Royal Canadian Mint History

The Royal Canadian Mint, often abbreviated “RCM,” is Canada’s official mint where legal-tender coinage is made for the government of Canada. In addition to striking circulating coinage, the RCM also produces commemorative coins, a variety of collector coins, and a wide array of bullion products that include coins and bars.

The roots of the RCM reach “across the pond,” to Great Britain, where the first official Canadian coins were made at London’s Royal Mint in 1858. Some of the earliest Canadian coins were also struck at the Heaton Mint, a private minting facility in Birmingham, England. The first proposals to build an official mint in Canada were pitched in the 1890s, and authorization was granted for the construction of the Ottawa Mint in 1901.

On January 2, 1908, the Ottawa Mint opened for business. Within three years, the facility’s operations expanded to include bullion refining. In 1931, the Ottawa Mint gained its Canadian independence and became known as the Royal Canadian Mint. For the next 38 years, the Mint operated as a branch of Canada’s Department of Finance until 1969, when the RCM became a Crown Corporation – this means it operates similarly to a corporation with a Board of Directors with decision-making authority.

The RCM’s branch facility in Winnipeg opened in 1976 after many years of planning. Three years later, in 1979, the RCM unveiled its Maple Leaf bullion coin program. Originally striking .999-fine gold coins, the Canadian Mint’s refinery became the first to mint .9999-fine, or four 9s fine, gold coins in 1983. Less than 20 years later, the RCM’s refinery pushed the envelope again by minting the world’s first .99999-fine gold coins – that’s a whopping five 9s fine! No stranger to breaking technological barriers, the Royal Canadian Mint entered the Guinness World Records with its production of a 100 kilo, 99.999% fine gold bullion coin with a face value of $1 million.

In addition to producing gold Maple Leaf bullion coins, the RCM also mints silver Maple Leaf coins, with the earliest dating back to 1988. Along with Maple Leaf silver and gold coins, the RCM also mints platinum and palladium Maple Leaf coins and a variety of other popular coins. These include the silver .999-fine 1 oz. bullion coins featuring Canadian wildlife. The first of these Canadian Wildlife silver coins debuted in 2010 and feature designs of various majestic creatures that call the “Great White North” home, such as wolf, grizzly bear, cougar and moose. Among this series of exquisitely beautiful coins is the 2013 Pronghorn Antelope .9999 pure silver $5 bullion coin, for which noted coin expert Dr. Michael Fuljenz served as a consultant to the Royal Canadian Mint. Dr. Fuljenz also leads our team of bullion professionals at Universal Coin & Bullion and ensures the quality and selection of Canadian coins and other products we offer is unparalleled.

For more information about our wide selection of Canadian numismatic and bullion coins, call Universal Coin & Bullion today toll-free at 800.822.4653. Canadian coins are popular among bullion investors and coin collectors, so invest in these beautiful, virtually pure bullion coins today before prices increase.