The Royal Canadian Mint has issued its first concave coin in celebration of the 140th anniversary of Canada’s Library of Parliament. This ultra high relief issue is 99.99% silver, weighs 30.75 grams (an ounce is about 28.35 grams), and has a mintage limited to 6,000 coins. It has been given a purchase price of $159.95.

The reverse features a concave image of the Library’s domed ceiling. A statue of Queen Victoria occupies the foreground, just above the inscriptions CANADA, 1876, and 2016. The pine bookshelves and woodwork along the domed ceiling are rendered in Ultra High Relief, with an antique finish.





A launch ceremony for the new coin was held on Thursday, January 28, at the Parliament Library on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario. A Royal Canadian Mint press release notes that Senators, MP’s, and other special guests attended the event.

Sandra L. Hanington, President and CEO of the Royal Canadian Mint, expressed her satisfaction with the new issue’s homage to an important piece of Canadian history. “The Library of Parliament stands as both an architectural treasure of the early days of Confederation and an endearing guardian of Canada’s parliamentary traditions,” she said. “The Mint’s renowned innovation and craftsmanship bring to life the Library’s famous architecture with our very first concave coin.”

The obverse, the surface of which is convex, features Susanna Blunt’s portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, with the inscriptions ELIZABETH II, D.G. REGINA, and 25 DOLLARS placed along the rim.

For more information on the 2016 140th Anniversary of the Library of Parliament Fine Silver Coin, please visit the Web site of the Royal Canadian Mint.



