Canada 1871 20 cents KM-Pn8
This specimen was lot 42101 in Stack's Bowers Summer 2026 Global Showcase Auction (Pittsburgh, September 2026), where it sold for $18,300. The catalog description[1] noted, "Superlative 20 Cents Pattern with Reeded Edge & Medal Alignment, CANADA. Silver 20 Cents Pattern, 1871. London Mint. Victoria. PCGS SPECIMEN-66. Reeded edge. Variety with medal alignment. An exceptional RARITY that is made even more desirable on account of its exalted status and level of preservation, this Superb Gem glistens with intense beauty and flair, with razor sharp precision imparted unto the strike and wondrous brilliance emanating from the fields. Even more tantalizing, the surfaces are awash in dazzling iridescence, making this example no doubt among the finest known for the type, and an exceptionally important offering as such. From the Charles “Cheech” Litman Collection." The twenty cents struck and issued in 1858 was a flop, being confusingly similar to the U. S. quarter. When coinage resumed in 1870, the twenty-five cents was made instead. We don't know why this pattern exists. Numista comments, "Like the model adopted for the Province of Canada, except for the date. This coin does not represent the 20 cents proposed for the Dominion of Canada. It is believed to have been struck to display the 20 cents of the Province of Canada. Only the type was important; no concern was given to use a date co[r]responding to the coins actually issued for circulation."
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 4.65 g, 0.925 fine silver, 23.3 mm diameter, .138 troy oz ASW, reeded edge.
Catalog reference: KM-Pn8; DC-50A.
- Cross, W. K., The Charlton Standard Catalogue of Canadian Coins, 62nd Ed., Toronto: Charlton International, 2008.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, Summer 2026 Global Showcase Auction, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2026.
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