So many ways to fall for Royal Canadian Mint collector coins as latest 2009
products are launched

    
    Popular Gold Chinese Lunar Zodiac, Silver Crystal Snowflakes, Holiday and
    Dinosaur Collection series continue while new issues appear and Vignettes
    of Royalty concludes with a "double effigy" of Queen Elizabeth II
    

OTTAWA , Oct. 2 /CNW Telbec/ - As Canadians start planning for the holiday season, the Royal Canadian Mint has unwrapped its latest collector coins and gift products of 2009. A vivid array of precious and base metal coins await the sophisticated collector or gift-giver with offerings such as: a new pair of Crystal Snowflake $20 silver coins; a 99.99% pure silver Hanging the Stockings coin; the final ultra-high relief Vignettes of Royalty $15 silver coin featuring Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II; a special Edward VIII copper medallion; an 18-Karat holographic gold coin and a new silver scalloped "Lunar Lotus" coin celebrating the Year of the Tiger; a new $4 silver Dinosaur Collection coin; and a selectively gold-plated silver coin celebrating the Chinook (Tyee) Salmon. The public can now purchase these new products, while a new Vancouver 2010 silver collector coin featuring an ultra high relief First Nations-inspired rendition of the sun goes on sale October 7 .

"The Royal Canadian Mint is delighted to continue popular themes while introducing attractive new coin designs which celebrate the culture, heritage and values which are the hallmarks of Canada " said Ian E. Bennett, President and CEO of the Royal Canadian Mint. "Canadian collectors and gift givers can benefit from an expanding range of products as the Mint continues to push for new creative horizons."

The following describes the new products being introduced.

2009 $20 STERLING SILVER COINS - BLUE AND PINK CRYSTAL SNOWFLAKE

Building on the enduring appeal of its innovative Crystal Snowflake series, the Mint is proud to introduce two new pure silver coins depicting snowflakes delicately encrusted with CRYSTALLIZED(TM) - Swarovski Elements. Available with either blue or pink crystals surrounding a central clear crystal, these sophisticated reproductions of six-sided dendrite ice crystals are the work of Mint Engraver Konrad Wachelko. These magnificent coins have a combined mintage of 15,000 and retail for $94.95 CDN.

2009 $4 FINE SILVER COIN - HANGING THE STOCKINGS

Another Canadian tradition graces the Mint's 2009 holiday-themed pure silver coin. Since the legend of St Nicholas placing three small bags of gold into the stockings of a poor man's three unwed daughters, the tradition of hanging the stockings on Christmas Eve has earned its place on this finely engraved proof silver coin. This iconic scene, a creation of Ontario artist Tony Bianco , can be found on only 15,000 coins world-wide. Each retails for $42.95 CDN.

2009 50 CENT COIN - HOLIDAY TOY TRAIN

The Mint's newest lenticular coin creates the illusion of a festive toy train moving under a Christmas tree. This visually striking image is showcased on a large brass plated 50-cent coin, whose lenticular application is surrounded by an outer ring with a brilliant uncirculated finish. As an addition to a collection or a stocking stuffer, this charming coin is sure to delight. This new addition to the Mint's lenticular holiday series is available for $25.95 CDN, while supplies last.

2009 HOLIDAY GIFT SET

The Holiday Gift Set makes a return in 2009 with a set of uncirculated 2009 coins with a special Canadian-themed Santa 25-cent painted coin. The coins are presented in a card with a maple leaf-shaped die cut to enhance the display of the coins. Available while supplies last, the 2009 Holiday Gift Set is available for $19.95 CDN.

2010 LUNAR HOLOGRAM GOLD COIN - YEAR OF THE TIGER

The annual tradition of celebrating the Chinese Lunar Zodiac with gold and silver commemorative coin releases keeps going strong with the Mint's 2010 tribute to the Year of the Tiger. The 18-Karat Gold Lunar Hologram Coin designed by Canadian artist Harvey Chan is the eleventh coin in the Mint's hologram lunar series, which began in 2000. It features the Mint's world-renowned hologram technology and displays the current effigy of Her Majesty against a proof field. With a worldwide mintage of only 4,888, this coin retails for $638.88 CDN.

2010 LUNAR LOTUS SILVER COIN - YEAR OF THE TIGER

An exciting new series of sterling silver Chinese Lunar Zodiac coins is born with the arrival of the Year of the Tiger. These coins with a $15 face value have an exquisite scalloped shape which is reminiscent of a lotus flower. Collectors can look forward to the annual release of exotic-looking Lunar Lotus coins over the next 12 years and also have the option to subscribe to the entire series. With a worldwide mintage of 48,888, this coin retails for $88.88 CDN.

    
    2009 VIGNETTES OF ROYALTY COIN SERIES - $15 STERLING SILVER QUEEN
    ELIZABETH II AND KING EDWARD VIII COPPER MEDALLION
    

The Royal Canadian Mint's series of ultra-high relief "double effigy" silver coins logically concludes with Canada's reigning Monarch, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. This design, as well as all others appearing in this series was approved by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. This unique creation marks the first time the Mint has struck a coin bearing two different effigies of the same monarch on the coin's obverse and reverse. Bearing a $15 denomination, this coin symbolizing the long reign of Queen Elizabeth II is limited to a world-wide mintage of 10,000, and retails for $104.95 CDN.

As this series commemorates Canada's monarchs through high-relief reproductions of the royal effigies which appeared on Canada's circulation coinage since 1867, the notable absence from this collection is the effigy of King Edward VIII, who ruled from January 20 to December 11, 1936 . It is a little known fact that an effigy which was to appear on all British and Commonwealth coinage had been designed in early 1936, though the tooling required for Canada's new coinage was not ready by the time Edward VIII abdicated the throne. This "lost effigy" has returned to the spotlight on an ultra-high relief, pure copper medallion available for $19.95 CDN, while supplies last.

2009 DINOSAUR COLLECTION - DROMAEOSAURUS

The final instalment of the Dinosaur Collection features a legendary Alberta raptor named Dromaeosaurus, otherwise known as the "running lizard". The image of this fierce predator is preserved on a selectively oxidized surface of 99.99% pure silver emulating the rock from which its bones have emerged after a 75 million year slumber. Only 20,000 coins, with a suggested retail price of $42.95 CDN, are available world-wide.

2010 $3 FINE SILVER COIN - RETURN OF THE TYEE

A new selectively gold-plated issue celebrates the annual return of a famous dweller of Canada's Northwest Coast waters; the Tyee Salmon, meaning "king" to First Nations people, but also known as the Chinook to anglers and gastronomes world-wide. The biggest species of Pacific Salmon is rendered in an elegant design created by West Coast Salish Peoples artist Jody Broomfield . The addition of a pink gold plating to the salmon and a touch of yellow gold to the circle of life surrounding the two Tyee appearing on the reverse of this 99.99% pure silver coin produces a colourful interpretation of the salmon's role as a "giver of life" to the First Nations people of Canada's Pacific coastline. Limited to a world-wide mintage of 15,000, this striking new coin retails for $54.95 CDN.

2010 LIMITED EDITION PROOF SILVER DOLLAR - THE SUN

Another creation will soon been added to the Mint's growing gallery of popular First Nations-inspired coin designs issued in celebration of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games. The Sun is a 2010-dated limited-edition proof silver dollar struck with a visually stunning ultra-high relief. Available as of October 7 , this sterling silver masterpiece is the product of hours of handcrafting and polishing, which gives each coin some minute distinctions. Produced at a low mintage of 5,000 pieces world-wide, this coin will retail for $139.95 CDN.

The Mint's products are available directly from the Mint at 1-800-267-1871 in Canada , 1-800-268-6468 in the US, or on the Internet at www.mint.ca. The coins are also available at the Royal Canadian Mint's global network of dealers and distributors.

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 9001-2000 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. The Mint is an Official Supporter of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and has undertaken to produce the most extensive circulation coin program in relation to the Olympic Games ever conceived by any mint worldwide, while also offering limited mintage collector coins and sets. Visit www.mint.ca/2010 for Vancouver 2010 keepsakes and gifts.

Images and product details of the Mint's newest collection are available by visiting ftp://communications:[email protected].

For further information: Alex Reeves, Manager, Communications, Telephone: [phone], Mobile: [phone], [email protected]