Yes Canada did have Silver coins till the mid 60's, that then all Central Banks pulled the Silver coins, because of the rising Silver prices people collected the coins and had them melted down for extra profit.
On this note, here is another little fact:
For anyone who has time, Canadian Nickels from 1955 to 1981 are 99% nickel.
100 of them (barring any wear) should weigh 454 grams, or 1 pound.
One pound of nicles of this age is a value of $5.00 (100 nickels)
One pound of nickel is around $11.50 US I believe.
If anyone has the time and access....
See the window of opportunity?
The thing is, most metal places will not take in coin to melt. (Yes I got curious so I called and asked one day
).
H