Canada has a new honeycomb-shaped coin and it's not cheap
Calling all bee lovers with money to spend — Canada has a new buzzing honeycomb-shaped coin.
The Royal Canadian Mint released the Nature’s Delight: Honey Bee – 1 oz. Fine Silver Coin with an intricate design inspired by nature’s pollinators.
“Known to be efficient both in instinct and design, the honeybee and its comb are beautifully adorned with yellow gold plating on this 99.99 per cent pure silver coin, which, fittingly, features the popular hexagon coin shape that mimics the natural design of a honeycomb cell, widely considered to be nature’s perfect structure,” reads the coin’s description.
Royal Canadian Mint
The design
Designed by Canadian artist June Steube, the background is inspired by the centre of daisies and black-eyed Susans, which typically serve as a landing pad for honeybees.
The overhead view of the bee was intentionally chosen to show off its detailed wing pattern. Collectors can spot the honeycomb pattern in the background between the flower petals, its hexagonal cells mirroring the coin’s six-sided shape.
“Inspired by nature’s creative genius, my vision for this coin design was a stylized interpretation of the exquisite relationship between the shapes of the bee, the flower, and the honeycomb,” stated Steube.
Royal Canadian Mint
According to the Mint, both the bee and the honeycomb, as well as the rim on both sides, are plated with a luxurious yellow gold.
The obverse features a gold-plated effigy of King Charles III by Canadian artist Steven Rosati.
Engraver and 3D artist Ryan Poser says the manufacturing of the coin was unique due to its hexagonal shape.
“With so many prominent elements stacked on top of one another – the bee, the flower, the hexagon pattern – we had to really optimize things to make them stand out without losing any of their details or form in the process,” he explained. “We decided to cut this design with the laser, which allowed us to achieve much finer and more delicate details.”
Royal Canadian Mint
How Canadians can collect this coin
Collectors can buy this coin on the Mint’s site, but it won’t be cheap. It has a mintage of 7,500 and is being sold for $149.95.
The Mint is giving collectors the option to pay for it in installments.
This isn’t the only uniquely shaped coin Canada has released recently. Earlier this month, the Mint revealed a heart-shaped coin with a jaw-dropping price tag.