Dive into the beaver’s world with this Double EHR coin.

An official emblem of Canada since 1975, the beloved beaver is a natural ecosystem engineer, known for altering the environment to suit its needs. Though many of Castor canadensis’ busy building activities are obscured from our land-based view, its labours are front and centre on this coin, where the two-sided design welcomes you into the beaver’s secret world by presenting different views of the same scene.

Think of the coin as the water’s surface, with one side (reverse) our view from above the water, and the other (obverse) a view from below. And on both sides, the perspective of the beaver family hard at work on their new home is engraved in Extraordinarily High Relief (EHR) and selectively plated with yellow gold.

It’s a specially engineered tribute to the beaver’s instinctive ingenuity, one that fuses the art of engineering and the spirit of the Canadian wilderness!

Pure Canadiana: See one of Canada’s national symbols in Double EHR.

Good to know

Double EHR. What happens underwater during the construction of a beaver lodge? Find out with this coin, which features Extraordinarily High Relief (EHR) on both sides—it’s a Double EHR coin that provides above- and underwater views of the same scene!

Reaching higher. The 2024 Year of the Dragon coin was the first Double EHR coin, but for 2025, the Mint opted to push the relief even higher, with a peak height of 4.15 mm on the obverse and 6 mm on the reverse.

Two designs as one. They come together like two halves of a whole, but each side (the obverse and reverse) contains unique details—it’s more like two designs on one coin!

Selective gold plating. For added colour contrast, the beavers are plated with yellow gold that simultaneously evokes autumn sunshine and the darker, earthy tones of the beaver’s fur and surroundings.

Like water. The coin’s proof finish combined with the fine silver captures the mirror-like, reflective qualities of a lake or pond’s surface on a bright day.

Canada’s beaver emblem turns 50. The beaver became an official symbol of Canada on March 24, 1975, when the National Symbol of Canada Act (an Act to provide for the recognition of the Beaver (Castor canadensis) as a symbol of the sovereignty of Canada) received royal assent.

Special packaging. Securely enclosed in a protective floating capsule with extra-wide sides, your coin was designed to be handled. Its engaging design will have you turning over the coin repeatedly as you compare (and admire) the different views.

Limited mintage. Only 2,750 coins are available to collectors worldwide.

Pure Canadiana. A great addition to a collection, a great conversation-starter, and a great gift for nature lovers!

Includes serialized certificate. The Royal Canadian Mint certifies all of its collector coins.

No GST/HST.

Did you know?

A beaver lodge is typically located in the middle of a pond or near the edges of a waterway—far enough from land predators, but still in shallow waters so that the top portion of the lodge sits above the surface. Once the pile of sticks and tree limbs is high enough, the beavers excavate an underwater passageway to the centre, where they gnaw through the debris to create interior living chambers, where they’ll remain warm and dry during the winter. The lodge continues to be enlarged throughout the fall, with a mud coating providing concrete-like insulation against the elements.

Used for manufacturing waterproof hats, beaver pelts were fundamental to the economy of New France in the 17ᵗʰ and 18ᵗʰ centuries, and they continued to be in heavy demand until the mid-19ᵗʰ century. While the fur trade built Canada, it also resulted in the near extinction of the industrious beaver, which has since made a comeback across Canada.

Behind closed doors

“I chose to render my designs in clay as it gave me the opportunity to line up and view the elements three-dimensionally, both above the waterline and below. Thinking in reverse was very challenging, and the underwater design is the complete opposite of what you’d think it would be: on the obverse, the female and kit had to be positioned on the right so they’d line up with their left positioning on the reverse, and it was the same with the other elements.”

- Maurade Baynton, Artist

“Unlike a standard design, where one side typically takes precedence in complexity, for this coin, we made both the obverse and reverse equally intricate, essentially sculpting two coins in one. We set out to ensure both sides of this Extremely High Relief coin flowed together seamlessly, which was a challenge. Collaboration with Product Engineer Christian Brochu was crucial: we had to experiment with volume distribution to ensure the coin struck properly while maintaining clarity and depth on both sides; and we had to push the limits of the draft angle to maintain the highest level of detail along the contours of the beavers.

Maurade Baynton’s clay sculpture served as my main reference and I enjoyed translating her detailed art into engraved relief. I feel like my addition of the lily pads and ripples in the water not only made the design more production-friendly, it also made the beavers’ environment more authentic and realistic.

This was a true blend of artistic vision, engineering precision and teamwork, which made this project both challenging and fun!”

- Aida Alves, 3D Artist-Engraver

About the design

Your coin is enclosed in a unique floating capsule designed for a vertical display, with extra-wide sides to ensure unobstructed front-to-back viewing. It is presented in a black Royal Canadian Mint-branded clamshell with a black beauty box.

Designed by artist Maurade Baynton, the coin’s reverse features an above-water view of a family of beavers (Castor canadensis)—an adult male and female, and their two kits—building a lodge, while the obverse presents an underwater perspective of the same scene; on both sides, the beavers are engraved in Extraordinarily High Relief (EHR) and plated with yellow gold. On the reverse, one of the kits (top left) swims alongside its mother, setting off gentle ripples across the surface of the water dotted with lily pads, as the female inserts another branch into the pile. The male is just entering the water from atop the lodge, his head and front legs visible on the obverse, which offers a better view of the submerged kit. The obverse also features the effigy of His Majesty King Charles III by Canadian artist Steven Rosati.

Product # 246171

$50 Fine Silver Coin - Canadian Symbol: The Beaver (2025)