What is the fish on the 1967 Canadian dime? How about the cat on the quarter? Or the cat on the dollar (or is it half-dollar)?
Also, the sterling silver 1976 Olympic $5 and $10 coins: were they ever actually considered legal tender, that Canadians could trade for goods and services? Or have they always been considered commemorative/investment pieces?
According to this: Shaw Communications
1 Cent Dove
5 Cent Rabbit
10 Cent Mackerel
25 Cent Wildcat (Bobcat)
50 Cent Wolf
1 Dollar Canada Goose
Probably about as accurate as anything on the internet… but that’s a pretty distinct looking fish. (Dov??)
if thy were issued by the Royal Canadian Mint, I would expect that they were legal tender for their face value. However, I would also expect that their market value would be higher than their face value, as a limited edition set and the value of the bullion.
Perhaps samclem can contribute to the discussion.
For what it’s worth, the Royal Canadian Mint’s website agrees with the random site that md2000 found. (You have to click on each denomination to find out what the reverse design was in 1967.)
Interesting question. I do have some knowledge.
It was my understanding, when they were issued(1976), that they were legal tender. But, since you paid about 5 times the intrinsic silver value, why would you sell them. For instance, a set of four coins(two $5 and two $20 coins) cost from the Royal MInt in 1976 about $90-100. They contained, in 1976, about $20 worth of silver. So, we seldom saw them. But, as time goes by, in the 1990sand 2000s, people die and their estates contained these coins. But, the silver content was all that mattered as the Canadian Gov’t refused to redeem them(again, my understanding). We used to buy a $30 Can. face value set for $15 US and try to sell them for $22 US.
It’s only been in the last five years or so, since silver went way up, that we could get even the face value out of them.
All the sets I sold for $25, I could melt one today for $150. Incredible!
Sorry to be so long-winded. Short answer–I think they were legal tender when issued, then the Canadian Gov’t reneged. I’ll see if I can get a definitive answer from one of my Canadian coin colleagues.
nvm
If they were issued under the authority of the Royal Mint Act, they’re still current in Canada, under the Currency Act:
I don’t see how the Government could not take them at face value.