Christmas spirit alive and well at world's mints

By Mario Cywinski

With the Christmas season upon us once again, mints from around the world are releasing commemorative sets to mark the occasion.

The Isle of Man, is an island in the Irish Sea, right in the middle of the British Isles. It has been releasing commemorative Christmas coins for the past 20 years, and this year is no different.

It is releasing the third coin in its Twelve Days of Christmas commemorative series.

Just as in the song, the first coin released, depicted a partridge in a pear tree, and last year's coin (the second in the series) had two turtle doves. This year the three French hens coin is placed on a 50-pence coin. The hens are said to represent the three types of chickens in France at the time the song was written.

“It is part of the 'Twelve Days of Christmas,' where each day represents a different gift. As the song goes, 'on the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, three French Hens.' We are issuing the coins each year for 12 years to correspond to the song/poem,” said Beth Caspar of Pobjoy Mint.

The coins come in three finishes each more exclusive than the last. The first is a cupro-nickel-diamond finish which has a mintage of 30,000. Next, is a sterling silver coin with a mintage of 5,000 and finally, a 22-karat gold coin with a mintage of 250 is also available. Each coin has a diameter of 27.3 mm and weighs 8 grams.

The Isle of Man is also releasing a 1/20 oz gold Angel coin which is the fourth coin in the Twelve Days of Christmas series. The new coin features a privy mark with four calling birds (from the song).

Only 1,000 of these 24-karat gold coins will be minted. It is 15 mm in diameter and weighs 1.555 grams.

Moving back to the main land of the British Isles, the British Royal Mint (BRM) is releasing two Christmas sets. The first set commemorates the three wise men who followed the 'Star of Bethlehem.'

As the story goes, three wise men travelled on camels from the East to greet the newborn baby Jesus. They followed the star to Bethlehem, where the baby Jesus lay in a manger, commonly referred to as the 'nativity scene.'

This set contains nine circulating coins, from the 1-penny to the £2. Each set comes in a display case with information on the history of the pound.

The reverse designs on coins in Britain will be changing in the future according to the BRM. Which makes these sets even more appealing.

This set costs £16.95, and a total of 250,000 collector sets will be sold.

Father Christmas, which originated in the 17th century, is called Santa Claus by many Britons today, even though, originally the two were not synonymous. Originally, Father Christmas had nothing to do with gift giving or children.

Today, they are seen as one and the same.

This is the backdrop for the second set from the BRM, which is virtually the same as the three wise men set. It substitutes the three wise men £2 coin and cover, for one featuring Father Christmas. The price for this set also remains the same..

The BRM is also releasing its annual Christmas Lucky Silver Sixpence coin to collectors. This coin is said to be a tradition among Britons.

Coming back home, the Royal Canadian Mint is not to be outdone. The RCM is releasing a series of commemorative coins to collectors. The non-circulation coins vary in denomination and composition.

“The Mint chooses coin subjects and designs which celebrate Canada's history, values and heritage,” said Alexandre Reeves, manager of Communications for the RCM. “The celebration of the holiday season is a typically Canadian tradition and it is fitting that this aspect of Canadian culture is permanently etched on Royal Canadian Mint collector coins.”

The first coin is a $20 Fine Silver coin displaying a holiday sleigh ride on its reverse.

The $20 coin has a diameter of 38 mm, and weighs in at 31.39 grams. A total of 10,000 of these coins will be minted, and each is presented in a maroon clamshell case, lined with a flock and protected by a black sleeve, for a price of $69.95

The next coin in the RCM Christmas theme arsenal is a coin using Lenticular technology. This gives the coin a 3D effect. By interlacing two or more images into one, and by changing the angle at which the coin is viewed, different images can be seen.

The 50-cent brass-steel coin features a series of Christmas tree ornaments of various colours. The coin has a mintage of 50,000, is 35 mm in diameter, and has a weight of 12.61 grams. The coin is priced at $25.95.

Finally, what better way to finish off a Christmas theme article than with a coin featuring a Christmas tree. The 25-cent coin which was released on September 4, is part of the RCM's Holiday Commemorative Coin set. Each denomination from 1-cent to $2 is displayed in a cardboard folder, and can be had for $19.95.

From all at Canadian Coin News, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

December 25 to January 7, 2007 issue of Canadian Coin News