I recently got a 1967 Canadian proof set with the box and docs. The packaging is really quite nice and the coins are very beautiful. Unfortunately, as so many of these sets were seperated from their $20 gold coins, I was curious as to how hard they are to find, and whether or not it would be better to have someone on the other side of the border try to find one for me. Does anyone in the Great White North know? Are they relatively available? And what is considered a fair price for this item? Thank you in advance
I was just digging through the old unanswered forums, and this one caught my eye. I can't comment on the availibility, but I can provide you a price. This years Charlton book is claiming the mint made 337,000 sets, that originally retailed at 40 bucks. Did your specimen set come in a black leather presentation case? They are also correctly acknowledging that this specific coin was not issued individually, but presently lists for $550 canadian for a SP-66, and 600 for SP-67,
Yes, Mine has a black leather snap closed type case and all of the coins fit neatly into depressions. All of the holes on mine are full with beautiful proof coins with the exception of the top hole for the $20.
Well..thats the one then. Man...40 bucks in 1967, now equates to 600. As far as trying to track one down..looks like its google time.
They are anything but hard to find if you are looking for affordable and familiar bullion. I bought two of them late last year for something like $350 each when the melt in them was about $460 each. They have a bit over 1/2 oz of gold in them. There were 300.000 or so of them minted, which is a fairly good sized mintage by Canadian standards. Most often now they turn up as bullion coins - even the proofs. They are one of my favourite near half oz coins for that reason, because they are attractive and usually do not trade at a premium like many coins.
One reason why so many of these set are seen without the $20 gold is because they were bought by collectors in the US and it was illegal in 1967 to import the gold coin into the country. So sets shipped to the US had the gold coin replaced with a medal.
Yes, but a lot of collectors in the USA managed to get the coin anyway. Ca. 1963 or so the treasury decided that coins created before 1958 were historical, so you could collect a 1957 sovereign, but not a 1964 example. Of course collectors could not equate such inane rules regarding gold ownership with other controlled substances like hashish etc. so they went ahead and ordered the coins. Some were seized by customs in the post, but if you went across the border and bought the coin and came back, chances were you were not going to be searched. So as much as the sets came here without the gold coin, in other instances the gold coin came without the set - because it is what was wanted.
