2016-07-09 Sat

Geoffrey Bell Auctions is going to be held from 20th to 22nd July. A rare 1911 electrotype silver dollar will be auctioned at the event.

The coin was probably made by Charles Ready or his brother Augustus P. Robert, their father had started this tradition of issuing coins which were used as display items in the museums. These duplicates were very popular in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

A negative impression was electroplated in a soft medium of one side of the coin to be duplicated. The thin obverse reverse positive shells were joined together to create these coins.

This particular electrotype coin contains 73 percent of copper, 27 percent of silver and little positions of base metals. It is not uniface and has an antique finish unlike the Bank of Cannad electrotype coins. Only two original coins exist today, one with the Bank of Canada numismatic collection and the other in private hands.

The Bank of Canada has uniface electrotypes of the obverse and reverse of the coin, weighing 13.91 and 18.37 grams respectively. The specimen in the auction is not uniface and has an antique finish, unlike the shiny Bank of Canada electrotypes.

The 1911 silver dollar was issued by King George V and was a part of a proposed coinage which was introduced only in 1935. The dies of which were made in London and some trial strikes were made. There is no record of the number of coins that were minted at that time.

The estimate price of this electrotype coin is $20,000 to $30,000 Canadian.