A Question About Canadian Modern Coins Stuck At Foreign Mints.

I looked at a bunch of pattern coins from forign mints, I'm also not sure the difference between a "pattern" and a "mule" if there is one?

I'm asking more about coins like the 1968 Canadian dimes struck by an American mint the 1968 is the only I know of that has a definitive way to tell the difference(like a mint mark)

They are completely different terms that describe different things, though the confusion is understandable. Quasi-experts abound on EBay and social media and they tend to be very loose and inaccurate with their numismatic terminology.

A "pattern" is a proposed design of a coin, usually used to describe a coin featuring a design that was never actually issued or in some way is distinctly different to "regular" circulating coins of the same denomination and date. A pattern might have a proposed design that was never actually adopted, or it might bear a date that was a year or two before the actual production of circulating coins commenced. Or it might be uniface. Most coins called "patterns" are "official patterns", created by the Mint for submitting a design to the government committee responsible for deciding to adopt the design or not, or for testing the new design on the Mint's machinery, or for various other purposes. There also exist coins that are describe as "unofficial patterns" - these are essentially privately-made fantasy coins, never seriously considered as actual coin designs. The Edward VIII fantasy patterns are a classic example of this latter class. A "pattern" is not a mint error, though certain official patterns falling into the hands of the general public might be regarded as an administrative error.

A "mule" is a kind of mint error, where the "wrong die" was placed in the press to strike a coin or batch of coins. A typical mule has the obverse of one coin, and the reverse of a completely different coin - the name "mule" of course derives from the actual mule animals, which are the result of cross-breeding a horse and a donkey. The "wrong die" might be an obsolete die accidentally brought out of storage and used, it might be a die from a different denomination, or might even be a die for a coin from a completely different country. I believe the Canadian series has all of these kinds of mule.

As for the OP's question...


As a general rule, a Mint that is large enough, and has enough spare production capacity, to go around striking coins for other countries will usually have more than enough capacity to strike all of the coinage for the Mint's host country - the primary reason for existence of the RCM is to produce Canada's circulating coinage, and they wouldn't be seeking to fill international orders if they couldn't meet domestic demand. The RCM has been producing coins for other countries since at least the early 1980s (I know they made some coins for Australia in 1981), so I doubt there would have been much need to outsource coins from other countries since then. The RCM website currently boasts that they have a monopoly on Canada's circulating coinage production.

The only exception would be in the case of lengthy industrial action, or a fire or some other major industrial accident that might have caused an extensive shutdown at the Mint. For example, the RAM in Australia normally produces all of Australia's own coins too, but the Canadian-made 1981 coins for Australia were produced when mint workers in Canberra all went on strike for several months. But I'm not aware of any major mint shutdowns happening at the RCM.

It's generally considered embarrassing when a normally self-sufficient country has to begging from its friends for help. Outsourcing to a foreign mint is therefore the option of last resort.

But if in doubt, check your Charleton catalogue. It mentions the Philly-made coins, it would mention any others; a large batch of coins outsourced to a foreign mint would get a mention there, even if there wasn't a readily discernable mintmark.

Thanks SAP, the only example for circulation coinage I know of is the 1968 dime so I was curiouser if there we others and if so, if there was a definitive way to tell the difference. If the only Canadian coin stuck in the USA for circulation was the transitional half silver to nickel dime then I would like to get one in a high grade(even with the mintage numbers) 68 non silver dimes all tend to be pretty rough. (Non PL)

Thanks SPP, and yes from what I know 1967-69 there was a fair amount of crazy stuff to come out of the mint. Iv gone through a few hundred 68 nickel dimes but every one I find is heavily circulated. I'll probably end up buying the nickel variety from Ottawa and Philadelphia as I don't think iv ever found one even close to mine state, and most of them have been culled with giant scratches.

Also that's a pretty cool planchet error! I recently saw a 1963 Canadian 5 cent struck on a dodecagon planchet, is that the right shape lol? Anyways is was on a planchet like the 1962, it was on the bay but out of my price range lol. I love those kinds of errors thanks for sharing.

sorry loonieleey, what a coincidence. I had to go check out the 20 questions thread after you said that, I have honestly never checked that thread out untill just now, didn't mean to ruin your round:p.

No worries Wrekkdd. I don't play to win. They pick on me endlessly there, and even chase me down on other threads to give me the gears. Hope you start playing 20 Q's.

The 1968 dimes are the only modern circulation coins struck at a foreign mint.
Surprising how many different composition varieties of these 68's are out there.
You can tell by the reeding that the example shown by SPP was struck in Philadelphia.



Good thing you didn't buy, it's a fake.
All multi sided circulation coins are struck on round planchets.
It's the dies that give them their shape.