Canada releases a Canada-shaped coin

The Royal Canadian Mint decided to break the mold -- literally -- and design a coin in the shape of Canada in honor of Canada Day.

Erica Maga, product manager at the Royal Canadian Mint, told CNN this was a first for the Mint. The engineering and research and development teams worked together to create the innovative shape before the design was selected. The Mint reached out to artist Alisha Giroux, who had previously designed a Canadian map with a different animal for each providence.

The limited-edition coin costs a whopping US $260 ($339 Canadian) and was only printed 2,000 times. Maga said the coin costs so much because it's is made from three ounces of pure silver and was difficult to manufacture.

This isn't the first time the Mint has created unique coin shapes. They have made a variety of different shapes, including squares and the famous maple leaf. They also developed the world's first glow-in-the-dark circulation coins. The coin, titled "The Canadian Landscape".



https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/15/world/canada-shaped-coin-trnd/index.html