In 2012, the Royal Canadian Mint issued a number of coins in honor of the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's reign. A subset of these coins featured the QEII Royal Cypher as part of their commemorative reverse design. There was a gold 1/10th ounce $5 coin, a one-ounce silver $20 coin and a silver-plated copper 50-cents coin with selective colouring.
Queen Elizabeth II ascended to the throne of England upon the death of her father (King George VI) on February 6, 1952; her coronation took place more than a year later on June 2, 1953. When she passed on September 8, 2022, she was 96 years old and had reigned for 70 years. She was the longest-reigning monarch in United Kingdom history.
I'm not a big "Royal" collector, but was intrigued by the silver-plated 50-cent coin and, as its issue price was attractive, I placed my order!
The coin's obverse features the Susanna Blunt portrait of QE II. The reverse has the Royal Cypher at its center, with a depiction of St. Edward's Crown above it. Encircling the Cypher from below is a wreath consisting of maple leaves in the colors of the seasons. The combination of Cypher and wreath is symbolic of the union of the Queen's power and Canada's sovereignty. In recognition of the 60th anniversary, the bottom of the wreath features a diamond with "60" within it. The crown, Cypher and wreath are colourized.
The Royal Cypher is essentially the monarch's monogram. In the case of Queen Elizabeth II, the Cypher reads "E II" (Elizabeth II) followed by "R" (Regina or Queen) - the convention is name initial(s) followed by title initial.
The 50-cent coin is fitted into a custom-printed, full-colour folder that provides brief historical background on the Queen's Diamond Jubilee (60th Anniversary as Queen) and the Royal Cypher. The folder presents its content in English and French. I have provided images of the folder's panels below - I won't repeat the information they present.
The coin was available in general release on March 5, 2012, with an issue price of $29.95 (CAD). The coin did not have a stated maximum mintage - it was to be struck to meet demand. Per the Mint's
Annual Reports for 2012 and 2013, 30,529 of the sets were sold in 2012 and an additional 371 sets were sold in 2013 for a combined total of 30,900. As noted above, the coin is silver-plated copper (such is noted on the obverse under QEII's portrait - "SP/PA" for "Silver Plated / Plaqué Argent".
The coin has a weight of 32.82 grams and a diameter of 42 millimeters. Its finish is Specimen.
The coin is embedded in the folder and would have to be cut out if I wanted to store the coin individually. As I mentioned in a recent thread, I don't find the storage of these folders to be much of a hassle and I like keeping them intact with their subject coin. My Diamond Jubilee Set remains in its outer plastic sleeve (as received from the Mint). The sleeve does not restrict/prevent the viewing of any of the folder's panels, so I don't see the need to remove the set from it and/or discard it - it offers effective protection.
2012 QEII Diamond Jubilee Set: Front Panel
2012 QEII Diamond Jubilee Set: Interior Left Panels
2012 QEII Diamond Jubilee Set: Interior Right Panel
2012 QEII Diamond Jubilee Set: Interior Flap - Front
2012 QEII Diamond Jubilee Set: Back Panel
For other of my posts about commemorative coins and medals, including stories about other Canadian commemorative pieces, see:
Commems Collection.
Posted 11/05/2023 09:12 am
