Maple Leaf Mommy

A Canadian Mom's Life: Family, Food & Fun

  • Home
  • Mom Life
    • Just My Life
    • From House to Home
    • Motherhood Confessions
    • Tips, Tricks & Hacks
    • Quotes & Inspiration
  • Family
    • Parenting
    • Family Travel
    • Raising Strong Girls
    • Sandwich Generation
    • Silly Kids
  • Food
    • Cooking with Kids
    • Recipes
  • Fun
    • Activities & Fun Stuff
    • Toys That Don’t Suck
    • We Love Books
    • Time Travel
  • About
    • About Me
    • Disclosure & Privacy Policy
    • Contact Me
You are here: Home / Fun / Royal Canadian Mint – Silver Lunar Lotus Year of the Dragon Coin

Royal Canadian Mint – Silver Lunar Lotus Year of the Dragon Coin

December 12, 2011 by Deanna Tousignant Leave a Comment

When the Royal Canadian Mint contacted me asking if I’d be interested in doing a review and giveaway for one of their coins I immediately said, “Yes!”  I had the chance to pick out a coin to review and I chose the $15 Fine Silver Lunar Lotus Year of the Dragon Coin , aka the 2012 coin for the “Year of the…” series based on the Chinese Lunar Calendar.

Why did I chose this coin? Well, I’m a gamer-geek and I live with a gamer geek husband, so a fantasy creature like a dragon is just an image that resonates with me.

Now I have a confession to make. While I have a small coin collection, it consists mainly of coins from ancient Greece and Rome. So while I know a little bit about ancient coins, when it comes to modern day coin collecting I know absolutely nothing. Aside from some discontinued banknotes ($2 bill anyone?) and silver dollars I have saved from when I was a child, this is my first experience with modern coin collecting.

When the coin arrived and I had a chance to view it in person I was simply awestruck.  Everything about this coin is absolutely gorgeous, from the packaging to the coin itself. It is a work of art.

The coin comes packaged in a presentation box, wrapped in a red cardstock sleeve. The sleeve is well made of beautiful thick cardstock and embossed in silver with the Royal Canadian Mint Logo. I worried that once I removed the cardboard sleeve I’d never get it back on again, but my concern was unjustified as I was able to slip it back on easily.

Inside the sleeve is the sturdy presentation box, covered in a dragon and flower patterned silver brocade, with a band of burgundy around the centre. When you open the box the lid is lined in black silk and again bears a silver “stamped” Royal Canadian Mint logo, while the bottom of the box is lined in black velvet with a circular indent made to hold the coin snugly.

There is a little fold out booklet explaining the background of the coin, what the Chinese New Year and the Year of the Dragon symbolize. This booklet is also the “certificate of authenticity”. It certifies that coin is “99.9% pure silver with a weight of 26.7 grams and a diameter of 38 millimetres”, that it was made by the Royal Canadian Mint and that it has a limited mintage. It shows the mintage number, 35667/48888. Which means that my particular coin is number 35667 of 48888 made worldwide (I had to have the rep from the Royal Canadian Mint explain this to me, I had no clue what a mintage number meant!) A little black silk ribbon in the lid holds the booklet neatly in place.

The coin is housed inside a thick clear plastic (I’d hazard a guess it’s acrylic) shell. This plastic outer case has a seam and looks as though it can be removed, but I’m leaving it on there.  I thought it was simply awesome that the coin came in a protective plastic case like this. No worries about finger prints, smudges or nicks.

Okay so that is a whole lot of gorgeousness and coolness, and we haven’t even gotten to the coin itself yet!

The coin is beautiful. It is absolutely lovely, and silver and shining in the light. I love the scalloped lotus shape. Parts of the coin are carved in or embossed and parts are raised. Okay, this shouldn’t surprise anyone — look at a quarter, you’ll see what I mean. But what really blew me away here is the level of detail. From the flower petals, to the dragons whiskers and even the ever so tiny individual dragon scales; all of it stands out in stark relief. You seriously have to see it yourself in person to get the full effect.

I think this beauty is going on display in our gaming area. This coin has sparked an interest in me to check out other offerings from the Royal Canadian Mint. Of course the previous two in this series, the Rabbit from 2011 and the Tiger from 2010, are sold out, or else I would be seriously tempted to pick them up.

The collectible nature of the coin, paired with the gorgeous way it’s presented, makes this the ideal present for anyone who is a reaching a major milestone in the coming year, or who was born in the Year of the Dragon. I think this would make a perfect wedding, anniversary, birthday or baby shower gift.  You can pick one up for $98.88 directly from the Royal Canadian Mint website or in person at select Canada Post outlets.

Disclosure: I was provided with a coin to review, as described above. As always, the opinions stated are my own and were not influenced by the free item received.

Related Posts

What do butlers do? What would you have a butler do for you?
ABC Friday Photo Share ~ Link up Your E Posts!
Flowers from Outer Space?

Filed Under: Canadian Giveaways, Finds, Fun Tagged With: collectibles, giveaway, review

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Maple Leaf Mommy SocialMaple Leaf Mommy on FacebookMaple Leaf Mommy on TwitterMaple Leaf Mommy on PinterestMaple Leaf Mommy on InstagramSubscribe to Maple Leaf Mommy's RSS FeedEmail Maple Leaf MommyImage Map

Welcome

Hi, I'm Deanna, a Canadian mom with two young girls, who loves to share our adventures through the everyday.

    Click here to discover more ABOUT ME.
    Click here to sign up for my LETTERS LIST.

SEARCH THIS SITE

My Current Giveaways

For more open to Canada giveaways check out the Great Canadian Giveaway Link-Up Updates weekly.

Brought to You By…

Moms buy baby clothes on DHgate

Timbuktu Labs

A Few Favourites

* Postpartum Depression in the 1950s

* Life Lessons, Kayaking with the Dolphins

* My Life as a Sandwich

* My Kid Has Special Needs, Maybe, Sorta

* Build Your Own Sushi, for Kids

* Four Secret Rules to Make Perfect Nachos

* Being Difficult, A Birth Story

* Pinterest Perfect Mom
(published in Canadian Family)


Copyright © 2010 - 2021 · Maple Leaf Mommy · All Rights Reserved
Disclosure & Privacy Policy · Contact for Data Inquires

Maple Leaf Mommy on FacebookMaple Leaf Mommy on TwitterMaple Leaf Mommy on PinterestMaple Leaf Mommy on InstagramRSS Feed for Maple Leaf MommyEmail Maple Leaf MommyImage Map

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on MapleLeafMommy.com. We collect anonymous data to improve Maple Leaf Mommy for your enjoyment. Your privacy matters to us!Okay, I'll allow it.NoPrivacy Policy
Revoke Cookies