The Royal Canadian Mint
The Royal Canadian Mint was formed in 1908. It has been a world leader in Gold coin and Silver coin production, running the gamut from numismatic coins to bullion coins. The Royal Canadian Mint makes one of the world’s most widely recognized and respected coins, the Gold Maple Leaf, renowned for its purity and unique security features.
Beyond the Canadian Mint’s prowess, it has a background laced through both Canadian history and geography.
Distributed Locations
The Canadian Mint consists of two mint locations in Canada:- The Ottawa Mint - The Ottawa Mint produces handcrafted collector and commemorative coins, Gold bullion coins, medals and medallions. This mint also performs master tooling to create the dies that strike coin designs for both circulation and commemorative issues. The Royal Canadian Mint’s Gold refining and advanced engineering operations are also located in Ottawa.
- The Winnipeg Mint - The Winnipeg Mint is the Royal Canadian Mint’s high-tech, high-volume manufacturing facility. Every single Canadian coin in circulation is produced from this mint.
The Royal Canadian Mint specializes in creating state-of-the-art Canadian Gold and Canadian Silver coins. Their two locations provide this mint unique versatility.
World-Renowned Products
The Canadian Mint is a longstanding producer of incredible Gold coins and Silver coins. Canadian coins’ value stands out from competitors around the world. Some of the RCM’s most well known coins include:
Gold Coins
Silver Coins
Canadian coins are internationally respected. Indeed, their time-tested prominence reaches back over 100 years.
History of the Royal Canadian Mint
The RCM got its start in 1908, corresponding with an era of expanding Gold production in the Yukon and British Columbia. A refinery was needed to perform the complex chemical work of bringing raw, recently mined Gold up to coinage standards without shipping it all the way back to the United Kingdom. The Canadian Mint's original refinery in Ottawa was completed in 1911
The Ottawa Mint opened its doors under the watchful eye of the Governor General Earl Grey on January 2, 1911. Under his direction, the mint struck Canada’s first domestically produced coin, a fifty-cent piece. On that same day, the Countess Grey closed the ceremony by striking Canada's first bronze cent.
Recent History
During the First World War, the RCM served the British Empire well. Far from enemy fire, it produced large, essential quantities of Gold bars which were used by Great Britain to pay its debts to other countries.
In 1931, the heritage building on Sussex Drive, the surrounding land and the entire minting enterprise passed into Canadian hands, making the mint a wholly Canadian institution. In 1976, the Royal Canadian Mint boosted its operations, opening a high-speed press in the brand new Winnipeg facility.
Just six years later in 1982, the first Gold Maple Leaf coins were introduced. In 1988, the Royal Canadian Mint launched the matching Silver Maple Leaf bullion coin series.
2014 was the advent of the Canadian Mint’s new anti-counterfeiting measures. With new technological advancements, Gold coins and Silver coins have never been more secure. The Royal Canadian Mint uses Bullion Digital Non-Destructive Activation (DNA) technology to guarantee the integrity of these Canadian coins.
Learn more about the Royal Canadian Mint, their history and their products.
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