2008 CANADA STERLING SILVER $15 COIN - PLAYING CARD SERIES: QUEEN OF SPADES

Face Value: $15
Mintage: 25000
Composition: 92.5% silver, 7.5% copper
Weight (g): 31.56
Diameter (mm): 49.80 x 28.60
Finish: Proof

Design: During the 17th and 18th centuries, New France faced chronic shortages. The colony was months away from the motherland, isolated for months by winter ice and the treacherous Atlantic Ocean that claimed countless sailing ships. Everything was scarce—including coins.

Still, merchants, civil servants and soldiers had to be paid. In a desperate move to keep daily transactions flowing, the governor began issuing playing cards with a written promise to pay what was owed when the next shipment of coins arrived from France. Historic records show that cards were cut into halves or quarters and had their corners clipped to reflect different values.“ Playing card money” was first issued in 1685. Despite the king’s displeasure, authorities continued to implement this temporary measure whenever their colony faced a coin shortage. In 1729, they began using plain card stock which circulated like modern bank notes until New France fell to the British in 1759. The name G DE PARIS that appears at the bottom is likely the name of the original artist while the name PALLAS is believed to have been inspired by the Greek goddess Athena or Joan of Arc. The inscription on the back of the card suggests the Queen of Spades was valued at one hundred livres.