Royal Canadian Mint numismatic coins (1900–1999) facts for kids
The Royal Canadian Mint (RCM) makes special coins for collectors. These are called numismatic coins. One of the first special coins was the 1935 dollar. It celebrated King George V's 25 years as king. Even though it was meant for everyday use, it was the first Canadian coin to mark a special event. This coin also featured the famous "Voyageur" design, which became very important to Canadians.
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Coins for the Olympics
The Royal Canadian Mint has made many special coins for the Olympic Games.
Montreal 1976 Olympic Coins
One of the first big collections was for the 1976 Montreal Olympics. Starting in 1973, the Mint released sets of five and ten dollar coins. The government, led by Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau, decided these coins would help pay for the games and remember them. They planned to make 30 coins: 28 silver coins ($5 and $10) and two gold coins ($100). These were some of the first Modern Olympic coins with a face value of one hundred dollars. However, so many of these coins were made (over 20 million!) that they aren't worth much today beyond the value of the silver they contain.
Calgary 1988 Olympic Coins
Later, the Olympics came back to Canada. Calgary hosted the 1988 Winter Olympics. From 1985, the government, under Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, released a ten-coin set. These coins also helped fund and celebrate the games. They were made with a special "Proof" quality, meaning they were extra shiny and detailed. The Royal Bank of Canada helped sell them. Unlike the Montreal coins, fewer of these were made (only 5 million). These were also the first silver coins to have words written on their edges: 'XV OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES - JEUX D'OLYMPIQUES D'HIVER.'
Vancouver 2010 Olympic Coins
On February 23, 2007, the Royal Canadian Mint announced new coins for the Vancouver Olympic Games. These coins included a new value: twenty-five dollars. The twenty-five dollar coins were the first Modern Olympic coins ever to have a hologram on them!
Fancy Collector Coins Begin
The 1990s were a time of big growth for special collector coins.
Two Hundred Dollar Gold Coins
A major step was the creation of the Two Hundred Dollar Gold coins, starting in 1990. These coins were sold for more than their face value. The very first one celebrated 25 years of Canada's flag and cost $395.00. A very popular series in this collection was the "Canadian Native Cultures and Traditions" coins, made from 1997 to 2000. One coin, featuring the Haida "Raven Bringing Light to the World," even won the "Best Coin Award" at the 1997 Singapore International Coin Show!
Platinum Coins
After the Two Hundred Dollar Gold series, the Mint also started making Platinum coins. These super high-quality coins showed that the Royal Canadian Mint was serious about making luxury collector items. They released sets with four coins, valued at $30, $75, $150, and $300. Famous artists like Robert Bateman and Glen Loates designed these coins, featuring animals like polar bears and birds. These sets cost around $1,990 and came in fancy wooden cases.
New Ideas and Growth
The Mint kept finding new ways to make coins exciting.
Fifty-Cent Coins for Collectors
In 1995, 50-cent coins finally became a special part of the collector coin line. For many years, 50-cent coins were just part of regular coin sets. But then, the "Discovering Nature Series" became the first special 50-cent coins for collectors. These were sold as a 32-coin set, with new coins released each year. Another 50-cent series followed, honoring Canadian sports heroes.
Innovative Coin Designs
The 1990s also brought new coin series with cool, never-before-seen techniques. One big innovation was using a gold cameo (a raised design) on the coin. The first set to use this was the "Aviation Collection," which started in 1990. This 20-coin set honored Canadian aviation heroes. Each coin had a 24-karat gold-covered oval portrait of a hero, which was a first for the Royal Canadian Mint! The coins themselves showed different famous planes, like the Gypsy Moth and the legendary Avro Arrow.
Chinese Lunar New Year Collection
Near the end of the decade, a new coin series celebrated Canada's diverse cultures. The Chinese Lunar New Year Collection began in 1998 with the "Year of the Tiger" coin. The center of the coin had a fierce gold-plated Tiger, and the edge showed all twelve zodiac animals. Artist Harvey Chan designed all the images for this collection. These $15 coins were released each year until 2009, ending with the "Year of the Ox."
Holograms on Coins
In 1999, the Mint celebrated 20 years of the $100 Maple Leaf coin. They did this by making coins with a hologram directly on the surface, which was a very new and exciting technique!
Special Silver Dollar Coins
The Royal Canadian Mint has a long history of making special silver dollar coins.
Early Silver Dollars (1935-1980)
These coins often celebrated important Canadian events or places. For example, the 1935 coin featured the Voyageur Dollar design. Other coins marked things like Royal Visits, Newfoundland joining Canada, or the RCMP's 100th birthday.
Silver Dollars (1981-1999)
Starting in 1981, the Mint began offering two different types of silver dollars:
- Proof: These coins have a frosted (matte) design against a shiny, mirror-like background. They look very detailed and sharp.
- Brilliant Uncirculated (BU): These coins have a shiny design against a shiny background. They are also very nice but have a different look than Proof coins.
These coins continued to celebrate important moments in Canadian history, such as the Canadian Pacific Railway's 100th anniversary, the Stanley Cup's 100th anniversary, and the RCMP's 125th anniversary.
Coin Finishes Explained
Coins can have different finishes, which describe how shiny or frosted they look:
- Bullion: This finish has a shiny design against a background with parallel lines.
- Proof: This is a very high-quality finish with a frosted design against a mirror-like background.
- Specimen: This finish has a shiny design on a satin (smooth, not too shiny) background.
Mint Marks: Secret Symbols on Coins
Mint marks are small letters or symbols on coins that tell you something special about them.
- C: This mark was used on gold coins made at the Ottawa branch of the Royal Mint between 1908 and 1919.
- Dot: In 1936, King Edward VIII stepped down. New coins with King George VI's image weren't ready yet. So, some 1936 coins (1, 10, and 25 cents) were made in 1937 with a tiny dot under the year to show they were newer. The 1-cent dot coins are very rare!
- H: This mark meant the coins were made for Canada by the Birmingham Mint (also called the Heaton Mint) in England, until 1907.
- Innukshuk: All regular coins for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics have this symbol, which is a stone landmark.
- Maple Leaf: In 1948, because of a delay in getting new coin designs, some coins were made with a 1947 date but had a small maple leaf to show they were actually made in 1948.
- P: From 2001 to 2006, most regular coins (1, 5, 10, 25, and 50 cents) had a "P" mark. This showed that the Royal Canadian Mint used a special plating process to make them.
- Paralympic Logo: All regular coins for the 2010 Vancouver Paralympic Games have this logo.
- RCM Logo: In 2006, the Royal Canadian Mint started using its own logo as a mint mark on all coins. This helps people know that the RCM made the coins.
- Teddy Bear: A special one-dollar coin in a "Baby Lullabies and CD Set" had a tiny teddy bear as its mint mark!
- W: This mark is sometimes used on special coin sets made in Winnipeg, starting in 1998.
- W/P: This mark was used on a special set in 2003. "W" meant it was made in Winnipeg, and "P" meant the coins were plated.
See also
- Canadian Silver Maple Leaf
- Royal Canadian Mint Olympic Coins
- Royal Canadian Mint numismatic coins (2000s)
