EVERY SET COMES WITH A MINT-BRANDED DECK OF CARDS!
Beaver pelts, strings of beads, and wheat have all been used as legal tender in Canada's early history—but so too have playing cards. Introduced in 1685, the playing card money of New France is one of the most interesting chapters in the story of Canadian currency. The colourful cards bore hand-written values on the back, and could be redeemed once the next shipment of French coins arrived. They were only intended to be a temporary fix; instead, card money was re-issued and circulated like modern-day banknotes until 1759. Masterfully engraved and colourized, your four-coin collectible reaches into history to bring an unusual form of currency right to your fingertips. Few examples of the original card money have survived, but this set gives you the next best thing: four of a kind, a King of each suit, all preserved in pure silver and illustrated in a full colour style reminiscent of 18th-century court cards.
Specifications
No. 169541
Mintage 1,250
Composition 99.99% pure silver
Finish proof
Weight (g) 47.34
Diameter (mm) 49.80 mm x 28.60 mm
Edge plain
Certificate serialized
Face value 25 dollars
Artist Trevor Tennant (reverse), Susanna Blunt (obverse)