The Ultimate, a diamond-encrusted Proof platinum coin weighing more than one kilogram produced by the Royal Canadian Mint, sold in a Heffel Fine Art Auction House sale on May 31 for more than $1.2 million Canadian. The price, which includes auction house fees, exceeded its $700,000 to $900,000 Canadian estimate.

The unique $2,500 coin was offered exclusively through Heffel by the RCM and is part of the Opulence series, a collection of what the RCM’s website describes as “a new elite collection of high-value coins launching in 2022.”

Struck in and dated 2021, “The Ultimate” is a platinum coin with 462 hand-set pink diamonds (totaling 6.5 carats), “graded as Fancy Vivid and Fancy Intense” according to the RCM’s website, from the now-closed Argyle Mine in Australia.

The reverse design, by Derek C. Wicks, features an intricate central cherry blossom. It is filled with what the RCM describes as “an exquisite clustered bouquet” of small cherry blossoms and leaves, “rose gold-plated, platinum cast jewellery pieces fashioned by Beverly Hills Jewellers.” Two branches, also bearing the cherry blossoms, encircle the central large blossom.

The pink diamonds are hand-set into the petals of each of the small blossoms, those in the center as well as those on the branches, “more than two dozen flowers,” the RCM said, and diamonds also encircle the coin’s border. Selective rose gold plating around the rim accentuates the design.

The coin has a 101.6-millimeters diameter and a composition of 99.95% platinum, with the balance of rose gold.

Susanna Blunt’s effigy of Queen Elizabeth II appears on the obverse with a cherry blossom field pattern. The coin’s edge is serrated.

The coin’s $1,261,250 price included a 20% buyer’s fee.

Other limited-edition coins in the Opulence series also include pink diamonds. “Treasure” is a 1-ounce gold coin with a mintage of 400 pieces, “Grandeur” is a 2-ounce platinum coin with a mintage of 30 pieces, and “Splendour” is a 10-ounce platinum coin with a mintage of five pieces.

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