The Royal Canadian Mint has released its final catalogue of collector coins, featuring some of the most recognizable icons of Canada, from a large-scale colour interpretation of the Common Loon made famous by the one-dollar circulation coin to the stark beauty of a mid-winter freeze, achieved through an innovative finish mimicking the look and feel of real ice. Many other coins depicting themes of Canadian nature, culture and history, are also available for purchase since November 3, 2015.
In launching its second 5 oz. fine silver “Big Coin Series” celebrating the classic artwork of Canada’s six circulating coin denominations, the Mint has added colour to the central motif of each coin, starting with the Common Loon. Every feature of artist Robert-Ralph Carmichael’s celebrated “Loonie” $1 coin design is faithfully reproduced on a 65.25-mm-wide coin, whose richly coloured accents leap out from the mirror-like proof finish of this 99.99% pure silver collectible.
The common loon also gets a new look with the first instalment of a new “Geometry in Art” series of $20 fine silver coins. Digital artist Calder Moore has rendered two loons in a modern composition of polygons evoking the unmistakable shape of this famous Canadian bird. The different angled surfaces of a proof-finished common loon and its offspring reflect the light in a dazzling kaleidoscope effect, shining out against the colourful background of a lake in the Canadian Rockies.
New technology also appears on the first coin to feature a translucent finish which realistically duplicates the veneer of ice left by mid-winter freezing rain storms all too common to Eastern Canada. This innovation is found on the $20 Fine Silver Coin – Weather Phenomenon: Winter Freeze, jointly designed by Arnold Nogy and Tony Bianco, featuring a coloured scene of three evening grosbeaks perched on the branches of a fruit tree, whose limbs and red berries are glazed in a thick layer of ice. Another winter-inspired theme stands out on the new $25 Fine Silver Coin – Christmas Ornament, featuring an ornament in convex relief, sparkling in red and gold produced by the Mint’s own sheer-effect colouring technology. Mint engravers also engraved highly polished crystal-shaped incisions at the centre of the design to create the stunning illusion of real crystal decorations.
The Mint’s November 2015 catalogue also includes (Click Links for CoinWeek IQ Coin Profiles):
- A new 5 oz., enamel-enhanced fine silver and pure gold Mythical Realms of the Haida Series, beginning with “The Orca” by Haida Artist April White;
- The 2016 Fine Silver Coin – The Universe Glow-in-the-Dark Glass with Opal (borosilicate glass) featuring the Burke-Gaffney Observatory of St Mary’s University in Halifax, by artists Joel Kimmel and Loïc Beaumont-Tremblay;
- The 2016 $20 Fine Silver Coin – The Canadian Home Front: British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (#3 in a four coin series), by artist David A. Oram;
- The 2016 $20 Fine Silver Coin – Canadian Landscape Series: The Lake (#2 in a four -oin series), by artist Stéphanie Gauvin;
- The 2016 Fine Silver Coin – Grizzly Bear: The Battle and 2016 $300 Platinum Coin – Grizzly Bear: The Struggle, both designed by artist Lauren Crawshaw;
- The $125 Fine Silver Coin – Conservation Series: The Narwhal (last in the series), by artist Curtis Atwater;
- The 2015 $20 Fine Silver Coin – Baby Animals: Porcupine, by artist Trevor Tennant;
- The 2016 Fine Silver Fractional Set – Wolf, featuring the profile of a lone grey wolf on 1 oz., ½ oz., ¼ oz. and 1/10 oz. 99.99% pure silver coins designed by artist Pierre Leduc;
- The 2015 Special Edition Uncirculated Set, featuring all commemorative circulation coins issued in 2015;
- The 2016 $10 Fine Silver Coin – Winter Fun, featuring a coloured illustration by artist Maurade Baynton;
- The 2015 $10 Fine Silver Coin DC ComicsTM Originals: Unity (#3 in a four coin series); and,
- The $10 Fine Silver Coin – Looney TunesTM: “What’s Up Doc” (#7 in an eight coin series).
Mintages, pricing and full background information on each product can be found on the “Shop” tab of www.mint.ca.
All of these 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.
