A new Canadian coin looks like a fancy penny but it's worth so much more

The coin also features a "pulsating effect." 🍁

pile of canadian coins, including pennies

Canadian coins.

Rose Villote | Dreamstime
Senior Writer

A new Canadian coin that looks like a fancy penny is out now.

But it's worth much more than one cent, and it'll cost you more than a pretty penny, too!

Recently, the Royal Canadian Mint released the Silver Maple Leaf — 1-oz. Fine Silver Ultra-High Relief coin.

This coin looks like a penny, with a coppery edge and a maple leaf in the centre.

If you don't remember what a Canadian penny looks like since the coins haven't been minted in years, it's a copper-coloured coin with two maple leaves stemming from a tree branch.

Even though this new coin looks like a penny, it's worth more than one cent.

It has a face value of $20.

This coin is a nod to Canada's red fall foliage, and it features a rose gold-plated version of Walter Ott's Silver Maple Leaf bullion design struck in Ultra‑High Relief.

It's set against a conifer tree pattern to represent Canada's forests.

The tree pattern has a "pulsating effect," so tilting the coin makes it look like the forest is never-ending and shrouded in mist.

Also, the words "CANADA," "FINE SILVER 1 OZ ARGENT PUR," and the purity standard of "9999" are engraved on this side of the coin.

Silver Maple Leaf 1-oz. Fine Silver Ultra-High Relief coin.Royal Canadian Mint

The obverse side of the coin features an effigy of King Charles III by Canadian artist Steven Rosati.

It also has the copper-coloured design, with the rose gold-plated portrait of King Charles surrounded by a solid silver core and a rose gold edge.

Obverse of the Silver Maple Leaf 1-oz. Fine Silver Ultra-High Relief coin.Royal Canadian Mint

You won't find this coin in your change, even though it looks like a Canadian circulation coin.

It costs $174.95 and can be bought online or at the Royal Canadian Mint boutiques in Ottawa and Winnipeg.

There is a limited mintage of 8,500 coins.

According to the Mint, this Silver Maple Leaf coin is released annually with varying designs, and it's one of the "most popular" coins.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.

  • Senior Writer

    Lisa Belmonte (she/her) is a Senior Writer with Narcity Media. After graduating with a Bachelor of Journalism from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University), she joined the Narcity team. Lisa covers news and notices from across the country from a Canada-wide perspective. Her early coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic earned Narcity its first-ever national journalism award nomination.

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