1976 Montreal Olympic Games Silver and Gold Coins - Articles on canadian coins - Coins and Canada

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1976 Montreal Olympic Games Silver and Gold Coins

By thecanadiannumismatist    |   Monday, 24 March 2025

In February 1973, the Mint started an ambitious project at that time: the production of several coins for the Montreal 1976 XXI Olympic Games to defray the cost of staging the event.

The construction of the Montreal Olympic Stadium cost one billion dollars, three times more than the amount initially planned. The costs of the 1976 Games were reimbursed by Quebec taxpayers in 2007.

The Mint project included seven thematic sets of four silver coins (92.5%), two $5 and two $10 coins in each set for a total of 28 silver coins. $100 gold coins were also planned.

The obverse chosen was the regular Arnold Machin portrait while the reverses, made by several artists, show a different Olympic symbol on each coin. The lettering, and sometimes the design, were essentially two-dimensional. The Mint used photochemical etching instead of conventional engraving.

With newly equipment acquired by the Mint, all silver coins were produced in 2 finishes:

• Uncirculated (with a satin frosted effect)
• Proof (frosted design on a brilliant mirror field)

The first coins were released in 1973 and the last ones in 1976, prior to the opening of the Olympics.

The Olympic Act of Parliament authorized the issue of special commemorative Olympic Coins as legal tender of Canada.

Uncirculated coins are struck from Sterling Silver blanks by the Royal Canadian Mint, encapsulated in ultrasonically sealed crystal styrene, and packaged in mint condition.

Under the Olympic Act, the number of coins minted in this series is limited.

Known uniface Montreal Olympics specimen coins come from the estate of Derek Dawson, Former Director of Products and Logistics, and Chairman of the Olympic Coin Design Committee. Very few are known and most of them are considered unique.

92 nations participated in the 1976 Montreal Summer Olympics with the opening ceremony on July 17, 1976. Canada finished 27th with 0 gold medal, 5 silver and 6 bronze. Top 3 countries were:

• Soviet Union (49 gold, 41 silver, 35 bronze)
• East Germany (40 gold, 25 silver, 25 bronze)
• United States (34 gold, 35 silver, 25 bronze)

Issue prices for these coins were as follow:

• $5 1973 - $6 each
• $5 1974 - $8 each
• $5 1975 - $8 each
• $5 1976 - $8 each
• $10 1973 - $15.75 each
• $10 1974 - $15.75 each
• $10 1975 - $15.75 each
• $10 1976 - $15.75 each
• $100 1976 14 karat - $105 each
• $100 1976 22 karat - $150 each

The Royal Canadian Mint annual report showed the following mintage numbers for each year and denomination:

• 1973: $5 = 543,098 - $10 = 537,898
• 1974: $5 = 3,981,140 - $10 = 3,949,878
• 1975: $5 = 3,970,000 - $10 = 4,952,433
• 1976: $5 = 3,775,259 - $10 = 3,970,514

5 dollars silver coins

5 dollars 1973 to 1976 price guide and values

10 dollars silver coins

In 1974, the world map reverse die was mixed up with the 1974 obverse creating a mule. Most of these mule were in sets of 4 coins distributed in Europe.

10 dollars 1973 to 1976 price guide and values

100 dollars gold coins

The reverse of the $100 gold coins was designed by Dora de Pédery-Hunt and it bears the standing effigy of the goddess Athena with her left hand resting on the shoulder of a standing athlete, nude but for a headband. In his raised hand is the victor's garland and in his left the victor's stash. Two versions were produced:

• 14 karat - With beads on both side - Mintage: 650,000
• 22 karat - Without beads - Mintage: 350,000

100 dollars 1976 price guide and values

Packaging

Uncirculated silver coins were available in 4 different packages:

• Individually encapsulated in styrene crystal capsules
• Individually in a black box with red interior finish
• As a set of for (two $5 and two $10) in a black box with gold border and red interior finish
• As a set of for (two $5 and two $10) in an imitation leather black box with blue insert

Some coins of the 1973 set were send to Canadian banks in a styrofoam roll to be distributed to the public. Proof silver coins were offered as sets in a white birch box with each coin individually encapsulated.

$100 gold coins were offered in the following packages:

• Imitation leather black box with brown insert and plastic case
• Imitation leather brown box with brown insert and plastic case
• Encapsulated in imitation leather brown box with maple leaf and beige insert

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