Author: Julian Ticehurst

Curiouser and curiouser

2015 Canadian Maple-Leaf shaped $20

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2015 Maple Leaf-shaped $20 coin

The Royal Canadian Mint recently issued the 2015 Maple Leaf-shaped $20 coin. It is a first for the Mint. “The coin recreates the familiar shape of a maple leaf—specifically that of the silver maple (Acer saccharinum) species. Here, the coin’s unique shape accentuates the palmate leaf’s beautifully serrated edges. An intricate series of deep veins are rendered with finely detailed engraving, as they run through each of the leaf’s five pointed, tapering lobes. Different finishes bring added dimension to the design, enhancing the engraving and lending the leaf a bright natural appearance.” Mintage: 15000 Composition: 99.99% pure silver Finish: Proof…

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Vote on the Canada 2017 Designs!

Hi everyone, 2017 is the Canada’s 150th Anniversary. The Royal Canadian Mint is asking individuals to vote on the design on the 2017 coins. There are five coins: 5 cents, 10 cents, 25 cents, 1 Dollar and 2 Dollars and for each coin there are five designs to choose from. You have until October 9th to vote for the design you want to see on each coins. Here is the link: http://www.mint.ca/store/coin-design-contest/contest-vote-form.jsp?lang=en_CA&rcmeid=van_CoinDesignVote Have say on what your future coins will look like!!!

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Token from the PNE, Vancouver

At this small booth there was a roulette wheel and one could win the prizes seen.  However, one had to buy tokens to put one’s bet down and these were being sold at three for five dollars and five for ten. They are plastic and orange in colour and had (or have) a paper label stuck to them. I say “had” as there were many with this label worn off or mostly worn off. There were others, however, that were not so bad, but it took a number of purchases to find them. I used all the worn items.  All…

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Reminder: Coins, Stamps and Collectibles Fair

This is a reminder that the North Shore Numismatic Society is hosting another Coins, Stamps and Collectibles Fair at the Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre this coming Saturday, September 12th.  We have several new stamp and coin dealers at this show. The Nikkei Centre is located at 6688 Southoaks Crescent in Burnaby just 4km east of Metrotown.  The show hours are from 9am to 3pm and admission is $2 and free for those age 16 and under.  There is limited free underground parking at the Nikkei Centre and ample street parking on Beresford Street behind the Centre. If you…

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Patron Saint of Numismatists

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 Did you know that there is a patron saint of numismatists? His name is St. Eligius. Eligius was born near Limoges in France in 590.  He became an extremely skillful metalsmith and was appointed master of the mint under King Clotaire II of Paris. Eligius developed a close friendship with the King and his reputation as an outstanding metalsmith became widespread. Eligius later fulfilled his desire to serve God as a priest, after being ordained in 640. Then he was made bishop of Noyon and Tournai.  Eligius died on 1 December 659 or 660 and was buried at Noyon.  He is the patron…

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Diwali – the Festival of Lights

Diwali Gold Coin

The Royal Canadian Mint have brought out a lovely gold coin celebrating Diwali the Indian Festival Of Lights. It’s a $200 dollar coin and a small mintage of 275 means a price of C$2,700. RCM say > “East and West come together in this stunning design by Canadian artist Sarindar Dhaliwal that celebrates Diwali with elaborate patterns that typify Indian textiles, ornamentation and mandalas. A diya (clay lamp) at the coin’s centre reflects the essence of the Festival of Lights while symbols from the Hindu, Sikh and Jain faiths form a series of rings around it. The outermost ring is…

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Selvi Calyst – An ancient numismatist?

They’ve just found a roman hoard in consisting of 2976 silver denarii coins during excavations works in Sofia, Bulgaria. The owner of the hoard is actually inscribed on the ceramic container. Selvi Calyst. Selvi Calyst – could he have been an ancient numismatist? His coin collection spans a 100 years –  the Emperors from Vespasian to Commodus with the Antonines and their wives and daughters represented in full. Perhaps he was an Antonine descendent mapping his family history in coin… NEWS 5th September 2015, Novinite.com > “Bulgarian archaeologists discovered an ancient Roman hoard consisting of 2976 silver denarii coins during excavations…

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China celebrates 70th Anniversary of Victory in the war with Japan 1937 to 1945

70th Anniversary of the "victory in the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the fight against fascism".

The People’s Republic of China has issued a set of 2015 coins to commemorate the 70th Anniversary of the “victory in the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the fight against fascism”. Zuo Xiuhui, deputy director of the People’s Bank of China’s Currency, Gold and Silver Bureau, said at a news conference that the set consists of one gold coin, two silver coins, and a nickel-coated steel coin. The gold coin, with a face value of 100 yuan, weighs a quarter of an ounce, while the five-ounce silver coin has a face value of 50 yuan and its one-ounce…

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Eastern Townships Bank, Keremeos, B.C., cheque

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Keremeos 827

Not knowing some banking history I thought it very unusual to see a “Eastern Township Bank” cheque from Keremeos, BC. I thought Eastern Townships usually relates to a group of towns back east and that it would be unusual for such a group to have branches out in British Columbia. I did know, however, that the Bank of Hamilton (Ontario) had at least one branch out here, so… For those mainland Vancouver types who do not go much into the interior, Keremeos is a village (which is sort of again another reason for wondering why an Eastern Townships bank office?)…

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Alice In Wonderland – the first working clock coin

Coin Week report  the first working clock coin ever struck. To celebrate the 150th Anniversary of Lewis Carroll’s classic children’s book, the Perth Mint has struck a colorized Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland Silvered Antique Clock Coin. Bearing a denomination of $2, this .999 fine silver coin is legal tender on the island nation of Tuvalu. Obverse: In the center, the back of a golden watch. A spiraling inscription reads “OH MY EARS AND WHISKERS, HOW LATE IT’S GETTING!”  The coin’s outer ring features an antiqued finish. At the top of the design, is Ian Rank-Broadley’seffigy of Queen Elizabeth II, which sits as if it the 12 o’clock position…

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Canada 1937 Dollar George VI

I was lucky enough to receive this coin as a Birthday present recently – and in a beautifully toned MS-63. The same “Voyageur” design by Emmanuel Hahn was used for the George VI silver dollar of 1937. There are two bundles of furs on the canoe and if look with a magnifying glass I can see that the forward bundle still has the initials “H.B.” standing for Hudson’s Bay (Company). I can’t see it on the image below mind. I’ll add a photo of mine later when the USB microscope thingummajig is set up. Checking the initials H.P. below the trunk in…

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Scrip: British POW Camps in India 1941

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India Coin News notes > The British established POW camps in India in 1941 as a result of the large number of POWs captured during the North Africa campaign. Over 100,000 POWs were transfered to camps in India which held Italian and Japanese POWs and German, Japanese, and Italian civilian internees. Some Indian political prisoners were also held in the camps. Ten of the camps were known to have issued currency. There were two major types of notes issued. Type one notes have a 6 mm bar on the left side of the note and type two notes do not. A…

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10 Cash from Yunnan-Szechuan

Chinese coins are a whole new area for me. I’ve been having fun identifying a 10 Cash coin I won in  a (Vancouver) North Shore Numismatic Society auction. Mine is in VF condition with abrasion to the raised surfaces and a prominent scratch. The image below is a 1906 10 Cash from Yunnan-Szechuan in XF grade. with a value of $150. Y# 10w. I really like the stylized dragon!  A Tai Ch’ing Ti Kuo Dragon. This cash coin handily tells us english speakers that it is a Copper Coin. It’s Chi’ing dynasty or Manchu China. The Emperor is Kuang-hsü who decreed in 1905…

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“The King Of Canadian Coins”

“The tale begins in 1870, when the 50 cent coin was first introduced in Canada. 450,000 coins were struck that first year, but demand for this denomination varied widely afterwards, with some years having no coins produced at all.In 1920, the Canadian government officially reduced the silver content of our coins from 92.5% to only 80%. This worsened the situation for the 50 cent denomination, which was already unpopular, and demand for the coins fell dramatically. So much so that of the 200,000+ 50 cents struck in 1921, virtually all of them remained in storage at the mint. Demand for…

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Medicine Man Charlie’s Wooden Nickel

Token Talk with Duff Malkin Medicine Man Charlie’s Wooden Nickel What can give me a good buzz is the discovery of something I did not know about and which is somewhat unusual and I did not expect to see. This following wooden nickel is one such item. It is quite thick for a wooden nickel (7mm or about ¼ of an inch, which may have been more relevant in Canada’s pre-metric days). Ranier Provisions is in Gastown at 2 West Cordova. It is a licensed restaurant. I am not sure whether it is the “Rainier of Gastown” referred to on…

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Token Talk: On the Wings of Teddy Bears..

On the Wings of Teddy Bears.. Ballie Bear Tokens Token Talks by Duff Malkin We are not exactly sure how Ballie Bear fits into the arcade nature of this bear token. It is clear that on the token the bear is carrying a tray of food and is wearing a bib with “B&B” on it, yet none of the institutions (i.e. arcades or video rooms) it has been found in have any connection to serving food. There is no trademark registration in Canada for “Ballie Bear” In the beginning, after these kept getting found in the token box of Chantou…

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