Glow-in-the-dark vision of a West Coast deep sea reef and Mint’s first maple leaf-shaped gold coin are among the latest offering of numismatic treasures
As the Royal Canadian Mint continues to explore innovative ways to showcase Canada on its finely-crafted coins, it is launching an otherworldly 2 oz. glow-in-the-dark silver coin revealing our hidden seascapes, a pair of new maple leaf-shaped coins and a spectacular colored 5 oz. silver coin honoring Dakota elder Wanduta, renowned for defending aboriginal culture and practices in the early 20th century.
Artist Jesse Koreck has brought to the surface the teeming wildlife found on the deep water reefs of Canada’s West Coast on the 2016 $30 Fine Silver Coin – Illuminated Underwater Reef. Thanks to the Mint’s specialized backlit technology, exposing the reverse design of this large 2 oz. coin to a UV light source reveals the bioluminescent beauty of this rich marine ecosystem.
Another stunning tribute to Canadian nature can be found on the 2016 $200 Pure Gold Coin – Nature’s Pure Form. Mint engravers shaped this 1 oz. gold coin like Canada’s iconic maple leaf and delicately chiseled the veined contours of the leaf to produce a sharp relief on this unique new coin. Another innovative addition to the family of maple leaf-shaped coins is the 2016 $10 Fine Silver Coin – Maple Leaf Silhouette: Canada Geese, which features artist Trevor Tennant’s illustration of pair of geese feeding in the rippled waters of a pond or lake.
Always impressive in scale, the Mint’s 5 oz. silver coins are excellent canvases for showcasing captivating themes in bold detail. Such is the case with the 2016 $50 Fine Silver Coin designed by native Canadian artist Darlene Gait. Featuring color over engraving, the reverse of this coin depicts Sioux Valley Dakota Chief Wanduta in traditional regalia, circa 1913. Chief Wanduta is celebrated for defiantly protecting his community’s ceremonial dance rites despite the prohibition of this practice under the Indian Act.
Other coins available as of today include:
- The 2016 $15 Fine Silver Coin – National Heroes: Police, designed by Ken Ryan and the second-to-last coin in a four-part series also celebrating Canada’s firefighters, paramedics and military;
- The 2017 $10 Fine Silver Coin – Celebrating Canada’s 150th: Kayaking on the River, featuring Daniel Dagenais photograph of a Quebec waterway taken from the perspective of the paddler. This is the second release out of 13 coins in a series launched in partnership with Canadian Geographic Magazine;
- The 2016 $20 Fine Silver Coin – Canadian Landscape Series: Reaching The Top, featuring a coloured mountaintop view of a Canadian Rockies landscape illustrated by artist Stéphanie Gauvin;
- The 2016 $5 Fine Silver Coin – ANA California State Flower: The Poppy, a privy-marked 1 oz. Silver Maple Leaf celebrating the American Numismatic Association’s (ANA) 2016 World’s Fair of Money, hosted in Anaheim, California;
- The 2016 $20 Fine Silver Coin – Baby Animals: Caribou, designed by artist Glen Loates;
- The 2016 $20 Fine Silver Coin – The Migratory Birds Convention, 100 Years of Protection: The American Goldfinch, featuring a coloured illustration by Claudio D’Angelo;
- The 2016 $10 Fine Silver Coin – Reflections of Wildlife: Arctic Fox, designed by Maurade Baynton;
- The 2016 $200 Pure Gold Coin – Tall Ships Legacy: Amazon, designed by Neil Hamelin;
- The 2016 $10 Fine Silver Coin – Star TrekTM: Uhura;
- The 2016 $20 Fine Silver Coin – Star TrekTM: The City on the Edge of Forever;
- The 2016 $20 Fine Silver Coin – DC ComicsTM Originals: THE AMAZING AMAZONTM; and
- The crystal-enhanced 2016 $5 Fine Silver Coin Birthstone Series – September.
Mintages, pricing and full background information on each coin can be found on the “Shop” tab of www.mint.ca. The products can be ordered directly from the Mint at 1-800-267-1871 in Canada, 1-800-268-6468 in the US, or online at www.mint.ca.
The coins are also available at the Royal Canadian Mint’s boutiques in Ottawa, Winnipeg and Vancouver, as well as through our global network of dealers and distributors, including participating Canada Post outlets.
