2006 $1 Fine Gold Coin - Gold Louis

A TREASURE FROM AGES PAST

The 2006 $1 Fine Gold Coin - Gold Louis has just been released by the Royal Canadian Mint.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the inhabitants of New France faced chronic shortages. Their colony was months away from the motherland, isolated by the Atlantic Ocean whose treacherous waters claimed countless sailing ships. Everything was scarce—including coins!

An entire annual budget of coins was lost when Le Chameau slammed into the coast of Cape Breton in 1725, leaving no survivors and bits of broken cargo washed ashore. The story of lost treasure became a vibrant part of local lore, but people could only speculate if gold coins lay hidden in the dangerous waters—until an adventurer arrived in 1960. Convinced the treasure was there, he spent the next five years searching.

Finally in 1965—gold! Hidden deep under the ocean, near the bottom of a crevice and below layers of silver coins, lay hundreds of gold coins in near perfect condition. After 240 years, the mystery of Le Chameau's precious treasure was solved!

This is celebrated in the recent issue of the 2006 $1 Fine Gold Coin - Gold Louis. In the best tradition of the Royal Canadian Mint these are produced in a 99.99 percent fine gold proof coin with a face value of $1.00 and a weight of 1.555 grams.

Coin Specifications are:

Mintage: 10,000
Composition: 99.99% pure gold
Finish: proof
Weight (g): 1.555
Diameter (mm): 14.1
Edge: serrated
Certificate: serialized
Face value: $1

The artists are the Royal Canadian Mint engravers
On the reverse is a faithful reproduction of the 1723 reverse design (Grandes Palmes) that appeared on the gold louis coins lost at sea in 1725. On the obverse is the effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Susanna Blunt.

The 2006 $1 Fine Gold Coin - Gold Louis is $102.95 CAN and well worth the value and will make a fine addition to any coin collection.