Canadian Mint Opening Delayed by Politics
By Doug Andrews, World Coin News
Celebration of the centennial of the Royal Canadian Mint in the summer of 2008 may cause numismatists to reflect on the years of diplomatic wrangling and political infighting that surrounded its establishment. Now one of the most successful and modern mints in the world, its founding in 1908 was the culmination of nearly two decades of argument among Canadian parliamentarians, and negotiations between officials in Canada and the United Kingdom.
As early as 1890 members of the Canadian Senate from British Columbia began lobbying the Conservative and later, the Liberal, governments in Ottawa for opening a mint in Vancouver. Gold recently had been discovered in the nearby Fraser River Valley, and a tiny group of politicians led by Senator Thomas McInnes tried to persuade the cabinet to fund construction of a mint to assay and refine gold, produce ingots and strike gold into coins. In March, McInnes boldly introduced the following motion to the Senate, “Resolved as to the opinion of this House that it is both desirable and expedient that the government should immediately pass a coinage act and establish a mint.”
Gold miners and speculators in British Columbia saw the opening of a mint as an opportunity to increase their profits by reducing the costs of exporting gold to the United States for refining. However, the Conservative Prime Minister, Sir John A. Macdonald, opposed the measure championed by McInnes, a Liberal, and it went down to defeat. Macdonald, then in declining health, had focused this agenda on protectionism rather than foreign trade, and a mint to increase profits from exportation of gold did not fit into his plans.

NEW YORK – On January 14, a Polish 1621 gold 100 Ducat coin sold for $1.38 Million, setting a world’s record price for a non-U.S. coin. Sold by
Among the many highlights of the sale are a Gold 50 Ducat and a unique Silver 10 Talary – the largest Silver coin ever struck in Poland, both made as presentation pieces to mark the Battle of Chocim (one of the 100 Ducat coins of 1621 was presented by Sigismund III Vasa to the Pope). Polish cities and ducal fiefdoms are also represented by coins from Danzig, Toru?, Courland, Stettin and other Silesian and Pomeranian locales. Lithuanian coins from the time of the Commonwealth include a 16th Century Silver coin of Naples sent to Poland as part of the inheritance of Sigismund II August from his mother Bona Sforza that was stamped to pay Sigismund the Second’s troops fighting in the Livonian War.
When one travels down the Danube, whether by river or by land, just before reaching Vienna one encounters the town of Klosterneuburg nestling around the ancient abbey on the heights overlooking the Danube Valley. Since the year 1114 canons regular have been living here according to the Rule of St. Augustine. This abbey is the fifth coin in the
The
However, John Porteous, of the Royal Mint Advisory Committee on Coin Design, said she could appear on the £2 coin when it is next redesigned.


















