British Columbia's 1862 pattern coinage was authorized under Governor James Douglas, who sought a local currency to reduce dependence on American gold coins flooding the colony following the Fraser River and Cariboo gold rushes. The Colonial Office in London ultimately blocked the project, refusing to grant minting authority to a colonial government, and no circulation strikes were ever approved.
The Ch#Bc-2 is among the rarest of all Canadian provincial patterns. Fewer than a handful of confirmed examples are known.
British Columbia's 1862 pattern coinage was authorized under Governor James Douglas, who sought a local currency to reduce dependence on American gold coins flooding the colony following the Fraser River and Cariboo gold rushes. The Colonial Office in London ultimately blocked the project, refusing to grant minting authority to a colonial government, and no circulation strikes were ever approved.
The Ch#Bc-2 is among the rarest of all Canadian provincial patterns. Fewer than a handful of confirmed examples are known.