Trade Dollar - Niagara Falls, Ontario

Niagara Falls trade dollars were issued annually by the Chamber of Commerce as a local merchant scrip redeemable at participating businesses — a Depression-era concept that enjoyed a revival across Canadian tourism towns in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The gold-plated steel composition was a cost-cutting shift from the heavier brass pieces issued earlier in the series, reflecting tighter margins as novelty demand softened.