April sees 11 numismatic issues, three bullion coins from RCM

A total of 11 numismatic issues plus three new bullion coins were released this April by the Royal Canadian Mint.

A 2019-dated $3 silver coin, “Queen Elizabeth Rose Blossoms,” is among the highlights of the Mint’s April numismatic catalogue, which was released April 2.

Described by the Mint as “an equally stunning follow-up” to the 2016 “Queen Elizabeth Rose” coin, the new piece offers a timely tribute to the widely loved rose introduced 65 years ago.

A long-stemmed rose, the “Queen Elizabeth” is a cross between the “Charlotte Armstrong” hybrid tea rose and the “Floradora” floribunda rose.

The coin’s engraved arrangement depicts the rose in three different stages of bloom. Rose gold plating stands in for the natural colour of the rose, and the coin’s 27-millimetre diameter allows it to fit in a bezel to serve as a piece of jewelry.

Designed by Claudio D’Angelo, this Proof silver coin has a weight of 7.96 grams and a mintage of 10,000 pieces.

The $30 Fine silver coin, ‘Moraine Lake,’ kicks off the two-piece ‘Peter McKinnon Photo Series’ set.

MCKINNON PHOTO SERIES

With what the Mint describes as an “innovative design,” a $30 Fine silver coin, “Moraine Lake,” kicks off the two-piece “Peter McKinnon Photo Series” set.

Toronto photographer and filmmaker Peter McKinnon runs a YouTube channel with nearly 3.5 million subscribers. He captured the natural beauty of Moraine Lake, a glacially fed lake located in the Valley of the Ten Peaks in Banff National Park, Alta.

This first of two pieces is presented as if it’s being seen through the aperture blades of a camera’s lens, with a blue-green shade produced by light refraction on tiny particles of rock suspended in the water.

This coin has a weight of 62.69 grams, a diameter of 50 millimetres and a mintage of 5,000 pieces.

ARCTIC FOX

The $50 pure silver gold-plated coin, ‘Arctic Fox,’ rounds out the two-coin ‘Inner Nature’ series.

A $50 pure silver gold-plated coin, “Arctic Fox,” was also issued this April to round out the two-coin “Inner Nature” series.

Designed by Canadian artist Jayson Fuerstenberg, it features an Arctic fox poised on a background of gold-plated snow. The fox’s compact ears and muzzle are clearly distinguishable in its three-quarter profile. Its distinctive long tail warms its legs, and an Arctic landscape is engraved within the fox’s silhouette. It features snow-covered tundra, mountains and a North American brown lemming – the fox’s preferred prey.
This coin has a weight of 157.6 grams, a diameter of 65.25 millimetres and a mintage of 750 pieces.

The series’ first coin, this featuring a grizzly bear, was issued earlier this year.

The $250 pure gold coin, ‘Her Majesty the Queen’s Sapphire Tiara,’ features 32 gemstones, including 28 diamonds and four sapphires, re-creating a key element from the Queen’s sapphire tiara.

QUEEN ELIZABETH II’S SAPPHIRE TIARA

The third coin in a tiara-themed series, the $250 pure gold coin, “Her Majesty the Queen’s Sapphire Tiara,” features 32 gemstones, including 28 diamonds and four sapphires, to re-create a key element from the Queen’s sapphire tiara.

“Previous tiara-themed coins sold out quickly due to the combined beauty of the gemstones and the engraved design against the polished gold field,” reads a statement issued by the Mint, which describes the tiara set as a “sought-after series.”

This coin has a weight of 60.08 grams, a diameter of 38 millimetres and a mintage of 175 pieces.

OTHER APRIL CATALOGUE COINS

Other coins issued as part of the Mint’s April numismatic catalogue include:

  • the fourth $3 Fine silver coin, “Cherry Blossoms,” from the 12-piece “Celebrating Canadian Fun and Festivities” series;
  • the fifth $5 Fine silver coin, “Taurus,” from the 12-piece 2019 “Zodiac” series;
  • a $250 pure gold egg-shaped coin, “Eternal Blessing Pysanka,” which celebrates a long-standing Ukrainian-Canadian Easter tradition;
  • the Mint’s first enamelled platinum coin, the $300 pure platinum piece, “Maple Leaf Forever,” which showcases Canada’s inspiring national symbol with a vibrant dash of red;
  • a $500 pure gold coin, “Gold Maple Leaf,” which features a reverse Proof finish and 40th-anniversary privy mark commemorating 40 years of the Gold Maple Leaf (GML) bullion coins;
  • a 2019-dated circulation roll of 50-cent coins (limited to 30,000 rolls worldwide); and
  • the 2019 special-edition pure silver Proof set, “75th Anniversary of D-Day,” which includes a selectively coloured version of the 2019 Proof dollar struck in pure silver and only available as part of this set.

NEW BULLION COINS

The 2019 ‘Moose’ bullion coin is the newest piece in the Mint’s 99.999 per cent pure gold ‘Call of the Wild’ series. It includes a certificate of purity signed by the Mint’s Chief Assayer Jonathan Forrest.

On April 1, the Mint also launched three new bullion coins, including double-incuse GML and Silver Maple Leaf (SML) coins plus a 99.999 per cent pure gold piece from the “Call of the Wild” series.

To mark the 40th anniversary of one of the world’s top gold bullion coins, the Mint has crafted its first ever double-incuse version of its iconic GML. This means the signature sugar maple leaf reverse design and the effigy of Queen Elizabeth II appearing on the obverse are struck in a concave relief.

This perspective is also found on a 2019-dated SML bullion coin.

Both the GML and SML have a finish consisting of an array of machined radial lines, and their reverses feature a micro-engraved security mark in the shape of a maple leaf containing the number “19” to denote their year of issue.

They also feature the Mint’s unique “Bullion DNA” anti-counterfeit technology while the SML benefits from “MintShield” surface protection, which was specifically created for silver coins and unveiled last year.

The 2019-dated “Moose” coin is the newest coin in the Mint’s 99.999 per cent pure gold bullion “Call of the Wild” series. Its $200 denomination represents the highest value legal tender among the world’s one-ounce gold bullion coins.

The coin’s reverse is designed by Canadian artist Pierre Leduc, who has boldly illustrated an imposing bull moose, behind which curved lines symbolize the sound of his unmistakable call.

This coin includes a certificate of purity signed by the Mint’s Chief Assayer Jonathan Forrest.

In keeping with a distribution model common to the world’s major issuers of bullion coins, the Mint does not sell bullion directly to the public. Instead, interested buyers are asked to contact a reputable bullion dealer to order new bullion coins.

For more information about the Mint’s latest releases, visit mint.ca.

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