CANADIAN PROOF-LIKE COINS BEFORE 1968

by Reinhard Hermesh 

The era 1948 to 1968 represents the high point of Canadian economic optimism and opportunity. The country had just wound up on the winning side of WW2, in which it not only escaped intact, but suddenly found itself a major player on the world stage. Canada's coins were still made from silver and the dollar was good as gold, tied to the US dollar at $35- an ounce. In 1948 the Royal Canadian Mint started to experiment with specially struck coins for sale to the general public. At first only dollar coins were struck, later other denominations were included. By 1953, special complete mint sets were made available. The mint never acknowledged these coins as anything but uncirculated and felt that they were not equipped to strike full proof coins. However, coin collectors recognized that these sets were special, a cut above the run of the mint pieces for general circulation. The name proof-like was applied in 1954 by James E. Charlton and is still used today.

When striking proof-like coins the mint used regular dies, often ones used previously. The dies were cleaned and sometimes pickled in a bath of dilute nitric acid. The acid bath left a fragile 'bloom' that could easily be scraped off. The dies were then polished. This polishing removed the bloom from the fields but not from the devices. When the coins were struck the bloom produced cameo-like devices on polished fields. The pressure of striking quickly caused the bloom to wear off and the cameo effect to fade. The first coins to be struck (maybe only the first 3 to 5) developed what we now call an ultra-heavy cameo appearance. With the pressure and friction of striking each successive coin had somewhat less contrast. Later coins were heavy cameo and this rapidly wore to a cameo effect. Even this wore quickly and the vast majority of proof-like coins do not exhibit any contrast between the devices and the fields, even for exceptional high grade pieces.

The process by which these coins originated suggests that cameo coins and especially heavy and ultra-heavy cameos are not common. The International Coin Certification Service (ICCS) has certified almost six thousand proof-like coins dated between 1953 and 1968. While this represents only a fraction of the existing coins the patterns of the numbers do have a story to tell. One dollar coins represent the denomination with the largest number of submissions. Smaller numbers of the fractional denominations have been certified. The higher denominations tend to be the most expensive, suggesting that higher value coins are being preferentially submitted. This preference will also hold for the cameo, heavy cameo and ultra-heavy cameo coins. Yet even with this selective submission the total certified population drops with each step up in cameo contrast. Cameo and brilliant coins make up 72% of the population, heavy cameo contrast coins represent 26%. Ultra-heavy cameo coins make up only 2% of the certified population. This still does not tell the whole story. In no denomination has a complete date set been certified in heavy cameo. Many dates in each denomination have no certified ultra-heavy cameo coins. This is even though coins with heavy and ultra-heavy cameo contrasts are submitted very preferentially compared to those showing lesser contrast. A dealer may submit a nice cameo 50 cent piece of a certain date but not bother with a low price proof-like coin that shows no contrast. This suggests that ultra-heavy cameos are difficult to find and do not exist in quantity. For example, in the 50 cent series ICCS has certified only 26 coins in ultra-heavy cameo for all years from 1953 to 1967. The majority of coins produced are brilliant and show no cameo contrast. In some denominations no cameo coins have been certified in certain years.

What the table does not show is that cameo coins tend to be concentrated in certain years. For example, of the 59 certified ultra-heavy 25c pieces 50 date from 1955. What happened at the mint that year to produce such a quantity of high grade coins. Was one press operator particularly careful? Was the mint trying to determine its capability to strike such coins? I any reader has an answer please write me with your thoughts or information. In addition to being concentrated in certain years not all cameo coins are of the highest grades. High grade cameo coins before 1968 are beautiful to collect and literally represent the best of the best. If you have seen a PL-65 or 66 coin you may believe it is quite a nice coin, until you see the same coin showing heavy cameo on the devices. Often individuals who do not recognize the scarcity of this coinage have never seen superb cameo examples. The goal of many cameo collectors is to find the earliest possible strikes - high contrast coins in the best possible grade. The rarity of cameo on Canadian proof-like coins can make this a formidable search. A high quality deeply mirrored coin with heavy or ultra-heavy cameo contrast is an object of great beauty and rarity, giving great delight and pride its owner.

Numbers of Proof-like Cameo Coins Graded by ICCS*

* Based on ICCS June 1996 Population Report