The Royal Canadian Mint is wrapping up its Keepers of Parliament series with a 10-ounce silver coin that features gold plating and commemorates the statue of a lion that stands at the entrance to Canada’s parliament. The RCM is also ushering in 2019 with the Zodiac series of $5 coins. 

At the gates of the Parliament building in Ottawa, a lion guards the entrance to the Centre Block. 

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Constructed after a fire in 1916 destroyed much of the Parliament building, Canada’s Parliament features a number stone gargoyles and friezes adorning the Gothic revival style hall. The lion being commemorated flanks the front entrance, opposite a unicorn. Lions also appear in the government chambers, a nod to Canada’s close historic relationship to England. 

The Keepers of Parliament Lion coin echoes the influence even more overtly; the lion clutches a Union Jack in one paw and Canada’s national shield in the other. The coin’s gold plating highlights these two design elements, leaving the lion and rest of the reverse silver. On the obverse, Queen Elizabeth II’s bust is gilded, as are the rims of both the obverse and reverse. 

The gold-plated silver coin, was issued on Dec. 4, the last of the Keepers of Parliament series, a group of four coins designed to pay tribute to the notable stone carvings of the Canadian Parliament. Previous coins in the series paid homage to Parliament statues depicting a beaver and a soldier clad in World War I uniform, as well as the lion’s unicorn counterpart. All of the previous coins, issued earlier this year, feature, as the lion coin does, gold plating on certain parts of the design, the rims, and the bust of Queen Elizabeth that adorns the obverse of each. Each of the Keepers of Parliament can be purchased for $949.95 in Canadian funds. 

Zodiac series

In 2019, the RCM will be commemorating the Zodiac with a dozen silver $5 coins, released one per month for all of 2019. Each coin will feature a colorized depiction of the constellation that corresponds to its sign. 

The first one, which was released on Dec. 4, 2018, shows Capricorn, the astrological sign that encompasses the days between Dec. 22 and Jan. 20. 

On a dark blue enamel depiction of the night sky, stars that make up the Capricorn constellation are colored yellow to distinguish them from the other random stars in white. The enameled area is surrounded by a ring of Swarovski crystals. 

Each of the Zodiac $5 coins is priced at $54.95 Canadian from the RCM. 

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