Canada: New silver Proof coin remembers Manitoba Confederation anniversary and first-ever cupro-nickel commemorative dollar

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The Royal Canadian Mint has released new silver Proof collector coins which are in celebration of Manitoba Day. This year is being remembered as the 150th anniversary the western province joined the Canadian Confederation on the 12th May 1870. The circumstances of the pandemic delayed its release and the broader celebration of Manitoba 150by one year. On the centenary anniversary, which was observed in 1970, the Royal Canadian Mint released their first-ever cupro-nickel commemorative circulation-type dollar coin with a reduced diameter and weight. The change to cupro-nickel was adopted after silver was removed from circulation coins ranging from one dollar to 10 cents in 1968. Both the one-dollar and 50-cent coins were then minted and reduced in diameter and weight to more practical versions.

The province of Manitoba is also of significant importance to the Royal Canadian Mint, as it is the home of their state-of-the-art production facility located in the city of Winnipeg. This is where every Canadian circulation coin has been produced since 1976.

The commemorative Manitoba coins are dated 2020 and were postponed from an earlier release date. The reverse design is a faithfully reproduced version of the 1970 Manitoba Centennial nickel dollar by Canadian artist Raymond Taylor. Featured in the centre is the official floral emblem of Manitoba, the prairie crocus (Anemone patens), which was officially adopted as the floral emblem of Manitoba on the 16th March 1906 and is surrounded by the updated inscription MANITOBA 1870-2020 that commemorates the province’s 150th anniversary. The denomination 30 DOLLARS is placed below the primary design.

The obverse features a laser-engraved repeated pattern of a portion of the Manitoba 150 logo, which provides a background to the historic effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II created by Arnold Machin and seen on all Canadian circulation coinage from 1965 until 1989.

Denom.	Metal	Weight	Diameter	Quality	Maximum Mintage
30 dollars	.9999 Silver	62.6 g	50 mm	Proof	2,500

Each coin is encapsulated and presented in a Royal Canadian Mint-branded custom case accompanied by a numbered certificate of authenticity. For more information about this coin, please visit their website.

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