June RCM 2022 New Releases

Thanks for the update!

The "Moments to Hold" coin might be of some interest, but that's about it for me this month!


Oh, good! Another commemorative coin for a commemorative coin.

Can't imagine paying $275 for 1/20th ounce of gold $5500/ounce is quite a markup - especially when they are also offering a 1/10th ounce at the same time for $349.95 and $389.95 'year of the Tiger' and 'Majestic Polar Bear' respectively.... that's nearly $2000 per ounce less. The only coin in this release that maintained it's regular price was the 2 ounce 'Visions' at $189.95.

I just can't justify this anymore. I used to think - "well, at the end of the day, I still at least have my bullion value" But when the purchase price is so much more ..... and getting even more.... Yes... Nice looking coins but I'm spending less on coins - and more in my gas tank.

There are a few well understood acronyms in Canadian numismatics... GML & SML for Gold Maple Leaf and Silver Maple Leaf both bullion and NCLT... there are others (ASE?) but I would like to introduce one more that seems fitting... YAML. "Yet another Maple Leaf" We have the bullion versions, the incuse, the super incuse, the Ultra-High Relief, the "Twig" for the penny design... Yeah.. that one where we were "promised" 10 years ago that the last Penny had been struck... there have been how many NCLT penny releases in the last 10 years... definitely enough to say that the promise of 2012 was not kept.

So while the RCM has checked innovation and good coin design at the door and continues to pump out YAMLs and other re-treads I will check my interest in their monthly releases.

@vonigohcr: I know how you feel!

Back in 2001, the Mint launched a series of coloured maple leaf coins. In 2001 and 2002, the coins had an "Autumn" and "Summer" theme, respectively, with the leaves coloured to match, Beginining in 2003, the coins featured different types of maple leaf trees. In 2003 it was the "Sugar" maple tree (with green leaves) , in 2004 the was the focus was on the "Red" maple tree, in 2005 the "Big Leaf" or "Broadleaf" maple tree was highlighted, in 2006 the "Silver" maple tree was the subject and in 2007 it was the "Sugar" maple taking another turn, this time with its orange leaves of fall. IMO, the selective colourization of the leaves on each coin was attractive and almost "traditional" in presentation.

In 2008, the Mint issued a coloured maple leaf coin bedazzled with a crystal raindrop. The simple elegance of the previous coins was destroyed and gone was my collecting interest in them. I soon began to lose interest in the Mint's maple leaf-themed coins and stopped collecting them altogether a couple of years later. Today, regardless of what type of spin the Mint tries to put on its maple leaf design, I remain uninterested.

A collector - at least this one - only needs so many maple leaf coins!

Recent issue of Canadian Coin News reports RCM record profits, we make them, someone buys them, that kind of answers that

I think I'll buy the penny if it's NOT oversized (must fit in a 2x2). I'll have to wait until the Mint offers them to the public to check on this and the others new for June.

I don't think the question has ever been IF someone is buying the latest Mint offerings, it's obvious that folks are. I think the question has been more WHO is the SOMEONE who is buying them. Coin collectors? One-off pop culture fans? Topical art fans? Optimistic speculators/investors?

I don't know the answer to the question, but I'd sure like to know!

There are those to whom Pokemon is the epitome of building a collection... "Gotta get them all". Even if I had the funds, that would not be me. I like to have some thematic driver behind my collection. An example is that I have a complete collection of 27mm $100 gold from the 1976 Montreal Olympics coin through to 2020. I stopped the collection in 2021 because the series changed. The images were too small to resolve in the detail I expect from $100 Gold.

Similar to @commems, I maintain a series of 36mm Silver Dollars, if the format changes... I will tap out.

In other pursuits, I collect guitars though to be honest, I am much more hands-on with the guitars... I am not sure if you can play a coin though Brian May (Queen) uses a silver sixpence as a pick (plectrum). I was in no way tempted to "cross-over" the Solomon Islands Stratocaster coins sold by the RCM with my actual Stratocaster collection...

It is my thesis that a collection is more than just a pile of stuff. It tells a story, it allows you to specialize in certain fields and that only adds to the enjoyment of the hobby. You can see that on the circulation forums... There are some contributors to those discussions who know more about the history of Canadian coins than just about anybody at the mint. @commems routinely impresses with the deep dives into Canadian commemoratives published on this very forum board. The knowledge brought from research is an inseparable aspect of any hobby. I can discuss for hours the differences between a Nitro and a Poly finish on a guitar's tone and whether the Fender scale length is better than the Gibson scale length and why PRS may have got it right by splitting the difference... I am happy that the mint is making money... I just wish it were with better products more suited to a collection than a pile of stuff.

I actually only regret missing 2 NCLT... the aforementioned 2018 Angel of Victory... At the time I thought it too expensive and was willing to wait for it to show on the secondary market... 4 years on and not a peep. The other was the 2015 $200 gold Singing Moon. That would help complete a 1st Nation Mask Themed series. These are the only NCLT that I am actively seeking...

My primary collection focus these days are UK pre-decimal crowns, UK pre-decimal sovereigns and Canadian circulating silver dollars from 1935 to 1967 though as mentioned earlier, I have developed an appreciation for world silver bullion.