It was the year of Expo in Montreal, it was also Canada’s 100th anniversary of confederation…it was 1967, and it was a year with some really interesting Canadian coins.
To mark this special year the mint changed the designs on all the circulating coins to animals we commonly associate with our country. Also, instead of just marking the date 1967, a special “1867-1967” date was placed on all coins.
Alex Colville was selected as an artist to design each of the reverses for the 1 cent through 1 dollar. His designs are of great artist merit, and have stood the test of time.
The 1 cent coin has a rock dove in flight, the nickel has a hopping rabbit, the 10 cent a mackerel (fish), the 25 cent a walking wildcat (bobcat), the 50 cent a howling wolf, and the dollar a Canada goose in flight. In addition to this a special $20 gold coin was produced, but only issued in a special boxed set that included all of the other coins. The set was available for $40 plus shipping. It is important to note that the mint had not produced a gold coin since 1919, and did not start producing gold again until 1976, so for a time this was the ONLY Canadian gold coin the average person had access to. Two other “collector sets” were produced for 1967. One was in a nice red leatherette case with all of the coins 1 cent to 1 dollar plus a special sterling silver medal, and another less expensive set with just the regular circulating coins but in proof-like condition and issued in a thin plastic film. Relating to the metallic content of the coins, the cent and nickel are the same as previous years, but 1967 was a strange year for silver coins. Canada, like other countries, began to phase out the use of silver in regular coinage. The USA had already done this in 1964. So for the 1st half of the year the 10 cent and 25 cent coins were produced using 80% silver, and sometime during the year it was switched to 50% silver. There is no way to tell the difference (unless they are melted), as the coins look, and weigh exactly the same. Coins from 1967 are all quite common, even in new condition, as a very large quantity were produced, and most were saved by collectors, and patriotic Canadians. So these are affordable to obtain, and fun to collect. The most valuable coin is of course the $20 gold, which sells for close to the gold value. There are some interesting varieties of the 1967 silver dollars, including one where, because of a rotation in the dies, it appears as if the goose is diving down at a 45% angle. These are well liked by collectors and can sell for up to $1,000. To tell if you have a “diving goose” dollar hold the coin on the edges with one finger at the top of the queen’s head and the other at the bottom of the coin. Rotate the coin gently with your other hand. In most cases the goose will be flying to the right and straight. If the goose is diving at a sharp angle…you have a special coin.