For its newest commemorative coin, the Royal Canadian Mint goes where no mint has gone before.

The Proof 2018 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine silver $20 coin is shaped like the space station on the television series of the same name, in celebration of the series’ 25th anniversary.

The RCM used “radical new minting techniques” such as edge contouring, as well as the more commonly employed application of vibrant color to produce the coin. 

From Gul Dukat’s machinations to the Dominion War, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine set itself apart from other Star Trek series with season-spanning story arcs and character-driven plots that resonated with American and Canadian fans alike. 

The coin, with its out-of-this-world view of the series’ galactic setting, was minted using what the RCM characterizes as a radically new edge shaping technology that allows continuation of the engraved design to extend from the faces onto the rim. 

Far from making the irregularly shaped Deep Space Nine space station fit within a typical round coin planchet, the RCM has ensured the coin’s shape follows the station’s contours — including the recessed docking bays.

The serration depth that creates the space station’s edge contour is 6.5 times deeper than the standard minting, according to the RCM. 

Officially classified by Starfleet as a “hybrid planar-columnar tri-radial structure,” Deep Space Nine’s shape is defined in part by an outer docking ring, which lines the coin’s edge and which is punctuated by 12 docking ports and a series of thrusters. 

Inside Coin World: Building a $20,000 collection of U.S. coins. Features in the Aug. 6 issue focus on building a $20,000 collection of U.S. coins, world coins depicting despots and dictators, and national bank notes from Coin World’s own hometown.

Another defining feature, the towering docking pylons, extend toward an inner habitat ring, which is linked to a spherical central core. The station’s placement on the coin’s surface allows for a largely unobstructed view of the full-color image that fills the field of the reverse, where the Bajoran wormhole (top left) adds a bright swirl of hues to the snapshot of the Bajoran system. 

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A different view of the station in its galactic locale is featured on the obverse, where a fine color outline augments the engraved legends. The Susanna Blunt effigy of Queen Elizabeth II is centered on the obverse within the broader design. 

The $20 coin weighs 30.75 grams and measures 36.15 millimeters in diameter.

The coin has a mintage limit of 4,500 pieces and retails for $149.95 Canadian.

To learn more, or order the coin, visit the RCM website, www.mint.ca.