achromatic holograms are unique in that they are only one colour, usually, as in the case of the coin, just black and white, and in high resolution. Continue reading →
Legal tender subtleties leave collectors and dealers scratching their heads
The $20 for $20 coins are popular, but difficult to spend.
Nobody can argue about the success of the Royal Canadian Mint’s (RCM) face value program when it comes to selling coins, the problem seems to be when owners want their money back. When the first $20 for $20 coin came out in 2011, members of the public jumped at the chance to acquire a silver coin for face value. The issue sold out in just 29 days, despite limitations on how many could be sold to a single address. The coins, which contain slightly more than one-quarter troy ounce of silver, have an approximate bullion value of $7 at press time. That success led to a program that continues, and has now been expanded to $50 for $50 and even $100 for $100 coins, all proving popular sellers. In recent years, mintages have been lowered from the 2011 high of 250,000 to 200,000 in the most recent issue, but the coins always sell out in the year of issue. Continue reading →
NCLT conundrum has a solution
I’m going to be honest, sometimes I shudder when I hear the words legal tender. The reason is because there seems to be a massive disconnect between what legal tender is, and what it actually means. It is subject of an article in this issue. To most members of the public it means that they can spend it anytime they want, or convert a legal tender coin into paper money. To the Royal Canadian Mint (RCM), it means that the coin has legal tender status under Canadian law, but it is not expected to circulate. To banks and businesses, it is at best a weird coin which has no place in the circulating coin distribution program. It is complicated by the fact that non-circulating legal tender (NCLT) coins are sold by the Mint, so people expect the Mint to stand behind them, in fact to redeem them for a cheque if submitted. That’s not what legal tender means in Canada. Continue reading →
NCLT coins are the key to Mint profits
Ever since the Royal Canadian Mint (RCM) started selling gold and silver on the commodities market they have been required to file additional reports. Such reports, intended to inform people buying those popular Exchange Traded Receipts (ETR), are not packed with the sort of detail that collectors would love, such as detailed monthly coin mintages, but it does give us a bit of a sneak peek into what is going on, without having to wait for the annual report. Continue reading →
Maplegrams offer small-scale bullion
The maple family now includes a one-gram issue.
The Royal Canadian Mint has released a new entry-level bullion coin, the gold maplegram. Introduced on Sept. 24, the one-gram gold coin has the same design as other members of the gold maple leaf (GML) family, but has a face value of just 50 cents. As with other gold maples, it has a purity of .9999. The coins are struck in the same bullion finish of brilliant relief against a parallel lined background. The tiny coins have a diameter of eight mm. There is no mintage limit, as most bullion coins are stuck to meet demand. The size makes the maplegram the smallest Canadian gold coin in terms of diameter, compared to the 25-cent wildlife coins, which are 11 mm across. However the new coins are twice the weight of 25-cent coins, which weighs just half a gram. The result makes the maplegram comparably thicker, approximately 1.4 mm. Continue reading →
Waychison recognized by ANA at opening ceremonies
William Waychison, right, receives the ANA Presidential Award from President Walter Ostromecki, left, at the recent World’s Fair of Money in Chicago. They are surrounded by members of the Canadian numismatic community, including, back from left: Clifford Miesher, France Waychison, Brett Irick, Bill Cross, Dan Gosling and Paul Johnson.
A former past president of the Royal Canadian Numismatic Association (RCNA) has received singular recognition by the American Numismatic Association (ANA). A “shocked” William Waychison stood in disbelief on the podium when ANA president Walter Ostromecki made the announcement during the opening ceremonies of the recent World’s Fair of Money in Chicago. Waychison, the immediate past president of the RCNA, was participating in the ceremony as part of this ANA’s convention theme, Hands Across the Border, a joint-partnership of the ANA and RCNA to promote each other’s conventions and the hobby. “The ANA Presidential Award is given, at the discretion of the president, to recognize an individual who works tirelessly behind the scenes for the hobby to make it better overall,” Ostomecki later told Canadian Coin News (CCN). Continue reading →