Beautiful World Coins

The 2010 Water Lily Silver Proof 20 Dollar Coin has three Crystal Elements!

The Royal Canadian Mint introduces this beautiful 2010 Water Lily silver proof $20 coin to create a unique keepsake of Canada’s diverse flora. The water lily (Nymphaea odorata) is a beautiful water plant that crowns Laurentian lakes from early summer to mid-autumn with showy pink or white flowers and round green leaves that can reach up to 28 cm (11 in) in diameter. 

The water lily is related to the lotus, hailed the loveliest of flowers with powerful symbolism in cultures throughout the world. Much of this symbolism is attributed to the flower’s ability to emerge from the depths of muddy waters to bring life and beauty to the surface—an image that inspired the ancient Egyptian myth of a world created out of moisture. Throughout North America, many First Nations communities used the water lily’s roots, leaves and flowers for medicinal purposes. Even the rhizomes, young leaves and lower buds were eaten and the seeds were fried or ground into flour. 

This intriguing beauty also caught the attention of Brother Marie-Victorin (1885-1944), one of Canada’s greatest botanists and founder of Montreal’s historic Botanical Garden. He included the water lily in one of the 2,800 illustrations in his book Flore laurentienne—a monumental work that remains a cornerstone reference in university botany courses to this day.

The reverse of this coin shows a beautiful water lily poised between two floating leaves with three CRYSTALLIZED™ - Swarovski Elements, "CANADA", "20 DOLLARS", and the year of issue. The obverse shows the fourth design of the Queen’s effigy, "ELIZABETH II", and "D.G.REGINA".

Mint: Ottawa

Year: 2010

Face value: 20 Dollars

Finish: Proof, with color and three Swarovski Elements on the reverse

Composition: 99.99% Silver

Size: 38 mm

Weight: 31.39 grams

Mintage: 10,000

The 2010 Boy Scouts of America Centennial Commemorative Silver Proof Dollar Coin

The United States Mint commemorates the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America with this 2010 silver proof coin featuring a Cub Scout, a Boy Scout and a female Venturer.

The Boy Scouts of America celebrated its centennial anniversary on February 8, 2010. It's the largest youth organization in the United States with 2.8 million youth members and 1.1 million adult leaders in the programs of Cub Scouting, Boy Scouting and Venturing. Founded in 1910, the organization was granted a federal charter in 1916 by an Act of Congress signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson. The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is "to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law." Every day across our Nation, Scouts and their leaders pledge to live up to the promise in the Scout Oath—"On my honor I will do my best, To do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; To help other people at all times; To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight"—and the Scout Law, according to which a Scout is "Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Reverent."

Annually, scouts and their leaders volunteer over 35 million hours of service to their communities through more than 75,000 service projects, meeting a wide range of needs in the areas of food, shelter, education and environmental conservation. Surcharges from this commemorative coin program are authorized to be paid to the National Boy Scouts of America Foundation, which will make funds available to local councils in the form of grants for the extension of scouting in hard-to-serve areas.

The obverse of this coin features a Cub Scout, with a Boy Scout and female Venturer in the background saluting. It represents the Boy Scouts of America of today, as the organization has recognized the need to include other programs for younger boys (cub scouts) and older boys and girls (venturers), reflecting the great diversity of our nation. Inscriptions are CONTINUING THE JOURNEY, 1910, 2010, IN GOD WE TRUST and LIBERTY. The reverse design depicts the Boy Scouts of America's universal emblem. Inscriptions are UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA, BE PREPARED, E PLURIBUS UNUM and ONE DOLLAR.

Mint: Philadelphia

Year: 2010

Face value: 1 Dollar

Finish: Proof

Composition: 90% Silver, 10% Copper

Size: 38.1 mm

Weight: 26.73 grams

Mintage: 350,000 (across all product options)

Play the Ultimate Coins Game on your iPhone or iPod Touch!

Ultimate Coins Game is a new and exciting iPhone/iPod touch game, and a really fun diversion for anybody interested in world coins. This rapidly addictive game includes more than 80 levels, and uses detailed and realistic coins from the United States, Canada, Australia, Argentina, Chile, France, Japan, Brazil, and more! Not only can you move the coins with your fingers, but you can also shake your device to move them, just like you would actually do with a pocketful of change. What's really cool about it is that you get to see and manipulate various world coins without having to purchase them.

Specific challenges require you to collect coins of the same type, match the price tag, or match a coin to the corresponding country flag by selecting it as the coin rolls across the screen. You have a limited amount of time to win each level and obtain silver or gold coins as rewards for your speed and accuracy!

Written by Flavio Passa, this game is available on iTunes for your iPhone or iPod Touch. Give it a try, you'll love it!