Hi I'm a newbie!!!! Many years ago my father found a coin in the backyard. It is from 1896, it is hard to see since it is very worn. I have included 2 pics. On the front is has a pic of the house of commons and the words Ottawa, Canada adn House of Commons in both French and English. On the back it has a pic of Sir. Wilfrid Laurier along with his name and the date "1896". I am wondering what denomination it is, since it is not written. And if possible an estimate as to it's value. As I said it is not in mint condition, but hey who would be after that many years in the ground????
Welcome to the forum ana. Postings in the standard forum size, color and font are much easier to read. There is nothing resembling your piece shown in the 19th Century 3rd Ed. Standard Catalog of World Coins by Krause & Mishler, the standard general reference work for world coins. In general the absence of a denomination from a modern piece is a tipoff that it is a token, medal, or other non-coin item. Krause lists coinage of several pre-confederation Canadian provinces, but none for the City of Ottawa. Laurier was the Prime Minister of Canada in 1896, which was the 30th anniversary of completion of the House of Commons in Ottawa, which had been designated by Queen Victoria as the Canadian capital in 1857, when Upper Canada (Ontario) and Lower Canada (Quebec) originally joined to become the United Province of Canada. Your piece was probably a commemorative of that building's opening. Unless it is cast in a precious metal, it is probably worth a few dollars at most; although a collector of Canadian memorabilia might go a little higher if it is a rare piece. If any of our Canadian members have expertise in that area, I'm sure they'll provide more precise information.
Sir Wilfred Laurier medal. Ana,this is a commemorative medal.Sir Wilfred Laurier was Prime Minister of Canada from 1896 until 1911, when he was succeeded by Robert (Sir Robert from 1914) Laird Borden as Prime Minister of Canada. Aidan.
Wilfred Laurier Token dated 1896 My niece found this item which seems to be in reasonable condition. I suspect it has been kept as a memento for many years. Any one with an idea as to value are welcome to contact me through this site.
