The twenty cent denomination is one of the great failures in American numismatics. There was never any great need for it. Its use was limited to the West, where consumers would often pay a quarter for items worth a bit (one reale, or 12.5 cents) and receive a dime back in change. Copper did not circulate in the Pacific states, so consumers were often shortchanged by two cents. The twenty cent denomination was suggested by Nevada Senator John P. Jones as a way of solving that problem. It never caught on, and the denomination was abandoned for circulation in 1876, one year after it was first introduced. The 1875-S is the most plentiful issue in the short-lived series, claiming a mintage of 1.1 million coins. The NGC census stands at just 8 with 1 higher. Listed at $24,200 in both the CDN CPG and NGC price guide.
Offered at $22,000
We do business the old fashioned way, we speak with you.
14,000 Canadian troops at Juno Beach on June 6, 1944. BOTTOM: An apprehensive young Canadian soldier pauses momentarily on the reverse of a 2019 silver dollar before leaping into the surf to make his contribution to the D-Day landings. (Images courtesy Royal Canadian Mint)
Seventy-five years ago on Tuesday, June 6, 1944, the largest seaborne invasion in history took place when Allied troops stormed ashore in Normandy. The operation to liberate German-occupied France had begun.
Among the allies were 14,000 Canadians who landed at Juno Beach.
To mark the 75th anniversary of this event, the Royal Canadian Mint has launched two coins. Top of the line is a 27 mm, 12 g, .583 fine gold $100 proof. The reverse design by Glean Loates shows a boot print in the sands of Juno Beach. Mintage is 1,200.
Second is a 36.07 mm, 23.17 g, .9999 fine silver $1 proof. Tony Bianco’s highly detailed design puts a human face on history. It shows the apprehension on one young Canadian soldier’s face as he leaves his landing craft for that frantic 45-meter dash through cold surf and the mad race across the open beach to the seawall.
The scene is taken from a moment caught on film when the North Shore (New Brunswick) Regiment landed on Nan Red Beach (La Rive Plage).
Mintage is 20,000.
A selectively gold-plated version of the proof dollar is included in the 2019 pure silver proof set.
As an aside, one of the Canadian Sherman tanks that landed at Juno, the M4A3 Sherman Bomb, fought all the way into Germany.
Today, it is preserved at Sherbrooke, Quebec.
This article was originally printed in World Coin News.
