Canada’s most recent dinosaur discovery is also the most recent subject of a commemorative coin.

The Proof .9999 fine silver $20 coin, the third in the Canadian Dinosaurs series, was released July 2.

The newest discovery, the Xenoceratops foremostensis, is also the oldest species discovered in Canada.

In 2012, a team of Canadian palaeontologists led by Dr. Michael Ryan and Dr. David Evans rediscovered a series of fossils collected in 1958 from Alberta’s Foremost Formation, near the village of Foremost. Ryan and Evans also collected an additional fragmentary skull of the xenoceratops from just north of Foremost that confirmed aspects of its reconstruction. 

Researchers believe this dinosaur was about the size of a rhinoceros and weighed nearly 2 tons.

An interpretation of how the dinosaur may have looked appears on the reverse of the coin, which was designed by Julius Csotonyi.

Viewed from the front on its right side, this full-body portrait presents some of xenoceratops’ most striking features, including its beak-like mouth, vast spiky skull frill, horns, large muscular body, and relatively short legs. It walks on four-clawed feet across a smooth, stony land mass, its small right eye cast upon the viewer. 

The scientific accuracy of the coin’s design was verified by Ryan and Evans, according to the Royal Canadian Mint.

The Xenoceratops foremostensis has been detailed with multiple frostings accents signifying its body features and markings and creating a “pebble-textured hide.” 

The obverse of the coin carries the Susanna Blunt effigy of Queen Elizabeth II.

The coin weighs 31.39 grams and measures 38 millimeters in diameter.

The coin has a mintage limit of 8,500 pieces and retails for $89.95 in Canadian funds.

Order details

The U.S. prices for collectors in the United States buying from the RCM fluctuate with the exchange rate, calculated at the time of purchase. 

Telephone the RCM inside the United States at 800-268-6468. In Canada, telephone the RCM at 800-267-1871. Visit the RCM website to order.

Gatewest Coin Ltd. and Talisman Coins, official distributors for the RCM, carry the coin at fixed prices in U.S. dollars. 

Gatewest offers the coin for $78.45 in U.S. funds; Talisman’s price is $79.95 with purchases of five or more available for $77.95 each. 

To contact Gatewest, telephone the firm at 888-565-2646 or visit its website. 

Telephone Talisman at 888-552-2646 or visit its website.