Third Canadian three-quarter ounce silver Howling Wolf bullion coin out now

It was quite surprising when in 2014 the Royal Canadian Mint (RCM) debuted an unusual new bullion coin weight, ¾ of an ounce. Ostensibly it occupies the same equivalent space that the ½oz coin does to the 1oz coin given that in 2013 the RCM launched bullion coins that weighed 1.5 ounces. This is the third such design to be released in a series looking at one of Canada’s apex predators, the Grey Wolf, although not the first ¾oz coin silver coin like this to be released for 2017.

The 2015 and 2016 were very nice coins, popular despite the unusual weight, but for us at least, this is easily the finest design released to date. Depicting a sitting wolf, howling at the low, cratered moon in the background, even the overly wide border inscriptions do little to dimish the appeal. The obverse features a Canadian staple – the effigy of Queen Elizabeth II by local artist Susanna Blunt. The micro-engraved maple leaf and date is present on the reverse face, a clever anti-counterfeiting feature.

As a bullion coin, this isn’t an expensive one to buy and premiums aren’t excessive. Individual coins ship in a simple plastic flip, but despite weighing only 75% as much as one-ounce bullion coin, they have a diameter almost identical, so one of these should tuck into a standard capsule easily enough. Designed for volume however, these will primarily sell in tubes of 30 coins or monster boxes of 600. Available now from JM Bullion for just $2.25 per coin over the spot price (at the time of writing), this is a beautiful design from the RCM. We’ll hopefully update this article with some better, high-resolution images of the coin shortly.

UPDATE: New high resolution images of the coin faces thanks to JMB.

Known official as canis lupus, the grey wolf is the largest canine species on the North American continent. Though its range once spread throughout much of the northern United States and Canada, today only 30% of the grey wolf population in the world is found in Canada, with more in the United States.

The obverse of the Canadian Silver Grey Wolf Coin includes the right-profile image of Queen Elizabeth II, as created in 2003 by Canadian artist Susanna Blunt. Her portrait is featured on all Canadian currency, and this design was rolled out on Canadian coins starting in 2004.

On the reverse of the 2017 ¾ oz Canadian Silver Grey Wolf Coin is the image of a lone wolf sitting on the top of a rocky outcrop. A large, oversized moon rises into the sky behind the wolf, outlining its body as it raises its head toward the heavens to let out its eerie howl into the night’s sky.

The coin offers two unique features for cutting-edge security, including precise radial lines and a micro-engraved lasered maple leaf in the coin field. In the centre of this mark, visible under magnification, is the numeral “17”, denoting the coin’s year of issue.

The ¾ oz Canadian Silver Grey Wolf Series was the first-ever ¾ oz bullion silver coin from the Royal Canadian Mint when introduced in 2015, but today is joined by other products of the same weight from the nation’s sovereign mint.