2008 $25 Sterling Silver Hologram Coin - Freestyle Skiing

LIMITED TO 45,000 COINS WORLDWIDE

Freestyle skiing began in the 1960’s when social change and freedom of expression led to new and exciting skiing techniques. Originally a mix of alpine skiing and acrobatics, the first competition was held in New Hampshire in 1966. The sport became an Olympic medal event in 1992 in Albertville, and only two years later in Lillehammer, Canadians won gold in moguls, and silver and bronze medals at the first aerials event.
CITIUS, ALTIUS, FORTIUS, (Faster, Higher, Stronger)

These three words, comprising the motto of the Olympic movement, encourage the athlete in all of us to give our best during competition, and to view this effort as its own victory.

The Olympic Games have a 3,000 year history of bringing people together to give their best in competition. The Winter Games are the cold-weather complement to the original Olympic Summer Games. Held every four years, the Olympic Winter Games feature winter sports, all of which are held on ice or snow.

The only Olympic Winter Games held in Canada was in 1988, in the city of Calgary, Alberta. In 2010, Canada will proudly host the XXI Olympic Winter Games, this time in Vancouver, British Columbia let the Games begin!

2008 $4 Silver Coin—Triceratops 

UNIQUE SERIES WITH A SELECTIVE AGING EFFECT!

The iconic Triceratops, easily identified by the trio of horns on its face, was one of 14 horned (ceratopsian) species that roamed Alberta and Saskatchewan some 65 million years ago. Today, all that remains of these fearsome creatures are the fossils found in the rocky layers beneath western Canada’s soil—one of the richest dinosaur deposits on earth.
No two coins in the Giants of Prehistory Series are alike, thanks to a selective aging process that simulates the ancient rocks where dinosaur fossils are found. This Triceratops skull design has been approved by palaeontologists at the Royal Tyrell Museum in Alberta.

2008 50-Cent Triangle Coin—Milk Delivery

OUR FIRST EVER TRIANGLE-SHAPED COIN

Many Canadians have fond memories of a uniformed milkman delivering bottles of fresh dairy to their childhood homes. From the late 19th century to the 1960’s, dairy tokens were a fixture across the country, bought in advance by customers to pay for this once common house call.
Most dairies had their own unique tokens, often brightly coloured like this eyecatching triangular coin. It’s the third in our sell-out series of irregular-shaped coins and our first ever triangle-shaped coin that’s been beautifully enhanced with translucent enamel effect.
A short history of tokens.

Pre-Confederation tokens disappeared from circulation after the 1870’s and were replaced by new Canadian coinage. Still, local merchants continued to issue variously shaped trade tokens, exchangeable for a number of goods and services, like bread, milk or a shave. Though their use declined after the Second World War, some tokens, like those used in today’s public transit systems, have withstood the test of time.

2008 25-Cent Coloured Coin—Downy Woodpecker 

NEW COLLECTION!

Chances are you’ll hear the Downy Woodpecker before you see it; the sound of its signature dat-dat-dat-dat is a sure sign that it’s hammering a nearby tree to find a meal with its strong chisel-shaped beak.
This third issue in the Birds of Canada Series showcases the brightly coloured plumage of the male Downy, a distinctive dash of red that distinguishes the smallest and most familiar of the 13 Canadian woodpecker species.

For more information on the Downy Woodpecker, visit http://www.hww.ca/hww2.asp?id=39

 View all coins at the Royal Canadian Mint Shop for details and ordering