Canadian War of 1812 Gold Coins

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Canadian War of 1812 Gold Coins are a unique subject for commemorating, but the Royal Canadian Mint found it an appropriate enough topic to devote their one-quarter ounce gold bullion coin to remembering the 200 year bicentennial in 2012. These coins come from the mint in uncirculated condition in sheets of 20 or single coins. The coins are among the purest gold issues struck anywhere in the world at 24 Karats of .9999 fine gold quality. Naturally the Royal Canadian Mint guarantees both the impressive purity and the weight of all of these coins.

Canadian War of 1812 Gold Coins Background and History

Many historians have referred to the War of 1812 as the “take two” on American Independence from Great Britain and her mighty empire. This was an interesting, albeit brief, reprisal of the Revolutionary War that curiously saw the British Empire win almost all of the land and sea engagements yet still oddly enough lose the war in the end. The conflict started out as a protest movement against violations which the U.S. perceived the British navy was exercising against its fledgling national sovereignty. It also represented the very first time in which the U.S. officially declared war on a foreign country. The United States' historic national anthem “The Star Spangled Banner” was written in the midst of this war as the British Navy heavily bombarded Fort McHenry in Baltimore.

Canadian War of 1812 Gold Coins were all issued in limited productions of either uncirculated or proof conditions. These coins were only struck through January of 2013. The extremely limited proof issues included only 2,000 individual coins. The Brilliant Uncirculated editions of the coin also had a relatively low mintage of only 115,999. This gives both variants collectors' appeal as well as precious metals investment potential.

Canadian War of 1812 Gold Coins Physical Characteristics

Coin Design

The obverse proves to be the technical nomenclature for the front of coins. Canadian War of 1812 Gold Coins showcase the right facing portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain and Canada. The year of mintage is also declared along with the face value of “Canada 10 Dollars.” This side of the attractive coins was designed by Susanna Blunt.

The back of coins is called the “reverse” by coin enthusiasts. Canadian War of 1812 Gold Coins sport a reverse with an eagle to represent the American military and a lion to symbolize the powerful and feared British forces. The eagle stands up determinedly against the terrifying lion. In between them lies the military conflict shield that contains an emblazoned Canadian Maple Leaf. It stands for the unified joint efforts of both English and French speaking Canadian military volunteers alongside their native allied First Nation warriors who strove side by side in valiant efforts to fight for their ways of life and the lands where they all lived. The reverse of the coins also carries the inscriptions “1812 – 2012” above the intricate design and “FINE GOLD 1/4 OZ OR PUR” below them. Cathy Bursey-Sabourin designed this side of the coins.

Specifications

Canadian War of 1812 Gold Coins' specifications are as follows:

• Mass: 7.8 g
• Diameter: 20 mm
• Content: 0.25 troy oz gold
• Purity: 99.99% gold fineness

Canadian War of 1812 Gold Coins Pricing

Canadian War of 1812 Gold Coins carry a face value of $10 Canadian and are legal tender anywhere within the various provinces and territories of Canada. While you could in theory spend the 1/4 ounce gold coins for their mere $10 face value, this would be foolhardy. That is because the beautiful commemorative coins have an intrinsic value of over $250 each. This impressive value comes almost entirely from the spot gold price as quoted in the U.S. and London, the world gold center. They also enjoy somewhat of a significant premium over gold prices based on their collectable features.

This intrinsic value provides these pieces with their real market value. Market price is critically important for anyone who will include these gems in an investment or retirement portfolio because it determines the value of the portfolios which contain them. True market value of these pieces rise and falls alongside world gold prices which fluctuate on a daily basis on market trading days (six days per week). You can determine the present live price of gold on this site by clicking on this link for our homepage.

Can IRA Accounts Contain Canadian War of 1812 Gold Coins?

Canadian War of 1812 Gold Coins are strikingly beautiful issues which many retirement-minded investors interested in precious metals would like to consider for their IRA accounts. To know if such coins can be included in your retirement account, you have to consult with the Internal Revenue Service. The IRS has the sole discretionary powers to approve or reject any bullion pieces for ultimate inclusion in these retirement vehicles. They look at all potential bullion pieces based upon the two standards of incredibly high gold fineness and a low collectable premium.

The Canadian War of 1812 Gold Coins exceed the minimum gold purity standard set by the IRS of .995 fineness with their stunning .9999 24 Karat gold purity levels. Curiously, even though many people would call these bullion pieces quite collectible, the IRS does not consider them to be too collectable in nature to be a part of IRAs. Because these coins pass on the two standards, the IRS will allow you to purchase them with funds from your precious metals IRA account and to hold them within it according to their rigorous guidelines.

Speaking of IRS holding guidelines, the American tax authority is quite strict on this point. Once your IRA administrator obtains your first order of bullion coins or bars, they must be forwarded immediately to an IRS-approved third party vaulting facility for storage and maintenance. You will have to first purchase $5,000 in minimum dollar amount of approved precious metals to open the account. After this, you can always choose to add as little as $1,000 in additional bullion purchases at a single time if you so desire. Should you already own another kind of traditional IRA account, you can relatively easily roll it over to a self directed IRA.

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