Canadian Coins 101

Annual Canadian sets can come in different forms:

- Uncirculated sets which are equivalent to U.S. uncirculated ("business strike") sets
- There are also annual Canadian proof sets, as in the U.S.
- I don't know what Canadian specimen sets would be equivalent to in the U.S.


If you buy an annual Canadian specimen or proof set, it will come with a commemorative dollar coin which is not minted for circulation as a "business strike". This year, the commemorative dollar coin commemorates the, "100th Anniversary of Flight in Canada."

You can see the sets here:

http://www.mint.ca/store/buy/sets_coins-cat120014

Now the confusing part. The Canadian mint also produces commemorative coins for circulation, which are not included in the annual uncirculated/proof/specimen sets. Examples of this are the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games Coin Collection, :

http://www.mint.ca/store/coin/vanco...Id=cat120014

and the Quebec City 400th Anniversary $2 coin, or "toonie" as we call them. You can look through the Canadian mint site for many many more different circulation coins... I am certain the Canadian mint produces more products per year, by type, than the U.S. mint. (Go Canada!)

Hello dunnyjake

What years are you interested in. Canadian coins have evolved from 1908 to present. I am guessing that you are interested in silver Proof like sets that were popular from 1953 to 1967, but let me know the period and I'll let you know what they made here.

I always liked the Commemorative single dollars I just carried on with them when the loonie was introduced.Plus the fact that they are readily available on e-bay usually for less than the issue price. As to the Olympic set, personally not interested, they pound out way to much product, it's endless. You can get a good idea if you go to the RCM site.

If you are contemplating a purchase from the RCM (have you had your head examined lately?), at least wait to pick them up on the secondary market. Within 2 years after issue, most have dropped to bullion price, or little more, and you'll save yourself 40% or more. In my estimation, maybe 5% of the special RCM isuues in the last 10 years have appreciated to any extent. Maybe another 5% have held their own and maybe 10% have dropped only marginally. The rest have dropped like a rock. When I talk about appreciation or depreciation, I'm talking about the value of the coin as a numismatic item, not its bullion value. Granted, due to the high run-up of silver in the last year or so, many RCM issues have appeared to do OK (didn't lose MUCH money) but you still would have been infinitely better off just buying bullion, not the Mint's grandma bait. You can go to almost any coin show or mail/internet sale, and get 2, 3, 4 year old RCM issues for 40, 50, 0r 60% off issue prices. If you love what you collect and enjoy the hobby as a hobby, not an investment, then anything you chose to specialize in is great and more power to you. The RCM puts out much too much product, and makes some very odd choices, today to be anything other than a mass-marketer with ridiculous mark-ups. Collect what you enjoy and buy RCM stuff on the secondary market.