Our Tribute: W Mint Mark series continues with Coin #3

Proudly minted at the Royal Canadian Mint's Winnipeg facility, the circulation-themed Tribute: W Mint Mark series continues with Coin #3.

It is rarely used in day-to-day transactions but Canada’s 50-cent coin continues to be a favourite of collectors year after year. Our most elusive circulating coin denomination is celebrated on the third Tribute: W Mint Mark collectible, which invites a renewed appreciation for the intricate heraldic design that imbues this “minted in Winnipeg” tribute with a stately quality.

Coin #3 in the first pure silver collector series struck in Winnipeg.

Good to know

From the Winnipeg Mint. You’ve never seen Canada’s circulation coin designs quite like this: in 99.99% pure silver with a tailored specimen finish, and bearing the “W” mint mark of the Winnipeg Mint.

“W” Mint Mark. Coin #3 of a six-part series of 1 oz. 99.99% pure silver coins, a rarity for the Winnipeg Mint, which typically focuses its efforts on circulation coins rather than numismatic ones, and that’s why the “W” mint mark is so unique.

Tailored specimen finish. There’s a satin sheen to the 50-cent coin’s reverse design, and the field’s textured appearance is the result of angled lines inspired by the Winnipeg Mint’s pyramid-shaped building.

Celebrate Canada’s circulation coins. An affordable series for collectors of all ages, the new Tribute: W Mint Mark series celebrates Canada’s circulation coins and tells their story. This is the first pure silver numismatic series struck at our Winnipeg facility.

Honouring history. These circulation coin designs are part of Canada’s history and our heritage, and who better to tell their story than the facility that produces them!

The series continues in 2024. The series kicked off in 2023 with a tribute to the $2 circulation coin, and there’s still more to come:
   o Coin 1: Polar Bear
   o Coin 2: Loon
   o Coin 3: Coat of Arms
   o Coin 4: Caribou
   o Coin 5: Bluenose
   o Coin 6: Beaver

Includes serialized certificate. The Royal Canadian Mint certifies all of its collector coins.

No GST/HST

Struck in Winnipeg

The Dominion of Canada debuted a 50-cent coin as part of the first national coinage issued in 1870 – the year Manitoba entered Confederation as Canada’s fifth province, and more than a century before the Winnipeg plant was established. Once the Royal Canadian Mint's high-tech facility in Winnipeg was established, its presses have produced every 50-cent circulation coin since 1976, including a commemorative “Canada 150” edition in 2017 – one of the few modern issues with a different reverse design than the heraldic art seen on this coin.

Did you know

The Royal Canadian Mint's Winnipeg facility produces up to 4 billion circulation coins in total per year, and while mintages for the other denominations each figure in the millions, only a few hundred thousand 50-cent pieces are produced each year – and they are only available as rolls or in coin sets.

About the design

Your coin is encapsulated and presented in a black Royal Canadian Mint-branded clamshell with a black beauty box.

Reverse: W Mark Coat of Arms

A numismatic tribute to Canada’s 50-cent circulation piece, this all-silver coin’s reverse features the Canadian Coat of Arms design by Cathy Bursey-Sabourin, along with the “W” (Winnipeg) mint mark denoting where this coin was struck.

Obverse: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

The obverse features the effigy of Queen Elizabeth II by Susanna Blunt. The obverse also bears a special marking that includes four pearls symbolizing the four effigies that have graced Canadian coins and the double date of her reign.

Product # 246023

50-Cent Pure Silver Coin - Tribute: W Mint Mark - Coat of Arms (2024)