The Royal Canadian Mint on Feb. 10 released its fifth silver $100 coin in the Wildlife in Motion series.

Also dubbed the “$100-for-$100” program by collectors, for the purchase price of $100 that matches the coin’s face value, the new design, showing the Canadian horse, has a lower mintage than earlier issues.

The petit cheval de fer — the “little iron horse,” as it is known in its native Quebec — survived near extinction to emerge as one of Canada’s official national symbols, according to the RCM. 

The Canadian horse is the purest North American horse breed. DNA testing proves it to be unrelated to other North American breeds.

The Matte Proof .9999 fine silver coin weighs 31.83 grams, measures 40 millimeters in diameter and has a mintage limit of 45,000 pieces.

That limit is down from the 50,000 mintage limit established for the first four coins in the series. Those pieces honor the bison, grizzly bear, bald eagle and bighorn sheep, respectively. The 10 percent reduction in mintage could indicate flagging interest in the denomination as the RCM continues to expand the face value concept across several denominations. After launching $20 coins, the program's expansion includes $50, $100 and $200 coins at face value. The concept has spread abroad, notably to the Royal Mint, which has issued several silver £20 coins at face value.

The reverse design by Canadian artist Claudio D’Angelo centers on a Canadian horse in full gallop across a grassy meadow. Its wavy mane and tail, head and neck, and powerful musculature are rendered in detail. In the distant background, rolling farmland rises past a vast river.

The obverse depicts Susanna Blunt’s effigy of Queen Elizabeth II. 

The coin is available through the RCM to collectors in Canada and the United States at its face value, with a limit of three coins per household, and an additional shipping charge.

The price U.S. customers will pay through the RCM website will fluctuate based on exchange rate at the time of purchase.

Distributors offer the coin at fixed prices in U.S. dollars.

Gatewest Coins offers the coin for $91.95.

To order from Gatewest, visit its website.

Talisman Coins offers the coin for $89.95.

To order from Talisman, visit its website.

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