A typical Canadian summer scene dominates the latest $20 for $20.
The Royal Canadian Mint (RCM) has expanded its offerings of face value coins with a new $20 for $20 and a new $100 for $100 offerings.
The $20 for $20 is the latest in a series of coins which launched the face value series in 2011.
The latest offering shows a Canadian summer scene straight out of a photo album.
A young swimmer is shown jumping off a dock, and about to land in the water. The background shows the rocks and pine trees typical of Canada’s cottage country.
The coin is struck in Specimen finish and has a diameter of 27 mm. John Mantha is credited as designer of the reverse, while the Susanna Blunt effigy of Queen Elizabeth II appears on the obverse.
As with the other coins in the series, the coin is struck in .9999 silver and weighs 7.96 grams. The coins are being offered to Canadian and U.S. customers with a limit of three coins per household. As the name implies, the coins are offered for the face value of $20. However, the shipping, which used to be free and taxed, is now included, provided the customer wants ground delivery.
The offer is now extended for the two other $20 for $20 silver coins issued this year, bobcat and goose, and will be extended to the fourth 2014 coin, which has not been revealed. Coins from 2013 and 2012 are listed as sold out.
Described as a customer acquisition program in RCM reports, the $20 for $20 series was popular from the beginning with the first issue, the 2011 canoe, selling out in a matter of days. Since then the series has slowed somewhat, and mintages dropped from 250,000 of the first coin, down to 225,000 in 2013. This latest coin has a further reduction, to a mintage of 200,000.
The latest $100 for $100 is the third coin of that denomination in the series, which was introduced earlier this year.
Designed by Claudia D’Angelo, the coin is struck in Matte Proof.
The reverse shows a pair of male bighorn sheep butting heads against a rock mountain background.
While the coin is sold for face value without tax, the RCM is charging for shipping, which is taxable. As with the $20 coin, there is a limit of three coins per household, and availability is limited to Canada and the U.S.
The first two coins are listed as sold out on the RCM’s website. All three coins have are stuck in .9999 silver, with a diameter of 40 mm and weight of 31.6 grams, or one troy ounce. The mintage of the first two coins was 50,000, while the third coin has a mintage of 45,000.