$20 coin marks cent's end

Canada’s latest “$20 for $20” coin marks the final circulation of the 1-cent denomination.

Images courtesy of www.mint.ca.

The Royal Canadian Mint’s latest “$20 for $20” coin — a silver coin that is sold at face value, plus shipping — bids “Farewell to the Penny.”

The piece is the fifth Specimen Finish .9999 fine silver $20 coin in a series that began in 2011, with each coin featuring a different theme. The new design celebrates Canada’s 1-cent coin, which will no longer circulate after Feb. 3.

The RCM will begin shipping the 2012 Farewell to the Penny .9999 fine silver $20 coin on Sept. 20. The coin was announced Aug. 23, with orders now being accepted.

Jesse Koreck’s commemorative design shows the iconic George E. Kruger-Gray maple leaf-twig design that has appeared on all 1-cent coins since 1937 (except for the 1967 Centennial design), but gently landing on water, as at the end of the season.

Specifications, face value, the date, CANADA and Koreck’s JK initials also appear in the fields.

The obverse features the Susanna Blunt effigy of Queen Elizabeth II, used for the first three coins in the $20 for $20 series. The Farewell coin follows the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee coin released in May (which shows Mary Gillick’s effigy of Queen Elizabeth II).

The first three designs honor the maple leaf, Canadian voyageurs and the polar bear.

Like the previous four coins in the series, the latest .9999 fine silver $20 coin contains 7.96 grams of pure silver (slightly more than a quarter-ounce) and the coin measures 27 millimeters in diameter.

All of the $20 for $20 coins have a Specimen Finish.

The mintage limit for the Farewell coin is 250,000 pieces, unchanged from the mintage limits for the last three coins. The Maple Leaf coin, the first in the series, had a mintage limit of 200,000 pieces.

Sales of the first release were restricted to Canadian residents, but all subsequent releases have been opened to U.S. sales.

Although the coins are being sold at face value, buyers must pay shipping fees. Shipping costs vary, ranging from $2.99 to $15, depending on method and delivery time.

RCM officials say that a holiday theme will appear on the next coin in the series, due for release in November.

Collectors can order the coins through the www.mint.ca website or via telephone. Telephone the RCM at 800-267-1871 or a dedicated phone line for the $20 for $20 coin, 800-267-1005.

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

Distributors in the United States and Canada may also stock the coin, but they would establish their rates.

Gatewest Coin Ltd., Brian Jenner Inc. and Talisman Coins are all official distributors for the RCM.

To contact Gatewest inside the United States, telephone the firm at 204-489-9112 or visit it online at www.gatewestcoin.com.

Write to Jenner at P.O. Box 2466-a, Pasco, WA 99302 or telephone him at 509-735-2172.

Contact Talisman by visiting the site www.talismancoins.com, telephone the business at 888-552-2646 or fax the company at 314-968-3801. ¦


Community Comments

NEWS