| Slot: |
Maple Leaf 1988-1989 |
| Origin/Country: |
CANADA - BULLION |
| Design Description: |
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| Item Description: |
S$5 1989 MAPLE LEAF |
| Grade: |
NGC MS 68 |
| Research: |
View Coin |
Owner Comments
Early portrait of the youthful Queen Elizabeth II. Canada was one of the "last of the first" to produce government issued silver bullion coins. This idea seemingly traveled north with Mexico being the first to fine silver bullion coins in 1983. The United States followed in 1986. Canada would not issue its first Silver Maple Leaf until 1988. Even so, the Maple Leaf preceded the silver Britannia by almost 10 years and the New Zealand Kiwi by over 15 years.
Canada was not completely outdone however. Mexico, the United States, and almost all the other government mints to issue 1 oz silver coins have struck them with a purity of 0.9990, the standard for "fine silver." The Royal Canadian Mint produced its new Maple Leaf coins with a purity standard of 0.9999 and has bragged about it as the "purest of the bullion coins" for 20 years.
The Maple Leaf also claims the highest face value of any current silver bullion issue. Most other countries set the face value of the coins very low. The United States and Australia both went with $1. China chose 10 Yuan. Mexico took the high road and simply denominated the coin in ounces. These values were generally chosen to guarantee that the coin's melt or bullion value never dropped below the face value. Canada chose a denomination of $5. Given the typical value of silver vs the Canadian dollar, the coin has never been at much risk of circulating. Even so, this is still an interesting feature for the coin to claim.
Like many parts of the former British empire Canada still places the official portrait of the English monarch on its coins today. The official portrait has been changed twice since the series began, once around 1990 and in 2004. Each time the coin changed to depict a more mature portrait of the aging Queen Elizabeth II. The first portrait shows the queen to be fairly young.
Some might wonder, why a maple leaf? Some believe that the maple has been a Canadian symbol in one form or another since the 1700's. There are 10 species of maple native to Canada and at least one of them grows in every province. Over the centuries it has evolved into a symbol of national unity in a country constantly struggling with internal cultural divides. It was popular among French-Canadians of the 18th century. Alexander Muir composed "The Maple Leaf Forever" in 1867 and it became an unofficial anthem for the English-speaking population. It appeared on the coat of arms of both Ontario and Quebec in 1868 and was added to the Canadian coat of arms in 1921. The Maple Leaf became the central national symbol in 1965 and it was added to the flag at that time. It has subsequently come to be used in the logos of Canadian companies and sports teams.
The Maple Leaf Forever by Alexander Muir
In Days of yore,
From Britain's shore
Wolfe the dauntless hero came
And planted firm Britannia's flag
On Canada's fair domain.
Here may it wave,
Our boast, our pride
And joined in love together,
The thistle, shamrock, rose entwined,
The Maple Leaf Forever.
[CHORUS]
The Maple Leaf
Our Emblem Dear,
The Maple Leaf Forever.
God save our Queen and heaven bless,
The Maple Leaf Forever.
At Queenston Heights and Lundy's Lane
Our brave fathers side by side
For freedom's home and loved ones dear,
Firmly stood and nobly died.
And so their rights which they maintained,
We swear to yeild them never.
Our watchword ever more shall be
The Maple Leaf Forever
[CHORUS]
Our fair Dominion now extends
From Cape Race to Nootka Sound
May peace forever be our lot
And plenty a store abound
And may those ties of love be ours
Which discord cannot sever
And flourish green for freedom's home
The Maple Leaf Forever
[CHORUS]
Year (Mintage)
1988 (1,155,931)
1989 (3,332,200)
1990 (1,708,800)
1991 (644,300)
1992 (343,800)
1993 (1,133,900)
1994 (889,946)
1995 (326,244)
1996 (250,445)
1997 (100,970)
1998 (591,359)
1999 (1,229,442)
2000 (403,652)
2001 (398,563)
2002 (576,196)
2003 (684,750)
2004 (680,925)
2005 (955,694)
2006 (2,464,727)
2007 (3,526,052)
2008 (?)
2009 (?)
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| Slot: |
Maple Leaf 1990-2003 |
| Origin/Country: |
CANADA - BULLION |
| Design Description: |
|
| Item Description: |
S$5 1999 MAPLE LEAF |
| Grade: |
NGC MS 69 |
| Research: |
View Coin |
Owner Comments
A second, matured portrait of the queen used through the 1990s and early 2000s. The portrait of the queen was updated around 1990 to reflect the aging of the monarch. The queen now seems middle-aged .
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| Slot: |
Maple Leaf 2004-Present |
| Origin/Country: |
CANADA - BULLION |
| Design Description: |
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| Item Description: |
S$5 2007 MAPLE LEAF |
| Grade: |
NGC MS 68 |
| Research: |
View Coin |
Owner Comments
A third, more mature, official portrait of the queen. The portrait of the queen was updated again around 2004 to reflect the aging of the monarch. The queen is now shown as an old woman. Given her advanced age and the duration of use of the last portrait, this may be the last portrait of Queen Elizabeth II used on this series.
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| Slot: |
Libertad 1991-1995 |
| Origin/Country: |
MEXICO - 1905 TO DATE |
| Design Description: |
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| Item Description: |
1 Onza 1992Mo Silver |
| Grade: |
NGC MS 66 |
| Research: |
View Coin |
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| Slot: |
1986-2007 American Eagle |
| Origin/Country: |
United States |
| Design Description: |
BULLION - SILVER AMERICAN EAGLES |
| Item Description: |
S$1 1996 EAGLE |
| Grade: |
NGC MS 69 |
| Research: |
View Coin |
Owner Comments
This was ordered 4/27/08 with the 2008 W coin to make the set complete and up to date until 2009.
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| Slot: |
2008-Present American Eagle |
| Origin/Country: |
United States |
| Design Description: |
BULLION - SILVER AMERICAN EAGLES |
| Item Description: |
S$1 2008 EAGLE EARLY RELEASES |
| Grade: |
NGC MS 69 |
| Research: |
View Coin |
Owner Comments
This is the 23rd coin purchased for the set, ordered on March 3, 2008.
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| Slot: |
2006-2007 Burnished American Eagle |
| Origin/Country: |
United States |
| Design Description: |
BULLION - SILVER AMERICAN EAGLES |
| Item Description: |
S$1 2006 W EAGLE BURNISHED SILVER EAGLE EARLY RELEASES |
| Grade: |
NGC MS 69 |
| Research: |
View Coin |
Owner Comments
This is the 18th coin purchased for the set, purchased on December 21, 2007.
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| Slot: |
2008-Present Burnished American Eagle |
| Origin/Country: |
United States |
| Design Description: |
BULLION - SILVER AMERICAN EAGLES |
| Item Description: |
S$1 2008 W EAGLE BURNISHED SILVER EAGLE EARLY RELEASES |
| Grade: |
NGC MS 69 |
| Research: |
View Coin |
Owner Comments
This was ordered 4/27/08 with the 1996 coin to make the set complete and up to date until 2009.
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| Slot: |
2008 Shawnee Nation |
| Origin/Country: |
United States |
| Design Description: |
INDIAN NATIONS COINAGE |
| Item Description: |
S$1 2008 SHAWNEE NATION BATTLE OF POINT PLEASANT |
| Grade: |
NGC MS 69 |
| Research: |
View Coin |
Owner Comments
"The Battle of Point Pleasant" - *I'm using the seller's pics as stand-ins until I can image the coin myself.
The Battle of Point Pleasant, known as the Battle of Kanawha in some older accounts, was the only major battle of “Dunmore's War.” It was fought on October 10, 1774, primarily between Virginia militia and American Indians from the Shawnee and Mingo tribes. Along the Ohio River near modern Point Pleasant, West Virginia, American Indians under the Shawnee Chief Cornstalk attacked Virginia militia under Andrew Lewis, hoping to halt Lewis's advance into the Ohio Country.
Colonel Andrew Lewis, in command of about 1,100 men, was part of a planned two-pronged Virginian invasion of the Ohio Country. He anticipated linking up with another force commanded by Lord Dunmore, who was marching west from Fort Pitt, then known as Fort Dunmore. Dunmore's plan was to march into the Ohio Country and force the Indians to accept Ohio River boundary which had been negotiated with the Iroquois in the 1768 Treaty of Fort Stanwix.
Shawnees had not been consulted in that treaty, however, and many did not want to surrender their lands south of the Ohio River without a fight. Officials of the British Indian Department, led by Sir William Johnson until his death in July 1774, worked to diplomatically isolate the Shawnees from other American Indians. As a result, when the war began, Shawnees had few allies other than a few Mingos.
Cornstalk, the Shawnee leader, moved to intercept Lewis's army, hoping to prevent the Virginians from linking up. Estimates of the size of Cornstalk's force have varied over the years, but scholars now suspect Cornstalk was greatly outnumbered, having around 300-500 warriors. Future notable Shawnee leader Blue Jacket probably took part in the battle.
Cornstalk's forces attacked Lewis's camp where the Kanawha River flows into the Ohio River, hoping to trap him along a bluff. The battle lasted for hours and was extremely intense; the fighting eventually became hand-to-hand. Cornstalk's voice was reportedly heard over the din of the battle, repeatedly urging his warriors to "be strong." Lewis sent several companies along the Kanawha and up a nearby creek in order to attack the Indians from the rear, reducing the intensity of the Shawnee offensive. At nightfall, the Shawnees silently withdrew back across the Ohio. The Virginians had held their ground, and so won the day.
The Virginians suffered about 75 killed and 150 wounded. The Shawnee are supposed to have had 33 killed. The Indians threw many of their dead companions' bodies into the river to prevent them from being mutilated. (Scalping was routinely practiced by both sides for proof of claim for bounty reasons in this era.) Among the dead was Pucksinwah, the father of Tecumseh.
After the battle, the Virginians, along with a second force led by Lord Dunmore, the Royal Governor of Virginia, marched into the Ohio Country and compelled Cornstalk to agree to the Treaty of Camp Charlotte, ending the war. This ceded Shawnee land claims south of the Ohio (modern Kentucky) to Virginia.
Before the Virginians had all returned home from “Dunmore's War,” the American Revolutionary War had begun at Lexington and Concord in April 1775. Before long, Lord Dunmore was leading the British war effort in Virginia against many of the men who had fought under him in Dunmore's War. Dunmore even sought to enlist American Indian allies—the very people he had defeated in 1774. As a result, over the years a legend arose that Dunmore had actually been collaborating with the Shawnees all along. According to this story, Dunmore deliberately isolated the militia under Andrew Lewis and directed the Shawnees to attack them, hoping to eliminate potentially troublesome American rebels. There is no evidence to support this conspiracy theory, but it was popular in the 19th century.
On February 21, 1908, the United States Senate passed Bill Number 160 to erect a monument commemorating the Battle of Point Pleasant. Contrary to common myth, the bill doesn't mention the Battle as being the first battle of the American Revolution. Additionally the bill was never enacted, failing in the House of Representatives. The battle is honored as the first battle of the Revolution during "Battle Days," an annual festival celebrated in modern Point Pleasant.
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| Slot: |
2008 Philharmonic |
| Origin/Country: |
AUSTRIA - REPUBLIC |
| Design Description: |
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| Item Description: |
S1.5E 2008 VIENNA PHILHARMONIC |
| Grade: |
NGC MS 69 |
| Research: |
View Coin |
Owner Comments
Austrian Philharmonic
First Year of Issue
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| Slot: |
1991 Kookaburra |
| Origin/Country: |
AUSTRALIA - KOOKABURRA |
| Design Description: |
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| Item Description: |
S$5 1991 Kookaburra |
| Grade: |
NGC MS 69 |
| Research: |
View Coin |
Owner Comments
The Australian Kookaburras are the only modern silver bullion series I'm aware of that had the denomination change after the run started. The coins from the first two years of the series are therefore odd birds indeed. NGC didn't even include slots for them originally when the Kookaburra registry sets were made available. Most kookaburra collectors and I do consider them a part of the larger kookaburra set, not as a separate seriess/issuance and NGC later added slots for them. For information about the kookaburras (the birds, not the coins) check out the description for the 1992 Kookaburra in this set.
Obverse:
3rd portrait of Queen Elizabeth II facing right wearing the King George IV State Diadem
Designer: Raphael David Maklouf
Reverse:
Kookaburra sitting on a tree branch
Designer: Stuart Devlin
Orientation: Medal alignment
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| Slot: |
1992 Kookaburra |
| Origin/Country: |
AUSTRALIA - KOOKABURRA |
| Design Description: |
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| Item Description: |
S$1 1992 Kookaburra |
| Grade: |
NGC MS 70 |
| Research: |
View Coin |
Owner Comments
First year of the $1 denomination.
Obverse:
3rd portrait of Queen Elizabeth II facing right wearing the King George IV State Diadem
Designer: Raphael David Maklouf
Reverse:
Kookaburra perched on a tree branch.
Orientation: Medal Alignment
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| Slot: |
1993 Kookaburra |
| Origin/Country: |
AUSTRALIA - KOOKABURRA |
| Design Description: |
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| Item Description: |
S$1 1993 Kookaburra |
| Grade: |
NGC MS 69 |
| Research: |
View Coin |
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| Slot: |
1994 Kookaburra |
| Origin/Country: |
AUSTRALIA - KOOKABURRA |
| Design Description: |
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| Item Description: |
S$1 1994 Kookaburra |
| Grade: |
NGC MS 69 |
| Research: |
View Coin |
Owner Comments
*This coin was part of a submission made by RareSov. It and 4 other Kookaburras were sold to me for this set. He was working on building his kookaburra set and needed to liquidate his duplicates. I had been looking to expand my own kookaburra set at that time and he was offering them at a very nice price to society members. I had just taken a thrashing on auctions for some other coins and this became the ideal combination of opportunity and timing.
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| Slot: |
1995 Kookaburra |
| Origin/Country: |
AUSTRALIA - KOOKABURRA |
| Design Description: |
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| Item Description: |
S$1 1995 Kookaburra |
| Grade: |
NGC MS 69 |
| Research: |
View Coin |
Owner Comments
*This coin was part of a submission made by RareSov. It and 4 other Kookaburras were sold to me for this set. He was working on building his kookaburra set and needed to liquidate his duplicates. I had been looking to expand my own kookaburra set at that time and he was offering them at a very nice price to society members. I had just taken a thrashing on auctions for some other coins and this became the ideal combination of opportunity and timing.
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