Last updated on July 23rd, 2025 at 08:47 am
Last Updated on July 23, 2025 Posted by Colonial Acres Coins
The Royal Canadian Mint celebrates aspects of Canadian culture, including its visual arts. Now, the mint has created a set of gorgeous gold coins as a tribute to Canadian artist Alex Coville. Coville’s influence in the Canadian art world is commemorated forever in this incredible c
oin set. Learn more about what these coins represent and how the designs show off the very best of Coville’s contribution to Canadian art and society.
Stunning Gold Coins – A Homage to a Talented Artist
The mint released a set of commemorative coins to mark the anniversary of Alex Coville’s birth in 1920. Now, 100 years later, the mint shows off this incredible homage to Coville’s artwork and legacy. The special, limited edition set features six coins pressed in 99.99% pure gold. The set is a great way to celebrate an appreciation of Canadian art or mark a special occasion. Buying a coin set made of pure gold is also a great investment.
The coins are a throwback design to some of the most iconic currency designs in the mint’s history, the Centennial circulation coins. The mint is only releasing 1,200 sets of these coins. Each set features a one dollar, 50 cents, 25 cents, 10 cents, five cents and one-cent coin. The set of coins also comes with an exquisite wooden display and storage case to keep the coins pristine for years down the road.
The designs on each coin’s reverse are all signature pieces from Alex Coville. Each coin’s obverse uses the silhouette portrait of Queen Elizabeth II from the original 1967 coins. The one-dollar coin has Coville’s iconic Canada goose mid-flight. The 50 cent piece shows Coville’s depiction of a wolf howling.
The next coin in the series, the 25 cent piece, has Coville’s illustration of a bobcat on the prowl. The 10 cent coin shows Coville’s picture of a mackerel fish. The five-cent coin captures Coville’s portrayal of a rabbit, and the one cent coin uses Coville’s picture of a dove. All of the coins use the original artwork from Coville’s coin designs in 1967.
Alex Coville’s Legacy
Alex Coville was a true Canadian artist. Born in 1920, he started taking art classes as a young teen. After graduating from high school, he enlisted in the Canadian Army and served during the second world war. In 1944, Coville became an official war artist and worked to capture the scenes of battle and the daily lives of soldiers during the war in his paintings.
After the war ended, Coville began to focus solely on his painting and produced many works. He develope
d a signature style that primarily showcased simple landscapes and typical life at first but then transitioned to exploring the human figure. His painting style used a combination of watercolors and oil paints and later shifted to mostly tempera paints. His later style used a technique called pointillist. This painting method relies on individual points of color to represent each object.
In 1965, the mint made a call on Canadian artists to submit prototype designs for a set of coins celebrating the 100th anniversary of the nation. Coville submitted his six designs, using Canada’s iconic wildlife as subjects. The design team from the mint loved his work so much they chose to feature all six of his designs exclusively for the coins. He worked with the mint to capture the beauty of these creatures in the coin design.
This set of coins celebrates the soul and spirit of Canada. Commemorative coins in gold from Colonial Acres offer everyone an opportunity to own a piece of Canada’s history and culture. See why Alex Coville’s artwork was so cherished with these remarkable coins.
