Canada does double concave silver

Innovation is the name of the game at the Royal Canadian Mint. A spate of advanced testing at the mint’s R&D lab has seen the RCM boldly go where no…

Innovation is the name of the game at the Royal Canadian Mint. A spate of advanced testing at the mint’s R&D lab has seen the RCM boldly go where no mint has gone before.

In December, it launched a massive 60 mm, 311.5 g (10 ounce) .9999 fine silver, double concave, proof $100 dated 2019. The coin measures 16 mm at its edge but just 4 mm at its center.

Oblique views of the obverse and reverse of Canada’s new innovative 10-ounce silver twin-concave $100 proof showing Queen Elizabeth II amid maple leaves and a contented Brown Bear, along with a direct view of the reverse. (Images courtesy RCM)

Much of the research involved in production of this coin was aimed at determining the optimal shape of the blank that would permit the highest amount of relief possible while ensuring a symmetrical curvature.

That relief is used to depict a Brown Bear (Ursus arctos) on the reverse splashing its way across a salmon-rich river in western Canada. Against a mountain backdrop, the bear seemingly pauses mid-step to gaze at the viewer. The artist responsible is Denis Mayer Jr.

The equally concave-shaped obverse features a concentric pattern of maple leaves and the effigy of Queen Elizabeth II by Susanna Blunt.

As a bonus, the coin comes in a double concave capsule. Mintage is just 500.

But there’s more! The new coin is but the first of two. Twin-concave wolves also figure on the 2019 agenda.

This article was originally printed in World Coin News. >> Subscribe today.

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