Royal Canadian Mint Numismatic Coins (2000s)

Royal Canadian Mint Numismatic Coins (2000s)

One of the most highly profitable aspects of the Royal Canadian Mint’s enterprise is in its Numismatic product line. The euphoria surrounding the year 2000 led to the birth of the Millennium 25-cent coin program. The numismatic line included proof quality coins sold individually or as a complete set. This level of excess would come to signify the coming decade. The number of numismatic releases would increase on an annual basis starting in 2003. Numismatic three cents, five cents, and ten cents would be introduced, along with numismatic three dollars and eight dollars. Luxury coins would not be immune to the dramatic increases that ensued. Coins with face values of 250, 300 and 350 dollars would be introduced by 2006.

A new trend for the RCM would emerge with the design of the numismatic three cent coin. The three cent coin was packaged in a coin and stamp set as part of a joint venture with Canada Post. This partnership would lead to another ten coin and stamp sets in the decade. An additional trend that emerged was the RCM's commitment to military and Olympic coins as well.

From Vimy Ridge to D-Day to a new release of the Victory Nickel with a commemorative booklet, the 5-cent piece became very monumental in acknowledging the contributions of Canada's military in the 20th Century. With the advent of the Lucky Loonie, the good luck charm that brought Olympic gold to Canada's hockey teams in 2002, the RCM paid tribute to that accomplishment with its Going for the Gold set in 2002 featuring a double-dated Loon coin packaged with MacLean's magazine and Olympic stamps. This would be followed by the Sterling Silver Lucky Loonie coins in 2004 and 2006.

The decade would also be marked by very dramatic price increases. Items that could be classified as “staples” in the numismatic offering, such as the Silver Dollar (Proof and Brilliant Uncirculated), the Hundred Dollar Gold, and the Two Hundred Gold, had not experienced significant price increases for several years.

The Silver Dollar from 2000 was priced at $29.95 (Proof) and $19.95 (BU) but in 2006, these two items were now priced at $39.95 and $31.95. At the beginning of the 1990s, the silver dollar was priced at $22.95 for the proof version, and $16.75 for the brilliant version.

More dramatic was the pricing of the One Hundred and Two Hundred Dollar gold. The beginning of the millennium saw the One Hundred Dollar Gold at $259.95 but its price increased to $359.95 by 2006. In 1990, the price of such a coin would have been $245.00. Due to the increase in the value of gold, the two hundred dollar gold experienced an even larger spike in the pricing. Starting in 2000 at $414.95, the price would rise to $564.95. In 1990, the price was only $395.00.

During the decade, there were various technological achievements. The first RCM gold coin to be directly laser etched was the $100 Gold Leduc Oil Fields coin from 2002. The technique would be later used for the 2003 $100 Gold Marquis Wheat coin and the 2004 $20 Iceberg coin. In 2001, the RCM achieved innovation with the 2001 Marconi $5 silver coin. It was the first RCM coin to utilize with a direct lasered finish. One of the technological breakthroughs for the RCM involved the 2006 Canadian Achievement Series silver coin featuring Colonel Chris Hadfield. It was the first Canadian coin to be completely sculpted using computer software.

The Northern Lights $20 Silver Coin was the first RCM hologram coin to feature a hologram without a raised border and, therefore, no delineation. The hologram merges with the engraved relief of the mountains. In 2006, the $30 Canadarm coin was the first Canadian coin to be completely sculpted using computer software. Technically, it was a complex design to render, due to the depiction of the closed glass visor and the complicated features of the Canadarm.