Large monthly release runs are a regular occurence at what is the worlds most prolific mint for commemorative coins. Often releasing in a month what many mints produce in a year, the Royal Canadian Mint also likes to try something new. October is no different, with a wide selection of styles for most tastes and pockets.

There’s a good mix below to kick us off, the rest following shortly to keep the size of the posts reasonable (we like big images here..). Highlights are strictly a matter of taste; many will like the coins with adornments, or the Fiery Sky multi-image design, or the classic Maple Leaf in gold.

For us, the Chinese-inspired Yin Yang Tiger and Dragon coin is the star of this selection, a mix of intricate design and fine implementation. As is always our luck however, it’s the costliest coin here. All are available to order now, or buy from the various RCM stores.

DESIGN: The reverse design by Canadian artist Bonnie Ross features a butterfly with outspread wings poised on an oxeye sunflower bloom. The image centres on the stunning butterfly, whose outspread wings are finely engraved at the edges and embellished with individually carved agate gemstones. Each agate butterfly wing measures 10 millimetres long and 4 millimetres high. The butterfly sits at the heart of an oxeye sunflower that dominates most of the reverse field and, using various engraving and finishing techniques, is engraved in incredible detail.

The blossom’s two striated leaves and stem are visible in the background. The reverse is engraved with the word “CANADA”, the date “2016”, and the face value of “20 DOLLARS”. The obverse features the effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Susanna Blunt.

DESIGN: The reverse design by Canadian artist Charles Vinh features the image of a tiger and a dragon facing one another across the coin’s pierced centre. This central square hole is a traditional motif used in Chinese minting to represent the Earth and the national landmass. Above the hole, the stylized yinyang symbol, created using different finishes, underscores the coin’s central theme of balance. The yinyang symbol is surrounded by elemental flames. On the left side of the image, the Tiger, associated in Chinese tradition with the western compass point, shows its back to the viewer as it climbs toward the top of the image. Its face is viewed in profile as it turns its head toward the Dragon on its right.

On the right side of the image, the Dragon, associated with the eastern compass point, is presented in profile, facing the Tiger to its left. Its claws are raised and its scale-covered body coils sinuously. The obverse design, also by Charles Vinh, features two elaborately carved phoenixes—fittingly associated with the feminine, the Empress, and the Queen when juxtaposed with the Dragon featured on the reverse of the coin. The phoenixes flank each side of the central square hole, above which is the effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Susanna Blunt. The effigy is engraved within a smooth polished circle that is detailed on each side with stylized scrollwork.

DESIGN: The reverse image by Canadian artist Tony Bianco features a breathtaking fiery sunset in the alpine landscape of Western Canada. Detailed engraving and the careful use of various finishing techniques add a feeling of remarkable height and depth to the design, as the rugged edges of the Rocky Mountains rise up to frame the horizon while towering over the coniferous forest along the lake’s shoreline. Engraved to the right
is a mountain lodge, which adds a subtle human element to this tranquil setting.

But the combined use of different light technology is what makes this coin truly innovative and unique, with hidden layers revealed under different lighting conditions to transform one’s perception of the same engraved and printed scene. Under a black light, coloured inks that are invisible in daylight suddenly emerge; this Invisible Black Light Effect adds the perfect life-like glow and intensity to the colours of a fiery sunset, which is beautifully reflected on the rippled surface of the lake below. Moving to daylight or standard lighting, the same scene grows seemingly dimmer in keeping with the fading light at dusk, after the sun has set; shadows seem to grow long over the engraved landscape, while the dark scarlet and purple colours of the sky overhead and in the water below show darkness is creeping in.

Once the coin has been sufficiently exposed to light, viewing the coin in the dark reveals yet another aspect of this outstanding design: the use of glow-in-the-dark technology that recreates a night-time phenomenon in this same setting, where moonlight spills out from between the clouds and faintly illuminates the landscape below. The reverse side is engraved with the word “CANADA”, the year “2017” and the face value of “20 DOLLARS”. The obverse features the effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Susanna Blunt.

DESIGN: The selectively gold-plated reverse features a faithfully detailed reproduction of the Arms of Canada, as drawn by Cathy Bursey-Sabourin, Fraser Herald at the Canadian Heraldic Authority. At the centre is the shield; in the upper quadrants lie the three royal lions of England, the royal lion of Scotland, the harp of Ireland and the royal fleurs-de-lis of France, while the bottom portion features a sprig of three maple leaves to represent Canadians of all origins.

On either side of the shield are the supporters, which are based on those of the Royal Arms of the United Kingdom: to the left is a lion holding a lance with the Union Jack, while at right is a unicorn (a royal symbol of Scotland) holding the royal flag of France. The circlet behind the shield reads “Desiderantes Meliorem Patriam” (They desire a better country), while above the shield is the royal helmet draped with a mantle representing maple leaves. Atop the royal helmet is the crest set on a wreath of twisted white-and-red cloth, and is comprised of a crowned lion holding a maple leaf in its right paw.

Above the crest is the royal crown that represents the monarch as Canada’s Head of State. At the base of it all lies a garland of floral emblems—the English rose, the Scottish thistle, the Irish shamrock and the French lily—beneath a scroll that reads the motto of Canada, “A Mari usque ad Mare” (From sea to sea). The reverse includes the engraved face value “250 DOLLARS”, the word “CANADA” and the year “2016”.

DESIGN: The reverse of this 99.999% pure gold coin stands as a numismatic tribute to the Royal Canadian Mint’s iconic Gold Maple Leaf (GML) bullion coin. Unchanged since its debut in 1979, the single maple leaf design is engraved in outstanding detail to give it a life-like quality, and includes such textural details as the deeply etched veins that run through each of the leaf’s lobes.

There’s an unmistakable shine to the reverse, thanks to the light-diffracting wave pattern that fills the entirety of the field. Micro-engraved with laser technology, the recurring number “150” and the maple leaf add a commemorative element that celebrates the 150th anniversary of Confederation, while echoing the cutting-edge security features found on the bullion coin. The obverse features the effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Susanna Blunt.

DESIGN: The reverse design by Steven Hepburn presents a cross-country journey that ties together some of Canada’s most iconic images—particularly those that have come to define the Canadian experience, and the landscape itself. The upper portion features that celebrated emblem of Canada’s Pacific coast, the orca whale. The scene transitions smoothly to the northern coastline of the Canadian Arctic, which is represented by an inukshuk and a polar bear with cub. Beneath these are the majestic Rocky Mountains, which once made the land seem impenetrable to early European explorers.

The peaks tower over the vast boreal forest on the left, which stretches across much of Canada, and the agricultural landscape of the Prairie provinces on the right, where a tractor is at work in a hay field. Atlantic Canada is represented by a Nova Scotian/New Brunswick  Herring Seiner, which slightly overlaps the stirring image of a raised Canadian flag blowing in the wind. Finally, the nation’s northern climate is represented by the heartwarming image of two youths playing Canada’s beloved winter sport: hockey.