Royal Canadian Mint remembers RMS Titanic with commemorative coins

Coins produced to honour Canada's role in aftermath

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia March 5, 2012 /Cabada NewsWire/ - Today at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax, the Royal Canadian Mint unveiled a 99.99% pure silver collector coin with a $10 face value to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the RMS Titanic. The Mint has also produced two additional collector coins, both with colour, to mark this historic event.

"The Royal Canadian Mint is proud to commemorate Canada's history, culture and values with special collector coins," said Ian E. Bennett, President and CEO of the Royal Canadian Mint. "Canada is forever linked with the story of the RMS Titanic through the efforts of Canadian ships that took part in recovery operations and by the memory of the lives lost that rest peacefully in Halifax cemeteries."

"The tragic fate of the Titanic has long captivated the world's imagination," said the Honourable Stephen Greene, Senator, on behalf of Minister Jim Flaherty, Minister of Finance and Minister responsible for the Royal Canadian Mint. "These beautifully crafted coins pay tribute to the many sacrifices that were made and hard lessons that were gained by humanity during the RMS Titanic's voyage one hundred years ago"

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The RMS Titanic commemorative $10 pure silver coin, as well as the coloured 50-cent silver plated coin and 25-cent cupro-nickel coin, can be ordered by directly contacting the Royal Canadian Mint at 1-800-267-1871 in Canada, 1-800-268-6468 in the US, or on the Internet at www.mint.ca. These coins will also be sold at the Mint's boutiques in Ottawa, Winnipeg and Vancouver as well as through the Mint's global network of dealers and distributors, including participating Canada Post outlets.

THE ROYAL CANADIAN MINT RMS TITANIC
COMMEMORATIVE COINS

The world has never forgotten the tragic loss of life on April 15, 1912 aboard the world's largest, most luxurious and reputedly safest passenger ship of its day: RMS Titanic. After the world's greatest civilian loss of life at sea has been immortalized in best-selling books and in movies, the Royal Canadian Mint is commemorating the centennial of this disaster, and its place in Canadian maritime history, on a captivating series of new collector coins.

With a $10 face value, the 99.99% pure silver coin features a design by maritime artist Yves Bérubé of the ship under full steam as it nears the iceberg which would seal its fate. The proof finish of the coin shows off the longitude and latitude of its final resting place off Canada's Atlantic Coast in a delicately frosted highlight. This finely crafted coin, equally suited to Titanic buffs, history enthusiasts, and collectors is limited to a mintage of 20,000 coins world-wide and is available for $64.95 CDN.

A silver-plated 50-cent coin offers a second Yves Bérubé perspective of RMS Titanic. The frosted detail of the colossal vessel's bow and the gigantic iceberg lurking ahead are frozen in time on a proof coin which captures the two principal actors in the real-life drama of the RMS Titanic sinking. The selectively coloured waters of the North Atlantic seem to shimmer and flow in the doomed ship's wake. Limited to a world-wide mintage of 15,000 silver-plated copper coins, this dramatic keepsake retails for $34.95 CDN.

A richly coloured 25-cent cupro-nickel coin completes the Mint's account of the unforgettable story of RMS Titanic. Designed by Three Degrees Creative Group, the coin shows contrasting views of the RMS Titanic casting off on its maiden voyage before admiring crowds in Southampton, UK. This image is juxtaposed against a shimmering scene of the floating palace gliding through North Atlantic waters under a starry night sky. These haunting images are framed by two columns of four circles rising out from opposing sides of the coin's edge. These impressions symbolize the more than three million rivets which fastened the ship's hull. The coin is packaged in a colourful folder containing a pop-out bird's eye view of RMS Titanic sailing in all its glory, as well as facts about the ship and a timeline of her maiden voyage. Produced on demand, this captivating coin retails for $25.95 CDN.

About the Royal Canadian Mint

The Royal Canadian Mint is the Crown Corporation responsible for the minting and distribution of Canada's circulation coins. An ISO 9001-2008 certified company, the Mint is recognized as one of the largest and most versatile mints in the world, offering a wide range of specialized, high quality coinage products and related services on an international scale. For more information on the Mint's history, its products and services, please visit www.mint.ca.