Well, I succumbed. I told myself I was going to stop adding Canada's new King Charles III 36mm Silver Dollars (SDs) to my collection and be content with my Queen Elizabeth II SDs. And then it happened, the hour was late, I was weak and my mouse finger was itching to click the "Add to Cart" button.
A few minutes later, Canada's 2025 Special Edition SD was purchased and in the Royal Canadian Mint's order delivery queue. There was just something about the SD's featured beaver design and its associated Canadian history that made me do it!
The coin commemorates the 50th Anniversary of the Beaver being recognized as an official symbol of Canada. While the beaver had already been used on Canada's five cent coin since 1937 - and had become a beloved animal figure - it was not an official National Symbol until 1975.
In that year, the National Symbol of Canada Act was given Royal assent by Queen Elizabeth II. The Act states: "It is hereby recognized and declared that the Beaver
(Castor canadensis) is a symbol of the sovereignty of Canada and it is proclaimed that any representation of the Beaver
(Castor canadensis) when used by Her Majesty in right of Canada shall be so used and so regarded."
Note:
(Castor canadensis) is commonly referred to as the North American beaver.
The SD's commemorative reverse was designed by Steve Hepburn. Mr. Hepburn is a freelance artist (illustrator, painter) based in Vancouver, British Columbia. He has designed more than two dozen coins for the Mint over the past 20 years. Hepburn's design "features a beaver with its broad tail wrapped around its body as it sits on a piece of wood." (Mint web site.) A Maple Leaf wreath - the Maple Leaf is the most-recognized National Symbol of Canada - encircles the beaver.
The obverse of the SD features a left-facing portrait of King Charles III; it was designed by Steven Rosati. (A two-sided "Steve" coin!
)
The Proof Special Edition SD is 36 millimeters (mm) in diameter and has a weight of 23.17 grams; it is 0.9999% pure silver and has a stated maximum of 15,000 units. As of the date of this post, it was still available for purchase on the Mint's web site.
2025 Special Edition Silver Dollar - 50th Anniversary of Beaver as Official National Symbol
For more of my topics on commemorative coins and medals, including more Canadian stories, see:
Commems Collection.
Posted 07/17/2025 7:35 pm
