Celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Mint with special commemorative coins! It has been 100 years since Governor General Earl Grey activated the press to strike a fifty-cent piece, Canada’s first domestically produced coin. What would become known as the Royal Canadian Mint was officially open for business.

“Every commemorative coin produced by the Mint expresses a theme or ideal that reflects Canada’s heritage and values,” stated Mr. Ian E. Bennett, President and CEO of the Royal Canadian Mint. “These magnificent new coins capture the essence of Canada’s world-renowned mint during our centennial year and we are pleased to offer them as part of the celebrations.”

With a proud tradition in both silver and gold coin production, the Mint is issuing four commemorative numismatic coins to celebrate its monumental anniversary, all of which are now available.

5-ounce gold and 5-ounce silver coins

The exquisite craftsmanship and finish of the 5-ounce gold and 5-ounce silver coins enhance its design, the majestic architecture of the Ottawa Mint’s historic building on Sussex Drive. Bearing a face value of $500 and available for $8,159.95, the 5-ounce gold coin has been limited to a mintage of only 250. Its silver counterpart has a $50 face value and also captures the essence of Canada’s world-renowned Mint. Four thousand of these coins have been produced and are available for $369.95 CDN.(*) (more…)

Gold and silver coins featuring the late Sir Edmund Hillary against a backdrop of Mount Everest were released in New Zealand on Thursday, the 55th anniversary of his historic ascent of the world’s highest peak with Sherpa Tenzing Norgay.

New Zealand Post, which issued the commemorative coins, said part of the proceeds of their sale would go to the Himalayan Trust that Hillary established for the Sherpa people of Nepal.

One of New Zealand’s best loved national heroes, Sir Edmund Hillary’s life was filled with many great achievements that earned him worldwide fame.

The first man to conquer Mount Everest in 1953, Sir Edmund Hillary went on to devote much of his life to improving those of others, especially the people of his beloved Nepal.

Following his passing in January 2008, and with the exclusive support of Sir Edmund Hillary’s family, this very special New Zealand coin release pays tribute to this extraordinary but humble man who will be remembered for ever. (more…)

All right, it isn’t actually a bake sale, but it might as well be. On May 15, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 5872, an act “To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration of the centennial of the Boy Scouts of America, and for other purposes.” The other purposes? The sale of the coins by the Secretary of the Treasury, with a surcharge on each coin sold to “be paid to the National Boy Scouts of America Foundation.” In other words, this is a congressionally mandated fundraiser for the Boy Scouts.

With the act allowing for up to 350,000 of this coin to be issued and fixing the surcharge at $10 per coin, the Boy Scouts could receive as much as $3.5 million from their sale. Never before, in the long history of U.S. government-issued commemorative coins, has this benefit been granted to an organization that promotes religion or discriminates based on religion.

What is a Commemorative Coin and How Does the Program Work?

A 1996 U.S. Mint report titled “Commemorative Coins Could Be More Profitable,” described the issuance of commemorative coins as follows: “Every commemorative coin program is authorized by an act of Congress. Congress authorizes commemorative coins primarily as a means of honoring certain events and individuals and raising funds for the coins’ sponsors. On occasion, the proceeds from commemorative coin sales are applied to the national debt. Commemorative coins are legal tender but are purchased and retained by collectors, rather than used as a circulating medium of exchange.”

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