A new Canadian coin has just dropped, and while it might look like a shiny gold quarter at first glance, it's worth a whole lot more than 25 cents.
The Royal Canadian Mint recently unveiled the second release in its 2025 Animal Portraits series: a $20 non-circulation silver coin featuring a detailed portrait of an antlered elk in the wild. Designed by Canadian artist Trevor Tennant, the 1 oz. coin is made of 99.99% pure silver and features selective yellow gold plating — everything on the reverse is plated except the elk itself.
The intricate scene shows the elk standing by a forest river, with its tall antlers stretching beyond the coin's framed centre for a subtle 3D effect. It's a nod to the elk's stature as one of Canada's largest terrestrial mammals, second only to the moose.
The Mint says the new design "helps blur the boundary between humans and the natural world, and brings you closer to this famous antlered species."Royal Canadian Mint
Flip it over and you'll find a gold-plated effigy of King Charles III, designed by Canadian artist Steven Rosati. The elk coin is part of a three-coin set that also features a polar bear and a grey wolf, celebrating Canada's wildlife in sculptural detail.
The grey wolf, the third coin in the series, will only be available as of November 2025.
The Mint is releasing three coins as part of their Animal Portraits series. Royal Canadian Mint
Only 7,500 of the elk coins were produced, each individually serialized and packaged in a black Mint-branded clamshell case (for those with a subscription). They're not meant for circulation, though. This is a collector's item, priced at $134.95 and available online at mint.ca or at Royal Canadian Mint boutiques in Ottawa and Winnipeg.
So while it might resemble a classic caribou quarter, you shouldn't expect to stumble upon it in your change anytime soon.
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