By Jesse Robitaille
The Royal Canadian Mint launched its latest numismatic catalogue with nine new issues on Oct. 5.
Tying into the Mint’s recent $1 commemorative circulation issue honouring the 125th anniversary of the Klondike Gold Rush (“New $1 circulation coin shines light on gold rush legacies,” CCN Vol. 59 #15) is one of its collector-coin counterparts.
A $25 Fine silver coin, “Panning for Gold,” takes the shape of the gold pans used by tens of thousands of Klondike prospectors in the late 1800s. The coin’s concave reverse resembles the iconic steel pans with engraved details and various frostings to complete the look.
The pan-shaped Klondike coin features a concave reverse (shown) resembling the iconic steel pans used during the 1896-99 gold rush. It has a mintage of 5,000.
“This is one of the enduring romantic images of the Klondike Gold Rush, and the gold-plated nuggets engraved at the bottom of your pan evoke this critical moment,” according to a statement issued by the Mint.
The reverse design, by Mint engraver Matt Bowen, features a small handful of gold-plated nuggets, and each coin also comes with a gold-plated rim. With a weight of 30.75 grams, a diameter of 36 millimetres, a proof finish and serrated edges, the coin comes with a mintage of 5,000. It’s held in a black clamshell case with a black beauty box.
REMEMBRANCE WREATH
With Remembrance Day just around the corner, the Mint has also issued a one-ounce silver coin, “A Wreath of Remembrance: Lest We Forget,” as part of the October catalogue.
The one-ounce silver ‘Wreath of Remembrance’ coin has a mintage of 7,500.
Designed by Caitlin Lindstrom Milne, the reverse of the $20 Fine silver coin features six red poppies – a symbol of remembrance in Canada since 1921 – among a wreath of forget-me-not flowers. An autumn-toned maple leaf sits in the centre.
“While special frostings add depth to the engraved forget-me-nots, selective colour over relief adds a mournful red to the poppies and fall-like hues to the maple leaf symbol of a nation’s gratitude,” according to the recent Mint statement, which added the Crown corporation issued the coin to remember “those who have served our country throughout its history and to those who continue to help advance peace around the world.”
With a mintage of 7,500, the coin measures 38 millimetres in diameter with a weight of 31.39 grams, a proof finish and serrated edges. It’s also held in a black clamshell case with a black beauty box.
The one-ounce silver ‘Blue Jay’ coin comes with a mintage of 7,500.
COLOURFUL BIRDS: BLUE JAY
Another one-ounce silver coin, “Colourful Birds: Blue Jay,” is also out this October.
Struck in Fine silver with a mintage of 7,500, the $20 coin features the lively blue-feathered songbird alongside a group of autumn-coloured maple leaves, all with contrasting colours against a plain nature-themed background. Designed by Tony Bianco, the reverse features an eye-level view looking ahead to the nearby blue jay.
The coin weighs 31.39 grams with a diameter of 38 millimetres, a proof finish and serrated edges. It’s held in a black clamshell case with a black beauty box.
ANOTHER SIX OCTOBER COINS
The one-ounce Fine silver coin, ‘Montréal Incident,’ the fourth issue from the ‘Unexplained Phenomena’ series, has a mintage of 5,000.
As part of its October catalogue, the Mint issued another six coins, including:
- a $20 one-ounce Fine silver coin, “Montréal Incident,” a bar-shaped piece (and the fourth from the “Unexplained Phenomena” series) measuring 49.8 millimetres by 28.6 millimetres with a mintage of 5,000;
- a $500 five-kilogram Fine silver Bluenose coin with a diameter of 180 millimetres and a mintage of 125 (sold out at the time of printing);
- a $250 Fine silver coin, “Super Incuse Kilo SML,” the first “super incuse” one-kilogram Silver Maple Leaf coin with an incuse depth of 4.5 millimetres (about 35 per cent of the coin gauge), a diameter of 102 millimetres and a mintage of 450;
- a $200 one-ounce pure gold piedfort, “Maple Leaf Celebration,” with a diameter of 25 millimetres and a mintage of 500;
- a $1 one-kilogram pure gold Voyageur coin, featuring King George V on the obverse plus a diameter of 101.6 millimetres and a mintage of 45; and
- a 2022-dated 50-cent lenticular coin, “CP Holiday Train,” an officially licensed Canadian Pacific Railway product whose lenticular technology offers both daytime and nighttime views of the festive CP Holiday Train with a mintage of 100,000.