When it comes to churning out collectible coins, Canada’s Royal Canadian Mint seems to be working around the clock to come up with novelty designs. Everything from glowing dinosaurs to the Starfleet logo has been turned into legal tender, but the Queen now faces some stiff competition as she sits on the opposite side of a leader Canadians would actually vote for: Optimus Prime.
Two new coins for 2019 will immortalize the Autobots’ fearless leader in the great white north. A $25 coin, limited to 3,500 pieces, made from 99.99 percent silver that features Prime’s face with eyes that glow in the dark, and a 25 cent coin, limited to 25,000 pieces, made from nickel-plated steel featuring an animated lenticular image of Prime transforming from robot to truck mode and back again. The former will cost a hefty $160 which means you’ll never actually want to spend it at face value, while the latter is a bit more reasonable at $35.
Each coin also comes sealed in collectible packaging with a certificate bearing a unique serial number, although the $25 coin looks more like a medal of honor awarded on Cybertron than something you’d use to pay for groceries with. The back of each coin still features Queen Elizabeth II, to remind Canadians of who their country’s real figurehead leader is, but it feels like a missed opportunity to not include Megatron on the flip side of Optimus Prime. Coin tosses would be a lot more fun when choosing between the Autobots and Decepticons.
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