2008 50-CENT ENAMEL COLOURIZED COIN ODD SHAPED TRIANGLE MILK DELIVERY TOKEN

Coins for dairy

There was a time when most people did not go to the grocery store to purchase their milk; it was delivered to their door. Many adults today have childhood memories of a uniformed milkman placing bottles of fresh milk on the front porch and leaving with empty bottles their mother had put out in exchange. But there was something else the milkman collected—dairy tokens. From the late 19th century to the 1960's, consumers could buy dairy tokens to "pay" for the milk or cream that was delivered. Many dairies had their own tokens. They were valued at such quantities as ½ or 1 pint, 1, 2 or 3 quarts or ½ gallon and specified whether the token was for cream or milk and what kind (pasteurized, Jersey, skim, etc.). Dairy tokens were used in all ten provinces across Canada. And although they offered customers a price advantage by pre-ordering, most people today cherish dairy tokens for the memory they preserve—a quieter, simpler time when the milkman came calling.

Product specifications:

• Face Value: 50 cents
• Mintage: 25,000
• Composition: 92.5% Silver, 7.5% Copper
• Weight (g): 20.00
• Diameter (mm): 34.06
• Edge: Interrupted Serrations
• Finish: Proof

Special features:

• First ever triangle-shaped coin from the Royal Canadian Mint!
• Beautiful green enamel-effect enhances the reverse design, nostalgic of one of the colours of some original milk tokens.

Packaging:

Coin encapsulated and presented in a maroon clamshell case lined with flock and protected by a black sleeve.