2021 - Pure Silver 5-Coin Maple Leaf Fractional Set - Our Arboreal Emblem: The Maple Tree

It's a maple-themed celebration… with a twist! The 2021 fractional set celebrates the maple tree's 25-year (and counting) reign as the national arboreal emblem of Canada. All five coins feature the Silver Maple Leaf bullion design on the reverse, where an array of precisely rendered sub-millimetre-scale mirrors gives the impression that the maple leaf is pulsating—like a heart swelling with national pride.
Our first ever "pulsating" pure silver 5-coin set.
Special features:
A CANADIAN EMBLEM CELEBRATES ITS 25TH ANNIVERSARY. An annual favourite, this pure silver fractional set highlights the 25th anniversary of the proclamation designating the maple tree (Acer spp.) as the national arboreal emblem of Canada.
FIRST "PULSATING" SET: This is the first set to feature the Royal Canadian Mint's engineered surface mirror technology, which creates the impression of an engraved "pulsating" effect on the reverse.
A BIG IMPRESSION: Photonics-based technology made its numismatic debut on our 2020Pulsating Maple Leaf coin, which sold out quickly. Don't miss this opportunity to experience a Canadian innovation that brings motion to engraved design!
FIVE TIMES THE TECHNOLOGY: Unlike some of our previous fractional sets, the technology-enhanced design isn't just on the 1 oz. coin — it's on all five coins (1 oz., 1/2 oz., 1/4 oz., 1/10 oz., 1/20 oz.) in this set.
INCLUDES SERIALIZED CERTIFICATE: The Royal Canadian Mint certifies all of its collector coin sets.
99.99% PURE SILVER COINS! Your coin set has no GST/HST!
LIMITED MINTAGE: Only 3,000 coin sets will be made available worldwide.

Design:
Each reverse features the Silver Maple Leaf bullion coin design,rendered using engineered surface mirror ("pulsating") technology developed in collaborationwith the Centre for Research in Photonics at the University of Ottawa. All five coins are doubled dated ("1996 2021") in honour of the 25th anniversary of the proclamation designating the maple tree (Acer spp.) as the national arboreal emblem of Canada. The reverse and obversefield pattern reproduces an expanded, non-pulsating version of the pulsating pattern on the maple leaf. The obverse features the effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Susanna Blunt.

Did you know…
This pulsating technology was made possible by a close collaboration between the Royal Canadian Mint Research and Development Team and the University of Ottawa's Centre for Research in Photonics. Sub-millimetre-scale mirrors were precisely engineered to exact dimensions and orientations that would allow the individual facets to manipulate photons (light particles) and bring a sense of motion to the engraved-only design. The mirror array was then engraved on the master dies and struck onto 99.99% pure silver blanks.
Fittingly, our proudly diverse country isn't represented by a single maple species. Theproclamation issued on April 25, 1996 broadly defined Canada's official tree as the genus Acer—a generic maple that represents all of the 10 different maple species that are native to Canada.
Why was the maple chosen as Canada'snational tree? The maple leaf has a place of honour on our coat of arms and flag, but the adoption of a national arboreal emblem in 1996 formally recognized the maple tree's role in the social and economic development of Canada, from early First Nations to modern-day industries.

Packaging:
Your coins are individually encapsulated and presented in a single Royal Canadian Mint-branded clamshell with a black beauty box.

Specifications:
Item: Number 178448
Mintage: 3,000
Composition: 99.99% pure silver
Finish: Reverse proof finish with Pulsating technology
Edge: Serrated

5 dollars
Weight: 31.39 g
Size: 1 oz.
Diameter: 38 mm

4 dollars
Weight: 15.87 g
Size: 1/2 oz.
Diameter: 34 mm

3 dollars
Weight: 7.96 g
Size: 1/4 oz.
Diameter: 27 mm

2 dollars
Weight: 3.23 g
Size: 1/10 oz.
Diameter: 20 mm

1 dollar
Weight: 1.63 g
Size: 1/20 oz.
Diameter: 16 mm