The scarce pattern made prior to the production of Newfoundland $2 gold coins differs from the final coin in small details, such as the dots and lines on either side of the obverse effigy.
A pattern 1865 gold $2 from Newfoundland changed hands for more than $100,000 at the Heritage Auction held April 10 in Chicago. Continue reading →
Reading over the Royal Canadian Mint’s (RCM) 2013 report reminded me of just how much the business of making coins has changed in just a few years. Continue reading →
Bullion was a bigger seller for 2013, with the sale of gold maple leaf coins up nearly 50 per cent over the year before.
The Royal Canadian Mint (RCM) enjoyed another record year driven by sales in bullion, collector coins and producing coins for foreign clients Continue reading →
The final gold coins in the Bank of Canada’s reserves are being put up for sale. The Royal Canadian Mint has been consigned what it refers to as “a rare collection of Canada’s first gold coins, produced by the Mint from 1912 to 1914.” The coins take the form of almost a quarter-million Canadian $5... Continue reading →
However, for the most part, the collecting hobby agreed that there were thousands of gold coins sitting around waiting to be sold. The concern was always what would happen if these ever entered the market. Now using the Royal Canadian Mint makes sense; it is a Crown corporation, so there is no way there can... Continue reading →
The impending removal of the 1-cent coin from circulation, while inevitable, is still lamentable for coin collectors. For the first time in living memory, an entire coin denomination will cease to exist. It may be a bit of a stretch to compare this with the introduction of decimal currency of the 1850s, but in the... Continue reading →
The Reserve Bank of Fiji has rolled out the island nation’s newest coins, all made in Canada. The new coins, in values of 5, 10, 20, and 50 cents as well as $1 and $2, are made using the Royal Canadian Mint’s plating process. The coins, for the most part, feature local flora and fauna.... Continue reading →
The expedition left Canada’s west coast in August 1913 and quickly encountered trouble. The flagship, Karluk, under the famous Capt. Robert Bartlett, became trapped in ice. The ship was carried west in Siberian waters and eventually crushed with the loss of 11 lives. The survivors trekked over ice to Wrangel Island, a distance of 130... Continue reading →