I recently posted about the 2013 Canadian Arctic Expedition Centennial Silver Dollar (Read it here:
2013 Canadian Arctic Expedition Centennial.)
In 2014, as part of its ten-coin "Exploring Canada" set - designed to showcase Canadian exploration and history.- the Royal Canadian Mint released a silver $15 coin -
The Arctic Expedition - with a similar theme but without making specific reference to the 1913-1918 Canadian Arctic Expedition (CAE). The 2014 coin "captures the essence of early Arctic exploration--the perilous phase when a ship becomes trapped and potentially crushed by ice and the crew must unload its supplies and travel by foot." (Mint web site)
The coin's obverse presents the Susanna Blunt portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. The commemorative reverse design depicts a ship caught by the Arctic ice, with its crew unloading the ship of its cargo/supplies so that they were not lost to the sea. For reference: The CAE lost its
Karluk sailing ship to the ice in January 1914.
The reverse design was created by John Mantha (as were the reverse designs for the other coins in the "Exploring Canada" series);
The Arctic Expedition coin was the third of the series.
The coin was struck on a planchet of 0.9999 fine silver, with a diameter of 36.07 mm and a weight of 23.17 grams - the same as the then-current standard for Canada's Non-Circulating Legal Tender (NCLT) Silver Dollars. The coin's finish was described by the Mint as "matte proof."
The coin's issue price was $54.95; it was available individually as well as via subscription to the series. The coin had a combined (i.e., individual + subscription) maximum mintage of 15,000. Based on the Mint's 2014
Annual Report, 2,170 of the Individual coins were sold. The Mint did not publish Numismatic Coin sales for 2015 (at least to the general public), but the total number of sold coins has been listed in catalogues as 3,103 which would suggest 933 individual coins were sold in 2015.
While over 4,000 10-coin Subscriptions were ordered between 2014 and 2015, it's unclear which coins were delivered via subscription; subscriptions could be cancelled at any time, so
The Arctic Expedition coin may or may not have been delivered in all of them. As the coin is one of the early coins in the series, however, it is plausible to believe that a majority of the subscriptions included the coin (generally, more subscriptions are cancelled later in run vs. earlier). If this is the case here, the total sold for the coin is likely in the 6,000 range (or higher). A respectable sales volume, but a total significantly below the coin's potential mintage of 15,000.
2014 The Arctic Expedition - Exploring Canada Coin #3
I find the coin's reverse design historical and interesting. Combine that with the recognition that the CAE was launched in 1913, in part, to thwart potential Arctic land claims by the United States and the US-Canada link that I enjoy in my coins becomes tangible. Also, the fact that the coin was struck on the same 36 mm silver planchet as the Canadian Non-Circulating Legal Tender (NCLT) Silver Dollar of the time helped pique my interest - but there was nothing unique about that!
For more of my posts about commemorative coins and medals, including more Canadian items, see:
Commems Collection.
Posted 10/22/2024 2:18 pm
