The Royal Canadian Mint has a history of issuing some extremely attractive kilo-class coins, not simply bigger versions of smaller coin designs, but one-offs meant to be seen at the typically circa-100 mm diameters common to this weight class. At 102.1 mm across, the RCM’s latest chonker actually carries a design that would look equally at home on a standard-sized numismatic, but that doesn’t stop this from being a real stunner regardless.

The design by well-known Tahltan artist Alano Edzerza, is created in the style of Tahltan sculptural art tells a story from the culture of the indigenous people of called ‘How Raven Brought Light to the World2’ and as told by the mint, “In the beginning, all the light in the universe—the stars, moon and sun—was kept inside an old man’s brush house. The Raven, who had tired of flying in the dark, desired this treasure and decided to steal it. After transforming himself into a piece of dust, the trickster was swallowed by the old man’s daughter, to be born as her son. The ravenchild grew up fast, and one day, he begged his grandfather to be allowed to hold the light. Seizing it, he took off suddenly, flying up through the smoke hole and into the dark sky. He watched as light illuminated the world for the first time, sending all the animals scurrying to the places they now call home.”

It’s a really beautiful coin, in our view, striking in appearance, and effortlessly elegant. Styled to ape the look of a woodcut, the mix of gilding and various types of matte/frosted finishes, is beautifully implemented, With that giant size, this would make an amazing centrepiece for a coin display. The coin comes boxed with a Certificate of Authenticity, of course, and has a mintage capped at 450 pieces, quite high for something rocking a near $3k CAD price tag. Available now.