Silver Investment Coin Ice Age - Woolly Mammoth 2 Oz 2024

Ice Age - Woolly Mammoth

This silver investment coin, minted by the Royal Canadian Mint in 2024 from the purest 99.99% silver and weighing 2 Oz (62.67 g), is part of the Ice Age series. The woolly mammoth was chosen for the second coin in the series.

The reverse of the coin features an imposing mammoth with a raised trunk and long curled tusks. The giant walks through an inhospitable steppe dominated by a rocky massif. The motif is complemented by the purity marking "9999", the initials of the author "JC" and a small maple leaf with the numeral "24" (visible under a magnifying glass), which is also a protective element against counterfeiting. The security mark is made using a laser microfabrication technique and has appeared on Canadian investment coins since 2014. The circumference of the coin, formed by radial spokes, bears the inscription "CANADA", the year of issue "2024" and the metal and weight information "FINE SILVER 2 OZ ARGENT PUR".
The woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) inhabited the frozen steppes of present-day Canada at the end of the Pleistocene Era about 100,000 years ago. The mammoth's thick fur, thick skin, small tail and ears are among the examples of adaptations to cold climates that allowed it to survive until 12,000 years ago. At this time they began to disappear from the land, although isolated populations persisted until about 4,000 years ago. The woolly mammoth reached a height of over three metres and weighed up to 8 tonnes. Easily recognizable features are the long curved tusks, which are among the most distinctive fossils of the Canadian Ice Age. Today, their internal structure reveals much about the health and environment of each individual.
In June 2022, a 30,000-year-old mummified baby mammoth with intact skin and fur was discovered in permafrost in the Yukon goldfields. It is the most complete mammoth specimen found in North America to date.

The obverse bears the first coin portrait of Charles III with the initials of the artist Steven Rosati. The background consisting of radial spokes is complemented by the inscriptions "CHARLES III", "D.G.REX" and the denomination "10 DOLLARS".