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The Royal Canadian Mint has released most of their 2002 Collectible coins. Here is the rundown. The prooflike or uncirculated set, in a pliofilm (soft plastic) envelope, includes all working denominations from the penny to the Two Dollar coin. The Mint has moved the dates to the head side to mark Queen Elizabeth the Second's Golden Jubilee. On the Two Dollar coin the commemorative dates 1952-2002 are wrapped around the perimeter of the design quite attractively, but on the other values the dates are dropped in the field in a somewhat slapdash manner. On the design side of the coin, large gaps appear in the fields where the date normally appears. This is sloppy work, and sure to cause confusion. The P for plated mark is also still being used, beneath the Queen's head, so the head sides are rather crowded. |
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Prooflike sets are affordable examples of made for circulation type coins struck for collectors. If some denominations are not minted in a given year, the prooflike sets sometimes provide the only type coins available. This has been the case with many Canadian quarters and Loon Dollars in recent years. The Oh Canada and Tiny Treasures sets are uncirculated coins packaged in a hard plastic case that folds into a desktop stand and sells for a few dollars more. The Proof Cased Sterling Silver Dollar also commemorates the Queen's Golden Jubilee. The Proof Dollar is high quality and has more resale value than most Mint products. How do you commemorate a Golden Jubilee with a Silver Coin? The Mint did not show much imagination here, considering how many other coins they make which mix Silver and Gold as bimetallics or plated pieces. A cheaper Brilliant Uncirculated version, with a lower mintage, is available. The Proof set is now made mainly of Sterling Silver, except for the cent and Loon Dollar. The Two Dollar coin has a gold plated center. For buyers concerned with resale values, we suggest either the Proof Set or Proof Dollar. These are likewise good gifts for newborns or godchidren. Last year we even found some errors in Proof sets, such as misstruck Two Dollar coins. Watch for these. The Proof $200 Gold Coin is a half ounce of gold, limited mintage of 10,000 pieces showing Tom Thomson's "The Jack Pine." This image has been used on several Canadian Postage stamps. It has not been entirely successfully rendered on this coin. It looks like a dead tree with firewroks exploding behind it, but some might argue the Jack Pine always did. The quarter ounce $100 Gold Coin was delayed and has just come in. Commemorating the discovery of Oil in Alberta, the gold coin incoroporates a nifty bit of technology. It is treated to look like black gold, or oil, beneath the oil well image. I suspect buyers will go for this gimmickry initially. It remains to be seen how the long term market will absorb the $100 Gold. So far, it is certainly the highlight of the 2002 Mint Product line. I almost forgot the oft overlooked 2002 $5 Silver Maple Leaf. Do not miss out on this sleeper series. Look out for Lunar New Year privy marked Maple Leaves as well. They are much more affordable, and have much lower mintages than their Proof Sterling Silver Gold Plated Center $15 face value counterparts. |
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 All Nations Stamp & Coin
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