This was the second coin in Canada's 1976 Montreal Olympics series, the most ambitious commemorative program the Royal Canadian Mint had ever undertaken — 28 coins across seven sets, issued over four years. The program was itself a consequence of financial desperation: the Montreal Games were catastrophically over budget, and coin sales were intended to offset construction costs that ultimately reached nearly $1.5 billion, leaving Quebec taxpayers servicing Olympic debt until 2006.
The two catalog varieties reflect a mid-series change in planchet sourcing, distinguishable by water lines on the map.
This was the second coin in Canada's 1976 Montreal Olympics series, the most ambitious commemorative program the Royal Canadian Mint had ever undertaken — 28 coins across seven sets, issued over four years. The program was itself a consequence of financial desperation: the Montreal Games were catastrophically over budget, and coin sales were intended to offset construction costs that ultimately reached nearly $1.5 billion, leaving Quebec taxpayers servicing Olympic debt until 2006.
The two catalog varieties reflect a mid-series change in planchet sourcing, distinguishable by water lines on the map.