Agter looking at the New Zealand Post’s innovative rotating coin, the Perth Mint’s triple selection including a clever Intaglio silver coin, and the Royal Australian Mints effort, we head over to the other major Commonwealth country, Canada, to have a look at the range they’ve released for the record-breaking event. As is usual for the Royal Canadian Mint, releases are plentiful, and awash with maple leaves.

First up is a pair of unique 1 oz designs, a coloured silver and a gold. Both depend heavily on the maple imagery, but the gold for us at least, is clearly the superior design, spoiled slightly by an overabundance of text inscriptions towards the bottom that would’ve been better placed on the obverse. Mintage on the silver is plentiful at 10,000, but just 300 of the gold are to be available.

Next up are a pair of fractional sets. The silver is heavily maple-themed, but pulls it off with some sympathetic yellow and rose-gold gilding. A great touch is the use of the original 1952 version of the Queens effigy on the obverse. Also gilded, it’s a superior rendition to the Susanna Blunt version that adorns modern RCM coins. The 1 oz coin is slightly different in that two of the three maple leaves on it are gilded, the other four coins just having rose gold gilding to the largest of the three leaves. It also has an inscription around the coins edge. The gold set is a good one also. Four coins carrying the same design excepy for the 1 oz again that has ER and a crown incorporated into the design which has then been enamelled in purple, a royal colour for millenia. The 1 oz coin has asrial numbered inscribed into the edge. Each of the coin coins carries a different effigy of the Queen  on its obverse side. All are  available to order now.

On September 9th, Queen Elizabeth II will become the longest ruling monarch in British history, holding the throne for an amazing 63 years, seven months and two days. An incredibly popular Queen, Elizabeth impressed the British people with her work during the Second World War, and has remained well respected to this day. She is the most widely travelled head of state in history, and only 1 in 7 people in the world today have ever seen somebody else on the British throne. Her portrait has adorned simply countless numbers of coins and banknotes, and her face is likely the most recognised of any human being alive today.

SILVER AND GOLD ONE-OUNCE

As the 150th anniversary of Canadian Confederation approaches, celebrations abound. In addition to the foundational role played by the Fathers of Confederation, the support of two royal “mothers”—Queen Victoria and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II—helped to pave the way for national sovereignty. To date, these two exceptional reigns cover a total of 96 of Canada’s 148 years, and each Queen influenced major historical milestones along the way.

SILVER: Designed by Canadian artist Cathy Bursey Sabourin, your coin features two cyphers sitting above a wreath of maple leaves that have a motto ribbon incorporated into the design. On the upper left is the cypher used by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and on the upper right is a cypher that was used by Queen Victoria. Each cypher is ensigned with a crown. Each crown is depicted in a style specifically used by each monarch. The motto ribbon, woven into the wreath, is inscribed with the Latin words “VIVAT REGINA”, which means “LONG LIVE THE QUEEN”.

GOLD:  The reverse design by Canadian artist Cathy Bursey Sabourin features the cyphers superimposed a maple leaf, as per Crown of Maples book. The cypher for Queen Elizabeth II is on the left and the one for Queen Victoria is on the right. The design is ensigned by the St. Edward’s crown, which is the style of royal crown used by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

FIVE-COIN FRACTIONAL SET

For over six decades, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has served as an enduring and beloved symbol of duty, service and continuity. The Crown of Canada, personified by Her Majesty The Queen, is central to our system of government and functions as the ultimate guardian of our democratic rights and freedoms that have evolved under constitutional monarchy flowing from Magna Carta in 1215. The Royal Canadian Mint proudly pays tribute to Her Majesty’s historic Canadian reign of service, dedication to and affection for this country and its citizens with a set of coins that brings together two symbols that are intrinsic to our national identity and pride.

Since ascending the throne in 1952, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has not only witnessed but actively participated in decades of change and growth taking place in Canada, which has celebrated milestones ranging from the launch of our first satellite to the selection of a new national flag.

DESIGN: All five coins feature a reverse design by Canadian artist Donna Kriekle that showcases Canada’s beloved symbol: the iconic maple leaf. Recreating the leaf’s appearance in a natural setting, three different sizes of maple leaves are joined at the stem and gently splay out to fill the entirety of the reverse. Each leaf’s distinctively serrated edge and deep veins are given a life-like quality by meticulous engraving, which shines brilliantly thanks to the reverse proof finish against the frosted background; yet, it is the addition of pink and yellow gold plating to the reverse of the one-ounce coin that proves to be particularly striking. Within the one-ounce coin’s pink gold-plated rim, the largest of the three leaves is resplendent with pink gold plating that adds an eye-catching element to the silver design; this pink gold plating is further complemented by the addition of yellow gold plating to the left-most leaf, which creates a beautiful contrast above the smaller silver leaf and is evocative of the maple’s colourful transformation each fall.

The obverse pays tribute to the historic reign of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II with a recreation of the 1952 effigy of Her Majesty wearing the Imperial State Crown (worn at her Coronation) along with edge lettering on the one-ounce coin that reads “LONGEST REIGNING SOVEREIGN / SOUVERAIN AU PLUS LONG RÈGNE”. Each additional coin is enhanced with pink gold plating on the largest of the three leaves, the effigy and the rim. The coins are presented in a clamshell case with a custom outer box showing an image of Her Majesty on her Coronation day, wearing the Imperial State Crown shown on each of the coins.

FOUR COIN GOLD FRACTIONAL SET

All four coins feature a reverse design by Canadian artist Celia Godkin that showcases an engraved rendition of Canada’s beloved symbol, the maple leaf, as it is gently carried in the air by a soft autumn breeze. Underscoring Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s role as Canada’s head of state, the Royal Cypher EIIR appears alongside the leaf and the word “CANADA”; the emblem is particularly resplendent on the 1 oz coin, where the addition of enamel adds a regal purple colour to the lettering and rendition of the St. Edward’s Crown.

The obverse features the year “2016” along with the purity and each coin’s weight. In celebration of Her Majesty’s long and remarkable reign, different profile portraits are also featured on the obverse: the 1 oz. coin features a 1952 profile portrait of Her Majesty wearing the Imperial State Crown; the ¼ oz. coin features the effigy that first appeared on Canadian circulation coins in 1953, as designed by Mary Gillick; the 1/10 oz. coin features the 1965 effigy of Her Majesty by Arnold Machin; and the 1/20 oz. coin features the first effigy of Her Majesty to be designed by a Canadian, Dora de Pédery-Hunt. The coins are presented in a red lacquer case with a custom outer box showing an image of Her Majesty on her Coronation day, wearing the Imperial State Crown as shown on the 1 oz. coin.

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