This article needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(January 2013)
General information
Obverse effigy
Unless an obverse design artist is noted, the obverse of all Canadian coins since 2003 features the effigy of
Queen Elizabeth II by Susanna Blunt.
Definition of finishes
Bullion: Brilliant relief against a parallel lined background.
Proof: Frosted relief against a mirror background
Specimen: Brilliant relief on a satin background.
Specimen set variants
The Royal Canadian Mint issued two different specimen sets. One set had a variant dollar in its set, while the other set had a variant two dollar coin.
The Canadian $1 "Loonie" is minted in its regular version, available in the standard Proof, Proof-Like and Special Specimen sets, and it is also minted in various other Commemorative versions (shown below), available in Special Proof-Like sets, and the regular Specimen sets.
The Canadian $2 "Toonie" is minted in its regular version, available in the standard Proof, Proof-Like and Specimen sets, and it is also minted in a Commemorative version (shown below), available in Special Specimen sets.
The reverse design is a reproduction of the design that appeared on the original 1935 $10 bank note; a seated woman surrounded by a variety of farm produce to symbolize the harvest.
2012
HMS Shannon (1st issue of The War of 1812 Series)[1]
Bonnie Ross
15.87
10,000
$64.95
Figurehead from HMS Shannon's bow featured as a gold-plated cameo. The other issues are under the Four Dollars section.
Pure Silver "$20 for $20" Commemorative Coin Series
A series of commemorative silver coins was introduced in 2011. The coins in this series were sold at their face value of twenty Canadian dollars. They have a specimen finish and are .9999 pure silver, weighing 7.96 grams. The coins were sold by the Mint encapsulated in hard plastic and included a certificate of authenticity. With each release, the Royal Canadian Mint redirected the domain 20for20.ca to the latest coin in the series. In 2012, the third coin in the series became available for order, and a subscription program was introduced allowing customers to purchase the next two coins of the series whose designs had yet to be announced. The first coin of the subscription commemorated the
Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II and the second commemorated the end of production of the
Canadian Penny, both occurring in 2012. Notably, the Diamond Jubilee coin bears a unique reverse design depicting a younger Queen compared to the rest of the coins in the series. A fourth coin was released in 2012 during the holiday season and bore a stylized reindeer on the reverse. The series continued into 2013 with a coin commemorating
hockey and another depicting a
wolf.
Year
Number
Theme
Artist
Mintage
Issue price
2011
1
Maple Leaf (not officially named)
Cosme Saffioti
200,000
$20.00
2011
2
Canoe
Jason Bouwman
250,000
$20.00
2012
3
Polar Bear
Emily S. Damstra
250,000
$20.00
2012
4
Queen's Diamond Jubilee
Laurie McGaw
250,000
$20.00
2012
5
Farewell to the Penny
Jesse Koreck
250,000
$20.00
2012
6
Magical Reindeer
Virginia Boulay
250,000
$20.00
2013
7
Hockey
Greg Banning
250,000
$20.00
2013
8
Wolf
Glen Loates
250,000
$20.00
2013
9
Iceberg
Emily S. Damstra
225,000
$20.00
2013
10
Santa Claus
Jesse Koreck
225,000
$20.00
2014
11
Canada Goose
Trevor Tennant
225,000
$20.00
2014
12
Bobcat
Ken Ryan
225,000
$20.00
2014
13
Summertime
John Mantha
200,000
$20.00
2014
14
Snowman
Jesse Koreck
200,000
$20.00
2015
15
50th Anniversary of the Canadian Flag
(1st Colour Coin. Face Value $25)
Julius Csotonyi
225,000
$25.00
2015
16
FIFA Women's World Cup
Joel Kimmel
200,000
$20.00
2015
17
Bugs Bunny
Warner Bros. Ent Inc.
350,000
$20.00
2015
18
Superman
DC Comics
350,000
$20.00
2015
19
Gingerbread Man
Chris and Rosina Reid
200,000
$20.00
2016
20
Winter Fun
(2nd Colour Coin. Face Value $25)
Jesse Koreck
200,000
$25.00
2016
21
Tyrannosaurus Rex
Julius Csotonyi
300,000
$20.00
2016
22
Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice
DC Comics
300,000
$20.00
2016
23
Star Trek: Enterprise
300,000
$20.00
2016
24
True North
(3rd Colour Coin. Face Value $25)
Trevor Tennant
250,000
$25.00
2016
25
Woodland Elf
(4th Colour Coin. Face Value $25)
Jesse Koreck
275,000
$25.00
Mint losses on the $20 for $20 program
The $20 for $20 coin program was launched in 2011 as a "low-risk" way to bring in new collectors of
Royal Canadian Mint products. It was initially a success as 4.2 million coins were minted and as the Mint booked profits based on estimated seigniorage ($20 face value less the value of its silver content of 0.256 troy ounce) on coins that won't be redeemed for face value. But as the price of silver has dramatically fallen from 2011 to 2016, massive amounts of the $20 coins were returned, for which the Mint must refund the fixed $20 face value in exchange for a coin whose bullion price has dropped since issue. The refunds intensified further amidst public concerns on these coins' exchangeability for face value.
[136][137]
The Mint was therefore stung with "negative seigniorage" losses reversing seigniorage gains booked when those coins were issued. Employee bonuses were cancelled in 2016, the program was discontinued, and the Mint had to write down the value of $65.5-million worth of Winnipeg plant improvements upon recognizing it cannot realize profits on similar programs into the future. The Mint has declared that there's no plan to place an expiry date on redemptions of these coins.
Twenty Five Dollars
O Canada Series 2013
This series was also available as a subscription and came with a wooden collector's box.
Not only did the coins glow-in-the-dark, but so did the outer boxes. When the packaging was placed together, the design formed the pattern of The Big Dipper.
Pure Silver "$50 for $50" Commemorative Coin series
Year
Theme
Artist
Mintage
Issue price
2014
Polar Bear
Emily Damstra
100,000
$50.00
2014
Snowy Owl
Trevor Tennant
90,000
$50.00
2015
Beaver
Emily Damstra
100,000
$50.00
2016
Hare
Emily Damstra
90,000
$50.00
Five ounce silver
Year
Theme
Diameter (mm)
Artist
Mintage
Issue price
Notes
2010
75th anniversary of first Canadian banknotes
65.25
Royal Canadian Mint engravers
2,000
$389.95
The design is a reproduction of the image that was on the original 1935 $50 bank note; a seated woman with elements of radio broadcasting to symbolize modern inventions.
One Hundred Dollars
Wildlife in Motion "$100 for $100" Series
In May 2013 the mint offered the first coin in this series depicting a bison. The coin has a face value of $100 and was sold for $100, analogous to the $20 for $20 series that began in 2011. The coin has a weight of 31.6 g and is 99.99% fine silver, minted with a matte proof finish.
The design is a reproduction of the image that was on the original 1935 $500 bank note; a seated woman holding a sickle surrounded by the fruits of harvest to symbolize fertility.
This article needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(January 2013)
General information
Obverse effigy
Unless an obverse design artist is noted, the obverse of all Canadian coins since 2003 features the effigy of
Queen Elizabeth II by Susanna Blunt.
Definition of finishes
Bullion: Brilliant relief against a parallel lined background.
Proof: Frosted relief against a mirror background
Specimen: Brilliant relief on a satin background.
Specimen set variants
The Royal Canadian Mint issued two different specimen sets. One set had a variant dollar in its set, while the other set had a variant two dollar coin.
The Canadian $1 "Loonie" is minted in its regular version, available in the standard Proof, Proof-Like and Special Specimen sets, and it is also minted in various other Commemorative versions (shown below), available in Special Proof-Like sets, and the regular Specimen sets.
The Canadian $2 "Toonie" is minted in its regular version, available in the standard Proof, Proof-Like and Specimen sets, and it is also minted in a Commemorative version (shown below), available in Special Specimen sets.
The reverse design is a reproduction of the design that appeared on the original 1935 $10 bank note; a seated woman surrounded by a variety of farm produce to symbolize the harvest.
2012
HMS Shannon (1st issue of The War of 1812 Series)[1]
Bonnie Ross
15.87
10,000
$64.95
Figurehead from HMS Shannon's bow featured as a gold-plated cameo. The other issues are under the Four Dollars section.
Pure Silver "$20 for $20" Commemorative Coin Series
A series of commemorative silver coins was introduced in 2011. The coins in this series were sold at their face value of twenty Canadian dollars. They have a specimen finish and are .9999 pure silver, weighing 7.96 grams. The coins were sold by the Mint encapsulated in hard plastic and included a certificate of authenticity. With each release, the Royal Canadian Mint redirected the domain 20for20.ca to the latest coin in the series. In 2012, the third coin in the series became available for order, and a subscription program was introduced allowing customers to purchase the next two coins of the series whose designs had yet to be announced. The first coin of the subscription commemorated the
Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II and the second commemorated the end of production of the
Canadian Penny, both occurring in 2012. Notably, the Diamond Jubilee coin bears a unique reverse design depicting a younger Queen compared to the rest of the coins in the series. A fourth coin was released in 2012 during the holiday season and bore a stylized reindeer on the reverse. The series continued into 2013 with a coin commemorating
hockey and another depicting a
wolf.
Year
Number
Theme
Artist
Mintage
Issue price
2011
1
Maple Leaf (not officially named)
Cosme Saffioti
200,000
$20.00
2011
2
Canoe
Jason Bouwman
250,000
$20.00
2012
3
Polar Bear
Emily S. Damstra
250,000
$20.00
2012
4
Queen's Diamond Jubilee
Laurie McGaw
250,000
$20.00
2012
5
Farewell to the Penny
Jesse Koreck
250,000
$20.00
2012
6
Magical Reindeer
Virginia Boulay
250,000
$20.00
2013
7
Hockey
Greg Banning
250,000
$20.00
2013
8
Wolf
Glen Loates
250,000
$20.00
2013
9
Iceberg
Emily S. Damstra
225,000
$20.00
2013
10
Santa Claus
Jesse Koreck
225,000
$20.00
2014
11
Canada Goose
Trevor Tennant
225,000
$20.00
2014
12
Bobcat
Ken Ryan
225,000
$20.00
2014
13
Summertime
John Mantha
200,000
$20.00
2014
14
Snowman
Jesse Koreck
200,000
$20.00
2015
15
50th Anniversary of the Canadian Flag
(1st Colour Coin. Face Value $25)
Julius Csotonyi
225,000
$25.00
2015
16
FIFA Women's World Cup
Joel Kimmel
200,000
$20.00
2015
17
Bugs Bunny
Warner Bros. Ent Inc.
350,000
$20.00
2015
18
Superman
DC Comics
350,000
$20.00
2015
19
Gingerbread Man
Chris and Rosina Reid
200,000
$20.00
2016
20
Winter Fun
(2nd Colour Coin. Face Value $25)
Jesse Koreck
200,000
$25.00
2016
21
Tyrannosaurus Rex
Julius Csotonyi
300,000
$20.00
2016
22
Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice
DC Comics
300,000
$20.00
2016
23
Star Trek: Enterprise
300,000
$20.00
2016
24
True North
(3rd Colour Coin. Face Value $25)
Trevor Tennant
250,000
$25.00
2016
25
Woodland Elf
(4th Colour Coin. Face Value $25)
Jesse Koreck
275,000
$25.00
Mint losses on the $20 for $20 program
The $20 for $20 coin program was launched in 2011 as a "low-risk" way to bring in new collectors of
Royal Canadian Mint products. It was initially a success as 4.2 million coins were minted and as the Mint booked profits based on estimated seigniorage ($20 face value less the value of its silver content of 0.256 troy ounce) on coins that won't be redeemed for face value. But as the price of silver has dramatically fallen from 2011 to 2016, massive amounts of the $20 coins were returned, for which the Mint must refund the fixed $20 face value in exchange for a coin whose bullion price has dropped since issue. The refunds intensified further amidst public concerns on these coins' exchangeability for face value.
[136][137]
The Mint was therefore stung with "negative seigniorage" losses reversing seigniorage gains booked when those coins were issued. Employee bonuses were cancelled in 2016, the program was discontinued, and the Mint had to write down the value of $65.5-million worth of Winnipeg plant improvements upon recognizing it cannot realize profits on similar programs into the future. The Mint has declared that there's no plan to place an expiry date on redemptions of these coins.
Twenty Five Dollars
O Canada Series 2013
This series was also available as a subscription and came with a wooden collector's box.
Not only did the coins glow-in-the-dark, but so did the outer boxes. When the packaging was placed together, the design formed the pattern of The Big Dipper.
Pure Silver "$50 for $50" Commemorative Coin series
Year
Theme
Artist
Mintage
Issue price
2014
Polar Bear
Emily Damstra
100,000
$50.00
2014
Snowy Owl
Trevor Tennant
90,000
$50.00
2015
Beaver
Emily Damstra
100,000
$50.00
2016
Hare
Emily Damstra
90,000
$50.00
Five ounce silver
Year
Theme
Diameter (mm)
Artist
Mintage
Issue price
Notes
2010
75th anniversary of first Canadian banknotes
65.25
Royal Canadian Mint engravers
2,000
$389.95
The design is a reproduction of the image that was on the original 1935 $50 bank note; a seated woman with elements of radio broadcasting to symbolize modern inventions.
One Hundred Dollars
Wildlife in Motion "$100 for $100" Series
In May 2013 the mint offered the first coin in this series depicting a bison. The coin has a face value of $100 and was sold for $100, analogous to the $20 for $20 series that began in 2011. The coin has a weight of 31.6 g and is 99.99% fine silver, minted with a matte proof finish.
The design is a reproduction of the image that was on the original 1935 $500 bank note; a seated woman holding a sickle surrounded by the fruits of harvest to symbolize fertility.