Description
This 2012 $500 gold coin celebrates the anniversary of Canada's first gold coins, from 1912 until 1914. Mintage is limited to 200 coins. HST/GST exempt.
The Design:
This commemorative coin bears the effigy of King George V, along with the Dominion of Canada's shield bearing the provincial arms of its four provinces - Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The coin is presented in a maroon clamshell case with a protective black sleeve. The shield bearing the provincial arms of the four provinces forming the original Dominion of Canada: Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. A double date (1912-2012) has been added to highlight its centennial year.
The First Canadian Gold Coins:
Wampum, beaver pelts, British sovereigns, Spanish doubloons, French Louis d’or, American golden eagles: nineteenth-century commercial trade in the Dominion of Canada was a fascinating money mosaic. But as Canada evolved, so did the need for a standard national currency, and Confederation in 1867 hastened this need still further.
In 1912, the Mint produced the first distinctly Canadian gold coins in denominations of five and ten dollars. They featured the word “Canada, ”leafy maple branches, and the shield from Canada’s Coat of Arms. The short-lived coins disappeared from circulation in 1914 when the First World War prompted citizens and banks to hold onto this precious metal.
