The Royal Canadian Mint’s July collector coin releases span 75 million years of history, from a remarkable dinosaur discovery in Alberta to one of the world’s earliest global currencies.
Leading the lineup is the 2026 $50 Fine Silver Coin – MintLAB: Exceptional Discoveries – Dinosaurs of Canada. The five-ounce silver coin commemorates the discovery of a juvenile Gorgosaurus libratus whose fossilized stomach contents revealed that young tyrannosaurs hunted differently from adults.
The coin also introduces what the Mint calls Double-dimension Relief, combining Super Incuse technology on the obverse with Ultra High Relief on the reverse. Designed by Canadian paleoartist Julius Csotonyi, the 65.25-mm coin has a mintage of just 647.
Another major release marks the first collaboration between the Royal Canadian Mint and Spain’s Royal Mint. The History of Canadian Currencies: The Spanish Dollar set pairs Canadian and Spanish silver coins honouring the 8 Reales, a widely trusted trade coin that circulated in early Canada and helped influence the country’s monetary system.
The July lineup also includes Turtle Island, a selectively coloured silver coin designed by Ojibwe artist Patrick Hunter; Sable Island Horses, featuring Sandy Sharkey’s photograph-inspired portrait of a galloping stallion; and the Murano Silvery Blue Butterfly, a half-kilogram silver coin adorned with a handcrafted glass butterfly.
Collectors of circulation coinage are also represented through the 2026 First Strikes Special Wrap Roll Collection, containing full rolls of all five standard denominations struck on the first day of production at the Mint’s Winnipeg facility.
The complete story in the next issue of Canadian Coin News explores the designs, artists, minting technologies, historical background, specifications and mintages behind each release.