Coins of Canada - Records

Records

In the Charlton Standard Catalogue of Canadian Coins, the 1911 $1 coin is valued at $1 250 000. There are only 2 known specimens in sterling silver, and one specimen in lead. One of the silver specimens and the lead specimen are located at the Bank of Canada's currency museum, while the other is in a private collection. The rarity stems from the fact the federal government chose not to proceed with producing a "silver dollar" in 1911. The 1911 coin sets were originally planned to include the $1, but the sets came with an empty gap where the $1 coin was supposed to be. Canada wouldn't issue a $1 circulation coin until the 1935, when it issued a circulating dollar commemorating George V Silver Jubilee.

Among numismatists, the 1921 50-cent coin is considered the rarest Canadian circulation coin and is known as The King of Canadian coins. As of 2012 a 1921 50 cents in MS-65 condition is valued at $250,000 to $350,000. Despite a mintage of 206,398 coins, there was a very low demand for 50-cent coins in the 1920s. The belief is that most of the 50-cent coins from 1920 and 1921 were melted (amounting to approximately 480,392 coins). The reason for the melting was that new coins were needed for 1929 and if coins from 1920 and 1921 were released into circulation, people would suspect counterfeit coins. According to legend, only 50 of these coins still exist (with only 3 known in mint state), and most of those are from Specimen Sets that were sold to people who visited the RC Mint.

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