As part of its eighth numismatic catalogue of 2016, the Royal Canadian Mint has issued an “otherworldly” two-ounce, glow-in-the-dark silver coin revealing our hidden seascapes; another pair of maple leaf- shaped coins; and a coloured five-ounce silver coin honouring Dakota elder Wanduta, who’s 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 two-ounce coin to a UV light source reveals the bioluminescent beauty of this rich marine ecosystem.
This $50 Fine silver coin depicts Sioux Valley Dakota Chief Wanduta in traditional regalia, circa 1913.
Another stunning tribute to Canadian nature can be found on the 2016 $200 pure gold coin, Nature’s Pure Form. Mint engravers shaped this one-ounce 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.
Another highlight of the Mint’s August catalogue is the 2016 $50 Fine silver coin designed by native Canadian artist Darlene Gait. Featuring colour 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 in the latest Mint catalogue include:
- the 2016 $15 Fine silver coin, National Heroes: Police, designed by Ken Ryan and the second-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 of a 13 coins in a series launched in partnership with Canadian Geographic magazine);
This $10 Fine silver coin, Maple Leaf Silhouette: Canada Geese, features a design by artist Trevor Tennant.
- 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 one-ounce Silver Maple Leaf celebrating the American Numismatic Association’s 2016 World’s Fair of Money, hosted in Anaheim, Calif.;
- 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 Trek: Uhura;
- the 2016 $20 Fine silver coin, Star Trek: The City on the Edge of Forever;
- the 2016 $20 Fine silver coin, DC Comics Originals: The Amazing Amazon; and
- the crystal-enhanced 2016 $5 Fine silver coin Birthstone Series for the month of September.
For more information, visit mint.ca.