On today’s date in 1901, two troops of the North West Mounted Police (NWMP) escorted the Duke of Cornwall and York (later King George V) during his visit to Calgary, Alta.
It would be one of the last occasions for which the old-style full dress uniform was used. The following year, alterations would lead to a style similar to today’s uniforms worn by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), which evolved from the NWMP.
The Royal Canadian Mint featured the RCMP on its 1998 proof double dollar set, which is the only set with both the commemorative silver dollar and the aureate dollar depicting the common loon. The set also includes $2, 50-cent, 25-cent, 10-cent, five-cent and one-cent coins. The proof silver dollar, designed by Adeline Halvorson, commemorates the 125th anniversary of the founding of the NWMP, which was established in 1873. The coin’s reverse features a member of the NWMP, and the obverse bears the effigy of Queen Elizabeth II by artist Dora de Pedery-Hunt.
The RCMP’s centennial is marked on a 25-cent coin issued by the Mint in 1973.
In 1973, the Royal Canadian Mint featured the RCMP on the reverse side of its 25-cent caribou piece to celebrate the national police force’s 100th anniversary.
Designed by RCMP Constable Paul Cederberg, the coin depicts an officer atop his horse with 100 stylized beads around the edge.
According to the Charlton guide, in 1973, the Mint struck nearly 136 million of these 25-cent coins, about 10,000 of which were accidentally made using the back die of the previous year’s quarter featuring a larger bust of Queen Elizabeth and fewer than 100 beads.
The scarce “Large Bust” variety is more valuable than the regular 1973 pieces with the “Small Bust” reverse design, which are only worth about face value.