New Issue: ‘Keepers of Parliament,’ stamp shaped-coin highlight Mint’s latest releases

The second of four coins in a series celebrating Canada’s “Keepers of Parliament” and the Royal Canadian Mint’s first stamp-shaped coin are among the 20 new issues released by the Crown corporation this August.

The $100 Fine silver coin, “Keepers of Parliament: The Beaver,” features a reverse design by artist Patrick Bélanger, who offers a rare close-up of the beaver sculpture that stands atop the ceremonial entrance on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.

Few other species invoke the spirit of Canadian wilderness and history like Castor canadensis, whose stone-sculpted likeness welcomes all who stand at the base of the Peace Tower. The Centre Block’s shield-supporting beaver is the second of four Keepers of Parliament featured on a 10-ounce coin.

The deliberate positioning of the beaver helps convey the metre-tall height of the actual stone sentinel while a frontal view emphasizes the facial features and textural details. The industrious animal emblem of Canada grips an unusual shield bearing the floral emblems of five European cultures that figure prominently in Canadian history – the English Tudor rose; the Scottish thistle; the Irish shamrock; the French fleur-de-lis; and the Welsh leek.

Gold plating selectively highlights the heraldic-themed element and a scattering of maple leaves. To the right of the sculpture is an ornamental flourish, whose floral motif is based on a frieze that also adorns the Centre Block’s grand entrance. The reverse includes the face value, “100 DOLLARS” and the words “CANADA 2018.”

The coin has a weight of 311.53 grams; a diameter of 76.25 millimetres; and a mintage of 750 pieces.

The first coin in the Keepers of Parliament series – issued this June – featured “The Unicorn” while the third coin (to be issued in October) will feature “The Soldier” and the final coin (to be issued in December) will depict “The Lion.”

The $20 Fine silver coin, ‘Canada’s Historical Stamps: Parliament Building 1927 Confederation,’ is Canada’s first stamp-shaped coin.

CANADA’S HISTORICAL STAMPS

The $20 Fine silver coin, “Canada’s Historical Stamps: Parliament Building 1927 Confederation,” is the country’s first stamp-shaped coin within “perforated” edges.

Engraved on the reverse is a detailed reproduction of a Canadian stamp issued on June 29, 1927, to commemorate Canada’s diamond jubilee. Titled “Centre Block of the Parliament Buildings,” the original stamp was designed by Herman Herbert Schwartz and engraved by Harold Osborn. It features a front view of the Peace Tower and Centre Block building on Parliament Hill.

The three-cent stamp was printed using the traditional intaglio printing or line engraving method as evidenced by the horizontal lines re-created on the reverse of the newly issued coin. An application of modern colour mimics the brown carmine hue of the original issue while the double dates “1867” and “1927” and the word “CONFEDERATION” reflect the 60th anniversary of Confederation.

Like the 1927 stamp, the reverse includes ornamental flourishes and the word “CANADA” on a scroll banner along with the bilingual “POSTES / POST” and the face value represented by the numeral “3” and the word “CENTS.”

This coin has a weight of 31.86 grams; a diameter of 51 mm by 30 mm; and a mintage of 5,000 pieces.

Two additional stamp-shaped coins will be issued next year to commemorate the 1908 stamp “Arrival of Cartier” as well as the 1942  stamp “Coat of Arms, Special Delivery.”

OTHER COINS

Other coins in the Mint’s August catalogue include:

  • a $3 Fine silver coin from The Thirteen Teachings from Grandmother Moon series, “Thimbleberry Moon,” designed by Frank Polson;
  • a $3 Fine silver coin, “Canadian Coasts: True North,” which is the second piece in the square-shaped series;
  • a crystal-enhanced $5 Fine silver coin from the Birthstones series for the month of September featuring a mandala-inspired pearl design by artist Pandora Young;
  • a $5 Fine silver coin, “Silver Maple Leaf with ANA Privy Mark: The Pennsylvania Mountain Laurel,” which features a flora-themed privy mark honouring the host city of the 2018 American Numismatic Association World’s Fair of Money;
  • a $15 Fine silver coin, “Blessings of Harmony,” which is scalloped shaped, fully gold plated and includes Chinese characters for “harmony” and “Canada” on the reverse;
  • a $20 Fine silver coin, “A Nation’s Mettle: The Dieppe Raid,” which features an obverse effigy of King George VI as it appeared on all Canadian coins minted during the Second World War;
  • the second coin of the Canadian Mosaic series, this featuring the grizzly bear;
  • the seventh coin in the multi-year Second World War Battlefront series, “Canada’s Hundred Days,” which features the left-facing effigy of King George VI on its obverse;
  • the fourth coin in the Nocturnal by Nature series, “Cunning Cougar,” which features black rhodium plating;
  • the third $20 Fine coin of the First World War Allies series highlighting France’s wartime contributions;
  • a $20 Fine silver coin, “Four Seasons of the Maple Leaf,” which features an elongated shape to provide a canvas for Canada’s four seasons;
  • a $100 Fine silver coin, “Portrait of a Princess,” which features the largest portrait of Her Majesty ever featured on a Royal Canadian Mint-struck coin;
  • a $100 Fine silver coin, “The Bronze Age of DC Comics,” which depicts the Justice League by DC Comics artist Jason Fabok and colourist Brad Anderson, both Canadians;
  • a five-ounce Fine silver coin from the Big Coin series, this featuring the cent;
  • a Fine silver colourized coin and medallion set, “Classic Canadian Coins,” which is the first time Canada’s circulation coin designs have been included in a colourized collection at standard sizes;
  • a 2019-dated $150 pure gold coin, “Year of the Pig,” which is the 10th coin in the Mint’s series of 12 Lunar coins;
  • a 2019-dated $2,500 pure gold kilogram coin, “Year of the Pig,” which has a mintage of only 10 pieces; and
  • a 2019-dated pure gold fractional four-coin set marking the 40th anniversary of the Gold Maple Leaf.

For more information, visit mint.ca.

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