Issue link: http://read.canadatravelguides.ca/i/1471704
16 MEDALS AND COLLECTIBLE COINS Governor General Earl Grey officially opened the Ottawa location of the Royal Canadian Mint in 1908, activating the press to strike a 50-cent piece. Today, the Mint in Ottawa makes coins for collectors, as well as medals. Another Mint location—in Winnipeg— makes all of Canada's circulating coins. It has also produced coins for more than 70 other countries over the years. Specialists at the Mint use exacting skills to design precision coins. These have included everything from coins shaped like the Superman symbol, dinosaurs and science-fiction spaceships to a one-kilogram platinum coin encrusted with 462 tiny pink diamonds! FASCINATING FACTS Did you know that the Ottawa Mint has made collectible coins featuring moving parts, and others with stars visible only under black light? Or that the Mint holds the Guinness World Record for creating the world's largest coin—a 100-kilogram coin made of 99.999% pure gold bullion with a face value of $1 million? You can learn these and many other fascinating facts on the Mint's recently updated guided tour, which will also give you the chance to hold a gold or silver bar. The Mint created the 2010 Vancouver Olympic and Paralympic medals, and you can see a set of them when you visit. You'll also discover how this facility refines some of the purest gold in the world. In fact, the Mint opened its first gold refinery in 1911, which later produced gold bars that Britain used to pay its debts to other countries during the First World War. Forty-five minute guided tours are available year-round, in English and French, and ticket prices range from $6.50 to $10.00 per person. Don't miss the Mint's on-site boutique, where you can browse for unusual coins, memorabilia and gifts. The Mint is very close to other popular Ottawa attrac- tions, including the National Gallery of Canada and the ByWard Market. And if you're ever in Winnipeg, you can tour that location, too. For more information, see mint.ca. Ottawa Royal Canadian Mint BY LAURA BYRNE PAQUET TOURING VISITORS WITH GOLD BAR • AUSTIN MACKAY Housed in a castle-like building partway between Parliament Hill and the Governor General's residence at Rideau Hall, the Ottawa location of the Royal Canadian Mint is a bit of a hidden gem for visitors to Canada's capital. Many people don't know about the fascinating achievements that have taken place—and continue to take place—behind these grand stone walls. COIN PHOTO OP • AUSTIN MACKAY