New Mint releases feature uniquely shaped niobium dragonfly

In its September new releases, the Royal Canadian Mint has launched its first coin to feature a uniquely shaped niobium embellishment, which offers an artistic representation of an iridescent dragonfly.

The niobium dragonfly adds a bright splash of colour that only enhances the idyllic beauty of its engraved natural environment. Each dragonfly is handcrafted in Canada and painstakingly added onto the engraved reverse for a stunning, multidimensional design and a truly Canadian celebration of nature’s beauty. The reverse design by Emily Damstra features an outstanding amount of details that recreate the effect of sunlight hitting the elements, and are all brought to life through the use of different finishes from the soft ripples on the water’s mirror-like surface to the glistening water droplets on the frosted lily pad!

Another September release that is sure to be a scary hit with collectors is the third and final release of the heart pounding Haunted Canada series of coins, featuring some of Canada’s legendary ghost stories. The two image lenticular design brings collectors face-to-face with the ghost of Bell Island. The reverse design uses lenticular technology to masterful effect, recreating an eerie encounter on a dark night. The glow of a hand-held lantern provides the only light for one anxious young man, who is making his way through the marshes near Dobbin’s Gardens. The first image finds the young man nervously looking over his shoulder, as behind him, an ethereal female figure dressed in white appears to hover over him.

Highlights of the other September releases include:

• A 2016 $2 Fine silver coin released this month as part of the Mint’s Big Coin Series featuring Canada’s six circulating coins. The five-ounce coin features Canadian artist Brent Townsend’s version of the coin’s iconic polar bear dear, first issued with the introduction of the $2 circulation coin in 1996. The design has been used continuously on Canadian ‘twoonies,’ with a number of notable exceptions.

• The 2016 $2,500 pure gold coin featuring the Arms of Canada: Full of symbolic meaning, the Arms of Canada were first proclaimed by King George V on Nov. 21, 1921. The Mint commemorates the 95th anniversary of the Arms of Canada, with an exquisite 99.99 per cent pure gold kilogram coin that showcases this powerful national emblem, which continues to herald the history and values of Canada to the world.

• The 2016 $20 Fine silver coin birthstones: Sparkling in a dizzying array of colours, gemstones are believed to have heightened attributes during the month they represent. This monthly series offers a cross-cultural celebration of the powerful, symbolic beauty of birthstones, which are each as distinct and unique as those who cherish them! Each superb coin in the 12-coin series is embedded with a genuine, gem-toned Swarovski crystal embellishment that replicates the colours of the month’s birthstone.

• Spock Star Trek $10 Fine silver coin: His alien origins reinvented a small community in Alberta, while his iconic salute and unique wisdom have made him one of the most respected characters of the Star Trek universe. As the Mint celebrates the 50th anniversary of  Star Trek, this fine silver coin pays tribute to the wisdom of Spock and features the futuristic phaser introduced in The Original Series. This is the fourth and final coin in a series that pairs some of the most beloved Star Trek characters with unforgettable Trek technology.

• The 2016 $15 Fine silver coin national heroes: Military. Military personnel serve this country in many ways, devoting their lives to duty as they fight for the ideals and freedoms Canadians hold dear. With this fine silver coin, the Mint honours the men and women who have served and continue to serve at home and abroad in the quest for peace and security.

• The 2016 $20 Fine silver coin Aircraft of the First World War series, featuring the Curtiss H-12. Aircraft technology was barely a decade old when the First World War began in 1914, but the needs of warfare quickly fueled incredible advancements in aviation. This Aircraft of the First World War coin series concludes with a tribute to the Curtiss Model H-12 flying boat, which was flown by Canadian aircrew serving in the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) during their anti-submarine and anti-zeppelin patrols over the North Sea.

• The 2016 $20 Fine silver coin DC Comics Originals: The Dark Knight. The DC Comics Originals series has a classic, slightly retro style, recalling the look most comic book fans grew up with and remember fondly. Basing itself on the DC COMICS style of the 1980s, this series celebrates one of the most established looks for the DC COMICS’ pantheon of super heroes including the Dark Knight.

• The 2016 $20 Fine silver coin DC Original: The Trinity. The DC Comics Originals series has a classic, slightly retro style, recalling the look most comic  book fans grew up with and remember fondly. Basing itself on the DC COMICS style of the 1980s, this series celebrates one of the most established looks for the DC COMICS pantheon of super heroes including the seven brought together on this stunning coin’s reverse.

• The 2016 $20 Fine silver Coin – Diwali-Festival of Lights. Celebrated by over 1.2 million Indo-Canadians, Diwali is a dazzling five-day festival of feasts, music and sights! Its overarching theme of spiritual light, and the triumph of good over evil, makes Diwali a shining reflection of the beauty of Canada’s cultural diversity — a notion that is at the heart of this Fine silver coin, whose ornate design seemingly radiates with the joyous spirit that prevails during the Festival of Lights.

• The. 2016 $200 pure gold coin – Star Trek Delta Coins. Worn by the crew members of the U.S.S. Enterprise, the delta – shaped Starfleet insignia serves as the embodiment of Star Trek’s hopeful vision for the future. As the television series celebrates its 50th anniversary, this uniquely shaped coin pays tribute to an icon that represents how far our imaginations can take us, and what we can aspire to be.

• The 2016 Holiday Gift Set. Start a new tradition with an original heart-warming holiday coin and gift set. With its unique $1 coin, this set continues to be one of the Mint’s most popular holiday gifts.

• The 2017 25-cent pure gold coin – Predator vs. Prey: One is the hunter – the other, the hunted. This four-coin series explores the predator and prey relationship of the Arctic fox and the Arctic hare in Canada’s far north, where the harsher climate necessitates unique adaptations that have set these two species apart. The third coin presents a portrait of the Arctic fox, beautifully re-interpreted as Inuit art.

• The 2017 $10 Fine silver coin – Celebrating Canada’s 150th: Lighthouse at Peggy’s Cove. From colorful flora to iconic fauna and landmarks, breathtaking images of Canada’s landscapes reflect the diversity of the Canadian experience. The third coin in this 13-coin series shines the spotlight on the relationship between land and sea in Nova Scotia, where iconic lighthouses have lined its rocky shorelines since French colonists established the first lighthouse in Canada at the Fortress of Louisburg in 1734.

• The 2017 $15 Fine silver coin – Lunar Lotus – Year of the Rooster. According to the Chinese zodiac, the year 2017 is ruled by the Rooster. The Rooster loves to be the centre of attention; witty and self-assured, he can talk about anything! A natural performer, he does amazingly well in any career that puts him in the public eye. The Rooster is astute, organized and decisive —put him in charge, and your life and finances will run like clockwork! This scallop-shaped coin commemorates 2017 as the Lunar Year of the Rooster, and celebrates all who are born under its sign.

• The 2017 $20 Fine silver coin – Landscape illusion – Pronghorn: This exciting new coin series brings you the fascinating art of illusion to celebrate Canada’s natural heritage with unprecedented and utterly captivating designs. Each coin features an image of a Canadian landscape, but combines natural elements in the scene to create an optical illusion of Wildlife —like the pronghorn on this coin, the fourth in this series.

• The 2017 $20 Fine silver coin – Snowflake: A snowflake is a fleeting work of art that only lasts a moment but is preserved forever on this fine silver coin. It features a close-up view of a “six-sided dendrite ice crystal,” enhanced with glittering blue enamel to capture its icy essence and make winter’s iconic star even more enticing.

• The 2017 $20 Fine Silver coin Under the Sea Seahorse. This colourful underwater paradise is home to awe-inspiring creatures such as the diminutive seahorse (Hippocampus), whose unique appearance is artfully showcased in the first of a three-coin series that combines colour, engraving and beautifully sculpted glass elements.

• The 2017 Fine silver Maple Leaf Quartet: Like pieces of a puzzle, Canada and its history have been shaped by the many who have come together to define this nation through its people. In this spirit, the Royal Canadian Mint introduces a quartet of coins whose individual reverse images come together to form a single, complete image of a proud Canadian icon.

• The 2017 pure gold Maple Leaf fractional set – a celebration of Canada (1867 – 2017). The British North America Act of 1867 is a key marker for Canadian history, for it represents the momentous birth of a nation. To commemorate the historic 150th anniversary of Confederation, the Mint celebrates the journey of a nation that is proud, strong and free, with a commemorative fractional set featuring a beloved national emblem: the maple leaf.

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