Funny Money Introduction / Diefenbaker dollars

Diefenbaker - 92-1/2 cents.

Funny Money is seldom funny and rarely money. The phrase “Funny Money” was first coined by the Social Credit movement in the 1930s. Collectors now use the phrase to refer to any piece of paper with a political message and a loose resemblance to currency. Occasionally the message supports but, more often, opposes a political party. Many examples of funny money are highly scurrilous; especially those issued by private, often anonymous, individuals. The amateurish designs, often caricatures plagiarized from newspaper editorial cartoons, seem to represent a genuine form of folk art that falls in the numismatic category known as “Exonumia”…

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Star Trek: To Boldy Go

Starship Enterpirse

The Royal Canadian Mint have joined the Star Trek 50 year celebration. “Since its television debut, Star Trek‘s imaginative storylines have brought fans on an incredible journey through time and space. Kirk, Scotty, Uhura, and Spock—they served as our fictional trailblazers in an exciting new frontier that seemed as boundless as our imaginations. Guided by the Prime Directive and a spirit of discovery, the adventures of the U.S.S. Enterprise and her crew introduced viewers to more than 70 different new worlds while encountering nearly as many alien species. Celebrate the 50th anniversary of Star Trek—a television series that is beloved…

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Beginning Canada Coins – One Cent i

1 Cent 2002 Elizabeth II

Today I took a bit of time out and sat down with a tub of old pennies. Bliss! We’d put it aside back in 2013. The earliest one was 1952 and the latest was the last – 2012. All of them saved from 2011/2012 circulation. Unfortunately there were a few  with severe bronze disease and it has now spread as it is wont. Tiny patches of bright green here and there.  There’s no time to treat it for a penny so they must go. There’s a fair few gaps in my ‘Date Run’ but there’re lots of Cents in reasonable and even extremely…

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2016 Royal Canadian Mint Silver Proof Set

The 2016 Set commemorates the 150th anniversary of the Transatlantic Cable. Cost C$ 229.95 Specifications No.150180 Proof dollar Composition 99.99% pure silver with selective gold plating Finish proof Weight (g) 23.17 Diameter (mm) 36.07 Edgereeded ArtistYves Bérubé (reverse), Susanna Blunt (obverse) 2 dollars Composition 99.99% pure silver with gold-plated inner core Finish proof Weight (g) 9 Diameter (mm) 28 Edgeinterrupted serrations ArtistBrent Townsend (reverse), Susanna Blunt (obverse) 1 dollar Composition 99.99% pure silver, gold plated Finish proof Weight (g) 7.9 Diameter (mm) 26.5 Edgeplain ArtistRobert-Ralph Carmichael (reverse), Susanna Blunt (obverse) 50 cents Composition 99.99% pure silver Finish proof Weight (g)…

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Merry Christmas!

2015 $25 Pure Silver Coin - Christmas Ornament

We wish you a very merry christmas, good presents and a happy Boxing day for you and your family. An attractive Christmas bauble from the Royal Canadian Mint. Thank you Canada Post for the image and details. See more Composition: 99.99% pure silver Mintage: 6,000 Weight: 30.76 g Diameter: 36.15 mm Face Value: 25 Dollars Finish: Proof with colour Edge: Plain Artist: n/a Packaging: Maroon clamshell with black beauty box  

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The Haida Matriarchal Orca

Haida Orca 2016 50 Dolllars

For the Haida the Orca is the most powerful supernatural being of the undersea realm and this SGaana Jaad (Killer Whale Woman) is a noble matriarch, a fact revealed in the labret that adorns the lower lip of her mouth that also doubles as the orca’s blowhole Canada 50 Dollar – 5 oz. Fine Silver Coin with Enamel – Mythical Realms of the Haida Series: The Orca – Mintage: 1,500 (2016) Design: Haida artist April White—SGaana Jaad of the Yahqu’iaanaas Raven Clan—has created a mesmerizing image of an orca leaping out of the water. Look closely and you will see…

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British Columbia 25 Cents

BC 25 Cents

In the 1992 Provinces of Canada series the British Columbia 25 cents shows a pod of Orcas with the coastal range beyond. 1867 to 1992 says the obverse legend. It’s the 125th anniversary of the 1867 confederation. British Columbia joined the Confederation later in 1871. The Orca reverse was designed by Carla Herrera Egan. The obverse shows the Dora de Pédery-Hunt effigy of the Queen. Thank you http://www.coinsunlimited.ca/ for the image

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Great Grading Guide for Circulated Canada Coins

Guide for Grading Coins of Canada, 1st Ed., 2015 - Andre Langlois

At last!  A truly excellent guide* to grading circulation Canadian coins has been published by Andre Langlois (ANPB Boucherville) It’s a large spiral-bound card-backed format. The photos are big – a half page. And there are tips to grading with each photo. A very interesting feature is the inclusion of varieties and odd examples – an invaluable resource for Canadian collectors.  Commemoratives, except for the 1935 dollar, are not included – they are quickly removed from circulation says the author. And coins after about 1970 are easily available in Mint States (MS grades) and so are not featured. But all the early…

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The Narwhal – a half kilogram of silver

Half Kilogram Fine Silver Coin – Conservation Series: The Narwhal – Mintage: 500 (2015) Specifications No.148072 Mintage500 Composition99.99% pure silver Finishproof Weight (g) 500 Diameter (mm) 85 Edgeserrated Certificateserialized Face value125 dollars ArtistCurtis Atwater (reverse), Susanna Blunt (obverse See more at:Mint.ca A Narwhal from Canada. Half-a-Kilogram of silver is a heavy coin. Only 500 to be minted and the price is C$1,100. That makes the cost of the coin around C$700 above the raw bullion value. (just multiplying by spot price 14.1 USD for Oz late November 2015)

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Canadian crystal raindrop

This was one of the first modern Canadian coins that caught my eye 🙂 A Maple Leaf with a glistening crystal drop of rain –  the 2009 $20 Autumn Showers Crystal Raindrop Silver Coin. It was designed by Celia Godkin, well-known Canadian author and artist, designed the special limited edition coin. No stranger to coin design (she also designed the 2008 Crystal Raindrop coin), Godkin has also penned several books, including the popular children’s book Wolf Island. There were 10,000 minted by the RCM.  The coin is 99.99 % pure silver and the reflective crystal came from  Daniel Swarovsk’s crystal firm. Thank you…

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North Shore Numismatic Society meeting is Tuesday, November 17th (at Bonsor)

This is a reminder that the next North Shore Numismatic Society meeting is Tuesday, November 17th. The meeting is held at the Bonsor Recreation Centre, in Multipurpose Room #2.  Doors open at 7 pm and the meeting starts at 7:30 pm.  The meeting is open to members and non-members, so everyone is welcome.    Program:  Michael Souza will present a PowerPoint on “Canada’s Fractional Currency”.  This PowerPoint was prepared by a member of the London Numismatic Society and provides a history of Canada’s 25-Cent Banknotes.    Also, please bring items for the floor submission auction.  Limit is 5 items per person.    …

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Canadian Remembrance Day Coin

Canada $3 1915-2015

    The year 2015 marks the 100th anniversary of the poem In Flanders Fields, which was written by Canadian physician Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae amid the horrors of the Second Battle of Ypres in May 1915. Through his hauntingly poignant poem, McCrae succeeded in giving a voice to the 60,000 Canadians who would lose their lives in the First World War, and ignited an international effort to keep their legacy alive. To mark this anniversary, this fine silver coin is a solemn remembrance of those who bravely served their country abroad in a time of war–lest we forget. A…

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Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s Superman™!

Supergirl

“Saved from certain doom by his birth parents, the House of El would be preserved in the infant Kal-El, who was rocketed away from Planet Krypton. Forming his strong moral compass, his adoptive parents, the Kents, would teach him what it is to be human as Clark Kent. As Superman, his friends and allies remind him of the responsibility of his power, and help him stay true to his never-ending mission” “As Superman’s cousin from the Planet Krypton, the teenage Kara Zor-El arrived on Earth many years after Kal-El. While Superman decided her future, Kara was secretly whisked away to…

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Canada 2015 Polar Bear and Cub

The 2015 Polar Bear is shown with her cub by Innuit artist Germaine Arnaktauyok. One of her designs, The Drummer, graced the back of Canada’s 1999 toonie to celebrate the creation of Nunavut. 2015 $5 Polar Bear and Cub 1 oz Silver. Mintage 7,500 2015 $10 Polar Bear and Cub 1/4 oz Gold. Mintage 2,000 Thank you Royal Canadian Mint for images . http://www.mint.ca/store/coins/1-oz.-fine-silver-coin-ndash-polar-bear-and-cub-ndash-mintage-7500-2015-prod2210323#.VjrxfLerSCo

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