(Editors update: the 2019-W silver American Eagle has an Enhanced Reverse Proof finish.)

The United States Mint and Royal Canadian Mint will both be selling the joint Pride of Two Nations Two-Coin Set, to be released July 3, with different packaging from the two issuers, and the Canadian version has an edition limit a tenth the size of the U.S. edition’s limit.

Both versions of the set contain a Modified Proof 2019 Canadian $5 silver Maple Leaf coin and an Enhanced Reverse Proof 2019-W American Eagle silver dollar. It is the first time the two nations are using the special finishes on their respective coins, according to the two agencies.

The U.S. Mint version of the product is restricted to 100,000 sets. The RCM is issuing a maximum total of 10,000 sets, which is not included in the U.S. Mint total.

While the U.S. Mint is imposing a household order limit of five sets for the American version, the RCM has no ordering restriction on its product.

In the set offered by the U.S. Mint, the American Eagle is housed in a plastic capsule inserted in an opening in the left side of the display box, and the Canadian $5 coin is encapsulated and positioned to the right. The backdrop artwork in the underside of the U.S. Mint’s box lid illustrates the American flag at the left and Canadian flag at the right.

The packaging for the RCM-issued set has all of those elements, including the location of the coins in the set, reversed.

The outside of the lid for the U.S. Mint’s set has the U.S. Mint seal imprinted at left and the RCM seal at right. On the RCM-packaged set, the logo positions are reversed.

The set to be issued by the U.S. Mint is priced at $139.95 in U.S. funds. For the set available through the RCM or one of its Canadian distributors, the price is $189.95 in Canadian funds.

American Eagle silver $1

The U.S. Mint has never before issued an American Eagle exhibiting an Enhanced Reverse Proof Finish. 

In describing the finish on the Enhanced Reverse Proof coin, the U.S. Mint stated, “The field is frosted like our signature Reverse Proof product. The artwork is selectively frosted and polished at different levels to highlight various design elements.”

On a Reverse Proof coin, the finish shows mirrored elements against frosted fields, the opposite of the standard Proof finish, which exhibits frosted devices against mirrored fields. 

Maple Leaf silver $5

The reverse of the Maple Leaf silver $5 coin features Walter Ott’s classic sugar maple design, first created in 1979. The design rests on a background of radial lines encircled by a pattern of stars and maple leaves at the perimeter.

This same pattern surrounds the Susanna Blunt effigy of Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse.

The Maple Leaf silver $5 coin bears what the RCM is calling a Modified Proof finish. According to RCM spokesman Alex Reeves, “The textbook definition of a Proof finish consists of a frosted central motif, with frosted inscriptions over a mirror field.

“This is the way we strike our annual Proof Silver Dollar for example. In the Pride of Two Nations Limited Edition Two-Coin Set, our inscriptions have the same natural shine as the field instead of a frosted appearance, creating a coin with a modified proof finish.”

The RCM has a number of distribution points for its version of the set.

The Canadian set may be ordered directly from the RCM at 800-267-1871 in Canada or 800-268-6468 for RCM customers in the United States, or online. The RCM set will also be available at the RCM’s outlets in Ottawa and Winnipeg, as well as through its global network of dealers and distributors, including participating Canada Post outlets. 

The U.S. set can be ordered by phone at 800-872-6468 or online. 

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