Ten years after breaking new ground by launching the world's first coloured circulation coin on October 21, 2004, the Royal Canadian Mint has continuously raised the bar on innovation within the minting industry by introducing new technologies and coinage solutions.
"The Royal Canadian Mint is a great example of made-in-Canada innovation," said the Honourable Joe Oliver, Minister of Finance and Minister responsible for the Royal Canadian Mint. “The Mint has a proud history of advancing the art and science of coin manufacturing - a history all Canadians can be proud of."
"Our employees are innovating every day to bring Canadians and our international customers the most secure coins in the world, while developing products and services which have set us apart from the competition time and time again," said Marc Brûlé, Interim President and CEO of the Royal Canadian Mint. "We will continue to push the envelope as we strive to meet our vision to be the best mint in the world".
A cornerstone of the Mint's innovative efforts include the introduction of overt and covert security features which, since 2012, have made Canada's $1 and $2 circulation coins the most secure in the world. The unrivalled combination of advanced security features applied to these high-value circulation coins earned the International Association of Currency Affairs' inaugural Best New Coin Innovation Excellence in Currency Award for the world's most significant coin security advance of the year in 2013.
Industry-first security features were also added to the Mint's renowned Gold Maple Leaf (GML) and Silver Maple Leaf (SML) bullion coins. In 2013, the GML became a global security leader by featuring a micro-engraved laser mark, only viewable under magnification, which helps confirm a coin's authenticity. This same security feature is now integral to the 2014 1 oz., 99.99% pure SML, as is a new finish formed of complex radial lines machined at microns-wide intervals giving the coin an inimitable light diffracting pattern.
Other innovations introduced by the Mint over the past decade include the following:
• The establishment of its state-of-the-art silver refinery in 2006, using a novel and cost-effective process;
• Producing the 99.999% pure gold Million Dollar Coin in 2007, which was certified by Guinness World Records as the world's largest gold coin;
• Creating the unforgettable series of athlete medals for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games. The radically undulating face of the medals was the boldest evidence of ground-breaking creative and technical achievement, writing a new chapter in the history of the Olympic and Paralympic Games medals;
• The 2012 glow-in-the-dark dinosaur collector coin was the world's first-ever photo-luminescent coin and global phenomenon, winning the Krause Publications 2014 Coin of the Year award in the Most Innovative Coin award category;
• Celebrating the Diamond Jubilee Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 2012 by being the first mint in the world to issue a coin integrating a genuine diamond, locked inside the coin's rim as the coin itself was struck:
• The Mint's popular 2013 Superman™ series included the world's first coin to feature an achromatic hologram. The Mint took a technology first developed for passports and other high security documents to new heights to give a flat surface the amazing look of a fully engraved, 3-D image; and
• The opening of its plating facility expansion and the Hieu C. Truong Centre of Excellence for Research and Development in 2013, ensuring that the Mint remains at the leading edge of minting technology.
