Canadian Silver Grizzly Coins
The Canadian Silver Grizzly Coin is attracting a lot of excitement and anticipation in coin collecting circles, and since it is very apt to sell out shortly after it is made available – despite its issue of one million coins – it would probably be prudent to buy your coins soon after their release. Otherwise, you will need to rely on acquiring them through the secondary market, which will probably witness swiftly rising prices due to continuing demand.
The Silver Grizzly is likely to be quite famous as the launching coin of the new wildlife series of silver bullion coins that the Royal Canadian Mint began in 2011. It has the same very high production values as other contemporary Canadian coins, including the standard 99.99% pure silver composition, which sets it 0.09% ahead of its nearest competitors. The face value of $5 Canadian also makes it a more attractive coin than the smaller face value coins other mints prefer.
The coin will be available singly or in tubes of 25 – and some dealers may even sell off full boxes of the coins for a bit more than $20,000, as is the case with the Silver Maple. The mint’s Vancouver retail store, located at 752 Granville Street, is another potential source for the coin.
Properties of the Canadian Silver Grizzly
The Canadian Silver Grizzly is, in most of its physical characteristics, a standard Canadian Silver Maple Leaf coin. Like all coins from the northern nation, the Grizzly is struck from the purest possible silver, with at least 99.99% pure silver in its composition. It weighs in at exactly 1 troy ounce (31.1 grams), and is 1.5 inches (38 mm) across. Its thickness is 0.12 inches, or 2.87 mm, and its edges are milled.
The obverse of the Silver Grizzly shows the effigy of Queen Elizabeth II, and, as with all Canadian coins struck since 2005, the monarch’s visage is shown as she appeared at age 79. This portrait was made by the artist Susanna Blunt. The legend inscribed on the coin says “Elizabeth II” curved above the Queen’s head, while the words “5 Dollars 2011” appear along the lower edge of the coin. In this regard, the coin is identical to Silver Maple Leaves.
The coin’s reverse shows a rather stiffly posed grizzly bear standing in front of a background of half abstracted mountains, its head thrown back and its mouth open in a roar. The art was created by William Woodruff, an engraver at the Mint. Again, echoing the design of the Silver Maple Leaves, the Silver Grizzly features the inscription “Canada” at its top, while the bottom curve of the reverse shows the words “WW Fine Silver 1 Oz. Argent Pur 9999”. This is slightly different from the Maple coins, substituting the initials of Woodruff for the usual 9999.
The first coins have been seen and their design fully confirmed in January at the World Money Fair, which is held in Berlin, Germany annually for the elite of the numismatic sphere. The coin is a fine tribute to one of the most powerful North American mammals, and will be appreciated for many years to come both for its value and for its undoubted elegance.
History of the Canadian Silver Grizzly
Among the beasts of the North American continent, the grizzly bear is assuredly one of the most lordly. These huge bears survive in wildlife refuges in the United States, as well as in the wilderness of Canada and Alaska. Weighing up to half a ton and holding the title of apex predator in whatever habitat it dwells in (with the exception of mankind, of course), the grizzly is a powerful emblem of the wild places of the north, almost as iconic as the maple tree of Canada or the stone pines of Siberia.
The Royal Canadian Mint has chosen to issue a Canadian Silver Grizzly coin – a $5 (Canadian) face value silver coin which is part of the Canadian Wildlife series. This coin is due to be released in conjunction with a Wolf coin, with an additional four wildlife coins planned for striking in the near future. More of the coins are due later in this year, 2011, or will be announced then, but for now, the Silver Grizzly is the most spectacular of the budding series.
Canadian silver coins are among the most prized in the world, for the simple reasons that they are higher quality than even the fine coins produced by the United States and Australia both because of their beautiful design, and because they are 99.99% fine silver, which outdoes the silver content of any other silver coin currently offered on the international market. Their worldwide fame assures that they will retain their value – and gain more – as time goes on, due to their extremely collectible nature.
The Silver Grizzly is being released now to take advantage of the modern age’s focus on environment themes, and man’s yearning for the beauty of nature. Beyond this, it is simply another link the the Royal Canadian Mint’s chain of highly marketable releases, designed specifically to be extremely distinctive and attractive to collectors. The Mint is one of the world’s youngest, yet it has overtaken most of its other competition in terms of quality, volume of releases, and popularity – perhaps showing that it is still quivering with the vigorous, fiery sap of youth.
The Silver Grizzly itself has not yet been released for sale to the general public, so it does not yet have a story of its own. However, the release – which is to have a total mintage of a million coins – is eagerly anticipated, and will probably sell out quite swiftly. Distributors on the Mint’s chosen list have already preordered every one of the million coins, expecting the issue to be very lucrative for them. If you are interested in Canadian silver coins, then the Canadian Silver Grizzly is likely a good choice for your collection, whether you are buying it as a trophy or as an investment in bullion coins.
