Today's coin reveal post features the 23.3g .500 Silver 1981 Canada Dollar - Trans-Canada Railway Centennial Proof Coin struck by the Royal Canadian Mint. For all the Canadian stackers out there you may all be familiar with this coin. I have only ever come across this one, I knew nothing about it when I came across it in an antique shop, but it seemed well priced so I bought it.

1. Coin Story

The 1981 .500 silver coin was minted in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the approval by the Canadian government to build the Trans-Canada Railway.

The only other 50% silver content coins I have in my collection are Australian post-war pre-decimal coins. The Australian threepence, sixpence, shillings and florins that were minted between 1946 to 1963 had a silver content of 50%. The earlier Australian pre-war pre-decimal coins that were minted between 1910 to 1945 had a silver content of 92.5%, commonly known as sterling silver.

To all the Canadian stackers reading this post, do you have any more local knowledge about this coin:

1. Is it a popular coin to collect in Canada?
2. Does this coin attract much of a premium above spot, or is it considered a low premium coin?
3. Do any stackers within the #silvergoldstackers group have this coin in their collection?

I do really like this coin and have no real intention of selling it in the short term. That said, I also do not have a real sentimental connection to the coin, so if I did discover that I could get a nice premium over what I paid for it, then I will definitely be interested in allowing it to find a new home.

2. Coin Packaging

The proof coin is presented in a black Royal Canadian Mint (RCM) clam shell case. Apparently, when the coins were purchased new from the RCM, they came housed in a cardboard outer sleeve. The coin that I purchased from the antique store did not have the outer cardboard sleeve.

I thought that this coin might have originally come with an accompanying Certificate of Authenticity when issued. However from research that I have done online, these coins do not comes with a uniquely numbered Certificate of Authenticity.

3. Coin Details

a. Mintage

The mintage of this coin was 148,647 coins. Each of the coins were issued as legal tender under the authority of the Government of Canada. The denomination of the coin is $1 (Canadian).

b. Purity

The purity of this coin is .500 fine silver. The composition of the alloy consists of 50% silver and 50% copper with an actual silver weight of 0.375 troy ounces.

c. Details

Mint/Brand:	Royal Canadian Mint
Silver Content:	11.65g (0.375oz asw
Purity:	.500 Fine Silver, .500 Copper
Denomination:	$1 (Canadian)
Year of Issue:	1981
Edge:	Milled
Weight:	23.3g
Diameter:	36.07mm
Finish:	Proof
Mintage:	148,647

4. Coin Design

a. Reverse Design

The reverse of the coin depicts a steam train with carriage in the foreground. In the background is the map of Canada.

The design includes the inscriptions 'DOLLAR', the year of issue '1981' and the country of origin 'Canada'.

a. Obverse Design

The obverse of the coin portrays the effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The design also includes the inscriptions 'ELIZABETH II' and 'D·G·REGINA'.

Post authored by @strenue