2023 Ice Age – Smilodon Sabre-Toothed Cat 2oz .9999 Silver Bullion Coin

The Smildon Sabre-Toothed Cat marks the first coin in this new Ice Age Series from the Royal Canadian Mint!

“Smilodon” means “scalpel tooth”, a fitting descriptor for an ancient big cat whose deadly canines measured up to 18 centimetres long. A key top predator, the sabre-toothed cat would have stalked large herbivores by hiding and pouncing on them, much like today’s big cats! This Ice Age predator is stunningly displayed on a special 2oz pure 999.9 silver Canadian legal tender coin produced by the Royal Canadian Mint.

Despite being synonymous with the Ice Age, you won’t find Smilodon perched atop a glacier—this prehistoric big cat preferred warmer climes. Its fossils are among the most common ones found in the tar pit deposits of California, but its range extended across ice-free areas of North, Central and South America. In 2019, a 35,000-to-40,000-year-old bone became the first verified evidence of Smilodon fatalis’ existence in the prehistoric plains of southern Alberta, before becoming extinct at the end of the Pleistocene epoch, around 11,700 years ago.

DESIGN

The reverse depicts a menacing Sabre-Toothed Cat lunging with claws out and fangs exposed. The coin’s weight, county of issue and year-date appear in an outer rim that have radial lines. The coins purity and a micro-engraved maple leaf with the number “23” appear in the inner part of the coin.

The obverse features showcases the effigy of Queen Elizabeth II by Susanna Blunt. The obverse also bears a special marking that includes four pearls symbolizing the four effigies that have graced Canadian coins and the date of her reign. The Queen’s name and the coin’s $10 face value encircle her image.

PRESENTATION

Each bullion coin comes in a Swan Bullion stylised plastic flip. Capsules can be purchased as an optional extra.

The Sabre-Toothed Cat 2oz silver bullion coin come in tubes of 14 with 20 tubes to a monster box (560oz total).

Technical Specifications

ABOUT THE ROYAL CANADIAN MINT

The Royal Canadian Mint (French: Monnaie royale canadienne) is the mint of Canada and a Crown corporation, operating under the Royal Canadian Mint Act. The shares of the Mint are held in trust for the Crown in right of Canada. For the first fifty years of Canadian coinage (cents meant to circulate in the Province of Canada were first struck in 1858), the coins were struck at the Royal Mint in London, though some were struck at the private Heaton Mint in Birmingham, England. As Canada emerged as a nation in its own right, its need for coinage increased. As a result, a branch of the Royal Mint was authorized to be built in Ottawa in 1901 after being first proposed in 1890. We carry a large selection of both bullion and numismatic coins from The Royal Canadian Mint. View our entire range of The Royal Canadian Mint products.