Tonight, I thought I'd share an interesting - at least to me! - item for the 1975 Calgary Centennial silver dollar.
It is a limited-edition folder that was prepared and sold by the coin's designer - Robert D. Paterson.
Back in the 1970s, the
RCM's standard process for developing the designs for its annual commemorative silver dollar was to sponsor a public design competition. For the Calgary SD, the
RCM launched its contest in March 1974. It was open to all Canadian residents and Canadian citizens living abroad. The contest offered a prize of $2,000 for the winning entry and three runner-up prizes of $500 each. The deadline for entries was July 31, 1974 - over 450 entries were submitted.
It was announced on September 18, 1974 that Paterson's design had been selected by the
RCM's judging panel as the contest winner; the announcement was made by Finance Minister John N. Turner. In addition to the $2,000 prize money, Paterson later received the first Calgary SD to be struck.
To help promote his involvement with the coin and his commercial art business, Paterson developed a custom package that featured a numbered and autographed print of his submitted design, an example of the SD in the same black plastic insert and capsule that the
RCM inserted into its clamshell cases and a small booklet titled
How to Make a Dollar. The contents were secured in six-panel fiberboard folder wrapped in a blue and black textured paper; the folder measures 6-1/8 inches wide by 7-7/8 inches tall.
In the self-penned booklet, Paterson takes the reader through his design process, discusses his "first draft" designs and provides insights into his interactions with the
RCM as the final models and dies for the coin were prepared. It's a quick and interesting read.
The booklet states that 2,500 copies of the special folder were produced and offered purchasers the opportunity to add their name to a registration database by returning a filled-out post card to the designer. My folder is identified as #565 and still includes the registration postcard.
I don't know what the selling price was for the folder back in 1975, though something in the $10 to $15 range seems plausible; the
RCM issue price for the coin was $3.50. If anyone knows of an exact price for the folder, I would love to hear about it.
Enjoy!
PS Paterson also designed the 1980 Arctic Territories Centennial SD featuring a polar bear as its primary design element. I haven't seen any special folders for that coin, but they may be out there!
1975 Calgary SD Artist's Folder - Front Panel
1975 Calgary SD Artist's Folder - Original Illustration Panel
1975 Calgary SD Artist's Folder - Booklet Panel
1975 Calgary SD Artist's Folder - Coin Panel
Posted 01/27/2018 01:40 am
