COLUMNS

Canadian Key Dates
20-cent denomination
replaced in 1870 (Page 7)

Numismatic Profile
Asian population keeps province,
and B.C. dealer, in business (Page 10)

Notes & Bills
Long list of notes
comes from N.B. banks (Page 11)

Colonial Tokens
Semi-regals forerunner of decimals (Page 12)

Numismatic Collateral
The secret lives of transit tokens (Page 14)

Errors & Varieties
Both dealers, collectors
seek error columnist's expertise (Page 16)

Question & Answer
Catalogues offer little help
identifying British-looking piece (Page 20)

New Issues
Niue commemorates
Korean War anniversary (Page 32)

FEATURES

George V reign saw much change in Canadian coinage (Page 13)

Latest Charlton contains controversial changes (Page 21)

Canadian numismatists awarded scholarships to ANA seminar (Page 29)

REGULARS

Numismatic Commentary
Variety in change has few downsides (Page 6)

Letters to the Editor
Expressing your viewpoints
on numismatic subjects (Page 6)

Almost Uncirculated
A collection of news,
views, and more (Page 7)

Trends
Focus on Newfoundland (Page 22)

Show and Bourse
Check out the shows in your area (Page 28)

CCN Marketplace
Are you buying or selling? (Page 30)

EDITORIAL

Variety in change has few downsides

By Bret Evans

While looking through my copy of the first volume of the 2011 Charlton catalogue, I was struck by the amount of space dedicated to coin issues of the past decade. It wasn't the first time I noticed the number and variety of issues; we often talk about how adding varieties and modern Mint product chews up valuable space in Trends, but there's as much space occupied by currently circulating 25-cent coins as we once gave to the entire 50-cent series.

Now I'm not complaining. I've often said that variety in circulating coinage is one of the engines that drive the hobby. It isn't so much that people are speculating on modern varieties with a market value of under $25. It is the fact that hunting down these coins, either in circulation or trying to get rolls at the bank, is fun and inexpensive. It gives beginning collectors an affordable entry point, which is face value, and gives more advanced collectors a reason to look closely at current-issue coins. That's a good thing. Prior to 1992, most collectors only looked at modern coins if they wanted errors, or to see when the current year first turned up in use.

Now I will admit that some of these variations are not that easy for the new collector to identify. I mean, how many people troll through their 1-cent coins with a magnet trying to figure out what is under the plating?

But the great majority of modern coins have unique reverse designs. That's easy to spot. Until fairly recently, if you stopped and looked at your coins in a checkout line, the cashier assumed you were double-checking your change. Today, they are just as likely to look over to see what caught your eye.

This is particularly good for young collectors, because it costs them almost nothing. Getting kids excited about the coins they see every day, and can easily afford, is the best thing the Royal Canadian Mint has done to promote the hobby of coin collecting.

Speaking of pocket change, I remarked a few issues back that somebody was slipping foreign coins into my pocket change.

Since that time I have been watching, and I finally caught a clerk at a local store dropping what almost looked like at 10-cent piece into my change. The obverse didn't look right. Flipping it over, I spotted a British 5-pence coin.

"I can't accept this," I told her. "It isn't a Canadian coin and isn't legal tender in Canada."

What happened next was, to say the least, stunning.

The clerk apologized, put the offending coin on the counter, and replaced it with a Canadian 10-cent piece. Then she picked up the Brit coin and handed it over as change to the very next customer, who was standing behind me and heard the entire exchange.

Even more amazing: that person then accepted the coin without comment.

I really didn't know what to say.

It seems that some people look at their change, and others don't even care at all.

Vancouver 2010 coin program still going (Continued)

Mint unveils new take on hockey coin

By Bret Evans

It is the third incarnation of the design. Originally issued as a .9999 silver bullion coin, it was subsequently issued with selective gold plating, and now with complete gold plating. The reverse design shows a hockey player and two maple leaves, with the inscriptions "Vancouver Whistler 2010" and "9999 fine silver 1 oz. argent pur." The obverse has the Susannah Blunt uncrowned effigy of Queen Elizabeth II and the Inukshuk games logo and ring, with the inscription "5 dollars Canada Elizabeth II 2010." As with many non-circulating legal tender coins, the inscription is missing the "D.G." for "Dei Gratia," making them "godless" coins. They are produced on the same blanks as Silver Maple Leaf bullion coins.

Although there is no mention of Canada's Olympic teams, or their placement in the Games, the RCM announcement touts the coins as "commemorating Team Canada women's and men's Olympic gold medal wins at ice hockey at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics honouring the spirit of the Olympic Games, with an ice hockey player in full stride."

The mintage of the gold-plated coin is 10,000.

Dinosaur coins rampaging

Yet another lenticular dinosaur coin has come to light.

Due to be launched Oct. 6, the brass-plated steel coin shows a Sinosauropteryx.

The dinosaur, whose name means "Chinese reptilian wing," was a predator. It was the first non-avian dinosaur to have its colour determined, as well as the first to have feathers. It was covered in a fine layer of down feathers, similar to the modern kiwi bird. It is believed that it may have had light and dark bands in the tail, and been darker on the top than the bottom. The example illustrated on the coin seems a more uniform green.

It was also a small dinosaur, most measuring only about 68 centimetres long, including the tail.

The lenticular image shows the animal pouncing on a small lizard, held in its mouth by a leg.

The coin is produced in conjunction with the Canadian Museum of Nature, which has a fossil of the creature in its Talisman Energy Fossil Gallery, located in Ottawa's Victoria Museum Building. The building was used in 1916 as a temporary House of Commons after the Centre Bock of the Parliament Buildings was destroyed by fire.

The coin has a diameter of 35 millimetres and no disclosed mintage limit.

Christmas in July

Just six months before Christmas, the RCM rolled out the 2010 holiday gift set, complete with a coloured 25-cent coin showing Santa Claus.

The set consists of Uncirculated examples of Canadian coins from 1 cent through to $2 values. There is no caribou 25-cent coin, as the Santa coin takes that position.

The 23.88-mm coin is struck on nickel-plated steel blanks, the same as used for circulating coins.

The sets are packaged in a cardboard folder. In what the RCM described as a touch of Canada, the cover has a maple leaf die cut shape, allowing the folder to be displayed.

There is no disclosed mintage of the sets, which are priced at $19.95.

August 31 to September 13, 2010 issue of Canadian Coin News