Post NCLT found in circulation!

Today's a first for me! I discovered this baby (on the right, the left coin is for comparison) in a roll of toonies:


So what's special about it? Well... notice how the surface is a bit flatter and more mirror-like? This coin escaped from a non-circulating "proof-like" finish set (real proofs were not struck in Canada for a long time) and as you can see, this finish was not meant for circulation (wear on this finish just looks worse). Someone must have deliberately cut open a set and spent this coin.

Has anyone else found coins in circulation that were not meant to have ever been spent? This can include sets-only issues (i.e. the latest Dutch 1 + 2 euro cent), special finishes (proofs, proof-likes) or maybe crazy denominations that some idiot traded in for face value (American Silver Eagle bullion coins spent as $1).

I have found three 1970 D US 50 cent coins. They were only in mint sets

Good catch!

It is a common practice (at least in USA) to buy proof sets and then dismantle them to get a specific coin and the rest eventually get carried away with the common currency.

Here in Mexico 8 or so years ago I went to the bank to get some bank notes exchanged for smaller denominations so that we could use them at home for buying grocery and that sort of weekly expenses. And when I reached the counter my eyes got as big as anime-eyes    I saw the teller had 8 (yes EIGHT) commemorative 100 Pesos coins on the wood tray. Somebody had just used them as 100$, so I asked - thinking I would be treated like and idiot for doing so - if I could get 8 of my 100$ Notes swapped for those coins. Of course I was expecting a "No, those are special and you need to pay more than face value for them". But no, the teller actually said "Do you really want them, almost nobody would accept them as payment if you try to use them" and I was like    ...(The hell I'd want to use them to buy stuff, if my mom gets angry I'll eventually pay her the 800$). So I got them for pure face value.

My mom was actually really happy and asked me if I ever saw more from different States I should buy them for her. She stored them safely. And I forgot about them, until she died last summer and while cleaning her office I found them... and I cried.

I'm trying to complete the set because as a child it was something I wasn't able to do for her, but I am only a 1/3 of the way through. Specially now that there are also "Phase 2" for those coins. Phase 1 = each State coat of arms, Phase 2 = 1 monument, natural wonder, or cultural wonder for each State. But at least I won't try to collect the Proof editions (Pure silver, and only 10,000 mint of each)   . Or even worse the Elite editions (Bi-metallic, Silver ring with half ounce pure gold core, 500 made of each   ).

I found a Cook Islands 1981 royal wedding 20 cents. They were only in sets.

I have never found one but I'm one of those idiots who spend them Of course nothing rare, just Finnish € 5 basemetal commems.

But where do you get these Finnish base metal 5eur commemoratives in the first place? I would expect you pay more for them than a fiver? Or are they circulating so much in Finland next to other usual denominations?
If so I wanna swap

Citeer: erdvilla... "No, those are special and you need to pay more than face value for them". But no, the teller actually said "Do you really want them, almost nobody would accept them as payment if you try to use them" ...

Reminds me of going to the bank once trying to find oddball stuff. Old silver, state quarters, $2 bills, silver certs, red seals, old face $5 to $100's, star notes and funny serial numbers.  The normal gamut. Struck up a conversation with the teller about collecting.  She told be not 2 weeks earlier someone came in and deposited an old $500 bill. Face value deposit of course.  About an hour later someone, doing like I was doing, came in and snagged it....FOR $500!  Allegedly when banks get older notes like that they are returned to the treasury and removed from circulation.  The teller forgot and he scored!

KartWay - the first bigger set of fives (Provinces) was available at post offices for face value (two pcs per customer at once). The Mint of Finland also had campaign last autumn where they gave 11 fives for free when you ordered for example fives for face value for € 500 total. No taxes, no shipping costs - you can bet that I ordered them as much I had cash at my bank account! As far as I'm aware you can also order them at face (in 9-10 pcs lots, not individually) but shipping costs are charged when shipped abroad. I have already took mine duplicates into bank or grocery store, so unfortunately no swapping possibilities.