On today’s date in 1966, Finance Minister Walter Gordon announced the Royal Canadian Mint would strike a gold coin as part of a set of coins marking the country’s 1967 centennial.
Bearing reverse designs by acclaimed artist Alex Colville, the set included a 22-karat $20 gold coin, a silver dollar plus one-, five-, 10-, 25- and 50-cent pieces.
The designs included:
- the Canadian coat of arms on the $20 gold coin;
- a Canada goose on the silver dollar;
- a howling wolf on the half dollar;
- a bobcat on the 25-cent coin;
- a mackerel on the 10-cent coin;
- a rabbit on the five-cent coin; and
- a rock dove on the cent.
Each coin was double struck using specially prepared dies.
The set was issued for $40 in 1967; however, in more recent years, its value has climbed to more than $1,000 owing to the value of the gold coin, which was the first high-volume gold coin made in Canada after the First World War.
Weighing 18.27 grams, the gold coin has a current melt value of about $1,300.