In 1896, a major gold rush in Yukon’s Klondike Valley brought an awareness of gold mining and the theme of mineral wealth into the Canadian consciousness. Romantic notions of sacks filled with gold coins and rags-to-riches glory took hold of the public imagination. After a series of negotiations with the British authorities, the Ottawa Mint Act was passed in 1901, allowing for a branch of the British Royal Mint to be established in Canada to produce domestic coinage. The Ottawa branch of the British Royal Mint officially opened in 1908.

In March of 1912, the first gold coins that were Canadian in every aspect, from raw material to reverse image design, were struck.

One hundred years after the first Canadian gold coins were minted, they have returned home to the Royal Canadian Mint, formerly the Ottawa branch of the British Royal Mint. Although the world into which they now shed their warm glow is utterly different from their original era—these storied coins retain a moment in Canadian history when progress, hope, pride, and victory burned brightly in the Canadian imagination.
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Mintage Details

$5 Coin

Weight: 8.36g
Composition: 90% gold, 10% copper
Diameter: 21.59mm
Mintage: 1912 - 165 860, 1913 - 98 832, 1914 - 31 122

$10 Coin

Weight: 16.32g
Composition: 90% gold, 10% copper
Diameter: 26.92mm
Mintage: 1912 - 74 759, 1913 - 149 232, 1914 - 140 068

Anyone Collecting These?

One of my long term collecting goals is to complete this set. I knew instantly the day I got my first one from the Royal Canadian Mint, part of the hoard stash they were selling a few years back now. These coins are beautiful and full of Canada's history.
The two beauties below are ones I have since picked up, my intentions are to complete the set in similar grades. If anyone is interested, I have a 1914 $10 coin, graded ICCS MS 62 for sale. Message me if you are interested.