Call of the Wild Gold Coins

Call of the Wild Gold Coin Series

Canadian gold coins have long been some of the most highly sought after coins in the world, and for good reason, too. The Royal Canadian Mint, or RCM, has been producing gold coins of the highest purity and quality specifications for more than 30 years now and is what many would consider to be an industry leader in the production of pure gold bullion.

What is now one of the largest mints in the world was actually the product of more humble beginnings. Throughout much of the 19th century, the Royal Mint of England was tasked with the production of all Canadian coinage. This meant that all coins circulating in Canada must be produced in London, shipped across the Atlantic, and then disbursed throughout the vast country of Canada. For obvious reasons, the process of minting the coins overseas and shipping them out became financially unsustainable. As a result, the Royal Mint of England decided that it would open a branch in Ottawa, Canada. The idea for the Ottawa facility was first tossed around shortly after the turn of the 20th century, but it wasn’t until 1907 that the production of coins actually ensued.

Fast forward nearly 30 years, and, at the height of the Great Depression, the Royal Mint of England broke ties with its Ottawa facility and handed it over to the government of Canada. The facility was thenceforth known as the Royal Canadian Mint and continued producing all of Canada’s coinage. RCM added another mint facility in Winnipeg in 1976 to greater increase the output of coins and reduce the distance they needed to be shipped.

Design

The Call of the Wild gold coin series was first announced in 2013 and is made to celebrate the vast array of wildlife that calls Canada home. The first coin in this series was released in February of 2014 and RCM has announced that the second and final coins will be released in February of 2015 and 2016. This is not the first time RCM has introduced gold coins that celebrate Canadian wildlife, but it is the first series with a face value of $200 CAD and a purity of .99999. The .99999 purity makes this particular gold coin series one of the purest in the world.

Gold Howling Wolf

The 2014 release of the Call of the Wild series was the 1 oz Gold Howling Wolf. The coin’s reverse depicts a stunningly detailed wolf howling at the moon. The obverse side of the coin, as is almost always the case with RCM coins, features the image of Queen Elizabeth II. A unique aspect of the Howling Wolf’s design is the Maple Leaf security feature that appears just beneath the wolf’s image. This tiny textured Maple Leaf is laser-inscribed with the last two digits of the coin’s year of minting, which can be seen clearly when under magnification. The security feature is barely noticeable but does a lot in the way of preventing counterfeits from hitting the market.

The Gold Howling Wolf is only available in the 1 oz size and comes directly from the mint packaged in assay. The assay card to which the gold coin is attached is not much larger than a credit card and is a great way of certifying the authenticity of the coin, as well as protecting it from any unwanted signs of wear and tear. The assay card also lists the $200 CAD face value, as well as the .99999 purity.

Packaging, Availability

For the first release of the Call of the Wild gold coin series, RCM only minted 2,000 coins. Unlike other RCM coins, which see annual mintages exceed 200,000, this coin series is much more limited and will only be readily available for a short period of time. Despite Call of the Wild series gold coins coming directly from the mint prepackaged in assay, they will be packaged discreetly and dispatched with the utmost care.