Canada: George V Specimen 50 Cents 1921 SP64 PCGS,...

Description

"King of Canadian Coins," Specimen 50 Cents 1921

George V Specimen 50 Cents 1921 SP64 PCGS, Ottawa mint, KM25a. The devices are fully formed and the surfaces display even slate-gray toning, with no noticeable contact marks. This storied issue has long been known as the "King of Canadian Coins," with only a very few examples surviving the Ottawa Mints mass melting in 1929. The original mintage of 206,398 does not indicate the true rarity of this legendary coin, as the majority of this issue was melted in 1929. To get the actual story on what really happened to cause the rarity of this issue, one need only go to Charlton's Standard Catalogue of Canadian Coins, Volume One, published by W.K. Cross, where it states, "During the early and mid-1920s the demand for 50-cent pieces was very light: only 28,000 pieces were issued between 1921 and 1929. These are assumed to have been almost entirely 1920s. When a greater demand for this denomination arose later in 1929, the master of the Ottawa Mint decided to melt the entire stock of 1920 and 1921 coins (amounting to some 480,392 pieces) and recoin the silver into 1929 coins. He took this decision because he feared that the public would suspect they were receiving counterfeits if a large quantity of coins with "old" dates were issued. It is believed that the 75, or so, 1921s that have survived came from Specimen sets sold to collectors or from circulation strikes sold to Mint visitors." Thus the explanation for the rarity of the 1921 50 Cents and its unique place in Canadian numismatic history.
From The Eric Beckman Collection of Canadian Coins


Metal: Silver
Diameter: 29.72mm
Weight: 11.6638g
ASW: 0.3oz

More information about Canadian Coins. See also: Canada World Coin Nationality.

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