Royal Canadian Mint introduces new 25-cent circulation coin celebrating Canada's Peregrine falcon

Special 25-cent coin is the last of five commemorative circulation coins honouring Canada's legendary nature

OTTAWA, March 7, 2012 /CNW/ - The Royal Canadian Mint is pleased to announce that Canadians can collect a new 2011-dated 25-cent circulation coin celebrating the majestic Peregrine falcon. This new coin, which entered circulation March 5, 2012 joins a one-dollar circulation coin dedicated to the centennial of Parks Canada; a two-dollar coin featuring Canada's Boreal Forest; and 25-cent coins honouring the Wood Bison and the Orca in celebrating Canada's legendary nature.  All five of these special circulation coins are inspired by the theme of "our legendary nature;" a core element of Canadian pride and identity.

"The Royal Canadian Mint is proud that its five special commemorative circulation coins, produced at its Winnipeg, Manitoba facility create a permanent tribute to Canada's legendary nature and raise awareness of this vital aspect of our heritage," said Ian E. Bennett, President and CEO of the Royal Canadian Mint. "The successful return of the Peregrine falcon to Canadian skies is an inspiring tale of wildlife conservation that the Mint is excited to share on a coin which will circulate from coast to coast to coast."

The Mint's latest commemorative circulation coin pays tribute to a bird species which nearly disappeared, due primarily to the use of DDT in the 1950's and 1960's.  Brought back from the brink through countless volunteer efforts in cities across Canada and protected wilderness habitats such as New Brunswick's Fundy National Park, the Peregrine falcon is equally at home in urban and natural environments.  It even frequents Winnipeg, Manitoba, home to the Mint facility which produced its namesake coin, thanks to the creation of nesting sites at landmarks such as the Hotel Fort Garry and the Manitoba Legislative Building.

As if proudly displaying its intricately decorated wings on the reverse design of 12.5 million 25-cent circulation coins, this original depiction of a Peregrine falcon appears with a sun-like circle of bright yellow colour on half of its mintage.  The Mint remains unique in the world by being the only producer of coloured circulation coins since 2004.

Our Legendary Nature Collector Coins Available
The public can also order a variety of gold and silver collector coins complementing the compelling series of 2011 commemorative circulation coins.  This selection of finely crafted, limited-edition collector coins featuring the Wood Bison; the Orca; and the Peregrine falcon; and Canada's boreal forest includes a series of four 50-cent 1/25 ounce 99.99% pure gold coins (each retailing for $139.95 CAD) and four $10 face value 99.99% pure silver coins (each retailing for $69.95 CAD).

A sterling silver set of all three 25-cent coins featuring the colour version of the circulation coin designs (retailing for $49.95 CAD) is also available.

These new collector coins can be directly ordered from the Mint at 1-800-267-1871 in Canada or 1-800-268-6468 in the US; on the Internet at www.mint.ca; at the Mint's boutiques in Ottawa, Winnipeg and Vancouver; or through our network of distributors, including participating Canada Post outlets.

About the Royal Canadian Mint
The Royal Canadian Mint is the Crown Corporation responsible for the minting and distribution of Canada's circulation coins. An ISO 9001-2008 certified company, the Mint is recognized as one of the largest and most versatile mints in the world, offering a wide range of specialized, high quality coinage products and related services on an international scale. For more information on the Mint, its products and services, visit www.mint.ca.

Images of the Mint's "Our Legendary Nature" circulation and collector coins are available by visiting ftp://communications:[email protected] and www.mint.ca/legendary.

(media only), please contact:

Alex Reeves
Senior Manager, Communications
Telephone: [phone]
[email protected]