By Jesse Robitaille
Nearly 20 new issues, including seven new sets, were released Jan. 8 as part of the Royal Canadian Mint’s first numismatic catalogue of 2019.
Among the highlights is the first $3 Fine silver coin of the 12-piece “Celebrating Canadian Fun and Festivities” series, which is a month-by-month exploration of Canada. The journey begins in Niagara Falls, Ont., where colourful lights and fireworks light up the dark January night.
The next three coins in the series will feature dogsledding (February); maple syrup tasting (March); and cherry blossoms (April).
Each of the $3 coins has a weight of 7.96 grams, a diameter of 27 millimetres and a mintage of 4,000 pieces.
‘Timeless Icons: Loon’
THIRD GOLD-PLATED SILVER PIEDFORT
Other highlights include the Mint’s third selectively gold-plated Fine silver piedfort.
Almost twice as thick as a standard one-ounce coin, the $25 piece, “Timeless Icons: Loon,” combines two national symbols – the loon and the maple leaf – to represent Canada’s past, present and future. Fusing traditional imagery with contemporary depictions, the reverse depicts both the loon’s feathers and the maple leaf’s veins in high detail.
This coin has a weight of 31.39 grams, a diameter of 34 mm and a mintage of 7,000 pieces.
D-DAY AT JUNO
’75th Anniversary of The Normandy Campaign: D-Day At Juno Beach’
A $100 14-karat gold coin, “75th Anniversary of the Normandy Campaign: D-Day at Juno Beach,” captures the moment Canadian soldiers set foot on Juno Beach on the morning of June 6, 1944.
With its image of a boot print in the sand, the reverse captures the gilded essence of the landings on Juno Beach, and its finishes mimic the granular nature of the sand and the reflective quality of the water.
The boot print belongs to the young soldier featured on the 2019 Proof dollar.
Both coins are part of a year-long journey of remembrance; each one is a different chapter in the story of Canada in the Normandy campaign.
The $100 gold coin has a weight of 12 grams, a diameter of 27 mm and mintage of 1,200 pieces.
CANADIAN COASTAL SERIES
‘Canadian Coastal Symbols: The Arctic’
A $200 pure gold coin, “Canadian Coastal Symbols: The Arctic,” is the second issue of the three-piece “Canadian Coastal” series, which also features the Pacific coast (2018) and the Atlantic coast (2020).
The Arctic coin’s design is executed in the centuries-old woodcut style that uses crisp, bold lines to illustrate each element. Multiple finishes define the various tones, shadows and highlights to give the image “depth, dimension and shine,” according to the Mint’s catalogue.
This coin has a weight of 31.16 grams, a diameter of 30 mm and a mintage of 400 pieces.
OTHER JANUARY ISSUES
The remaining coins in the Mint’s January numismatic catalogue include:
- a $3 Fine silver coin, “Celebration of Love,” which includes a Swarovski crystal on the reverse;
- the second $5 Fine silver coin from the 12-piece “Zodiac” series, celebrating the Aquarius sign;
- a $10 Fine silver coin, “Premium Baby – Welcome to the World,” a raised relief piece featuring an incused footprint design;
- the first $20 Fine silver coin from the “Canadian Fauna” series, honouring the polar bear;
- a $20 Fine silver coin, “The Valiant One: Bald Eagle,” which was designed by artist W. Allan Hancock based on his personal photographs;
- a $20 Fine silver coin, “Best Wishes on Your Wedding Day,” which features selective pink gold plating;
- a $50 Fine silver coin, “Symbolic Canada,” designed by Adam Young;
- a $125 Fine silver coin, “The Benevolent Dragon,” which features, for the first time, colour and gold plating on a large-format pure silver engraved coin issued by the Mint;
- a $200 pure gold coin, “Early Canadian History: Arrival of the Europeans,” designed by Alan Daniel; and
- the third of seven coins in the 2019 five-ounce “Big Coin” series, this featuring a pure silver version of Canada’s iconic 10-cent piece.
‘Baby Gift Set: Loonie’
SEVEN SETS ISSUED
The seven sets issued this January include four gift sets, one each for newborns, birthdays and weddings, as well as the “O Canada” set.
Each of these gift sets features a specially designed $1 coin alongside four 2019-dated circulation coins, including the toonie as well as the 25- 10-, and five-cent coins, all with traditional designs. Customers can “personalize each gift set with important milestones, best wishes or a message to mark special moments,” according to the Mint catalogue, which adds these sets are available “while supplies last.”
The six-coin “Classic Canadian Uncirculated” set, three-coin “Wings of Hope” set and the seven-coin “75th Anniversary of D-Day” Proof set were also issued in January.
The coins in the uncirculated set were “carefully selected as the finest representation of Canada’s six denominations of circulation coins,” according to the Mint catalogue. There’s a mintage of 75,000 sets.
The Wings of Hope set is a sculpted tribute to one of Canada’s fastest-moving species, the peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus), whose rebounding population is proof that conservation efforts can make a difference.
Similar to the Mint’s 2018 “Beneath Thy Shining Skies” set, this three-coin set consists of two rectangular wafers and a maple leaf-shaped coin that come together to form Canada’s flag.
Both the left piece, “Cliff,” and the right piece, “City,” have a weight of 47.34 grams and a diameter of 49.80 mm by 28.60 mm. The centre piece, which depicts the falcon, has a weight of 15.67 grams and a diameter of 39.6 mm by 38 mm. There’s a mintage of 1,000 sets.
Lastly, the 2019 Proof set includes a selectively gold-plated version of the 2019 Proof dollar that is only available as part of this set. On the Proof dollar, the reverse image features a first-person view of the Canadian landings at Juno Beach on D-Day while dots and dashes represent the letter V (for “Victory”) in Morse code.
This Proof dollar has a weight of 23.17 grams and a diameter of 36.07 mm. There’s a mintage of 15,000 Proof sets.
For more information, visit mint.ca.