Consistent with the Chinese Shēngxiào (Zodiac) tradition that has been around for centuries, the Royal Canadian Mint introduced the gold coin series. The years on the Chinese Lunar calendar are associated with a given animal and its traits are believed to be inherent in the people born during the respective year. The Gregorian year 2014 coincided with the Chinese Zodiac Year of the Horse. To celebrate this year, the Royal Canadian Mint launched the Canadian Gold Year of the Horse coin designed by Aries Cheung.
The $150 coin is a combination of 18-carat gold and silver at 75 percent and 25 percent respectively. The coin’s bullion weight is 0.285 t/oz and it weighs in at 11.84 grams with a diameter of 28 millimeters. The obverse has the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II facing to the right with the texts, “ELIZABETH II” and “D · G · REGINA” on the left and right of the portrait respectively. The reverse contains a full-body galloping horse facing to the left as the dominant feature. The Chinese horse symbol is right above the back of the horse and below the inscription, “CANADA 2014”. The inscription, “150 DOLLARS” appears below the horse while the designer’s abbreviations, “AC” are behind the left hind leg of the horse.
The $2,500 Canadian Gold Year of the Horse coin is a huge coin spanning 101.6 millimeters wide and a gross mass of 100 grams. It contains 32.15 t/oz (0.9999 fineness) of gold. Its obverse contains Queen Elizabeth II’s effigy facing towards right above the inscription of the year, “2014” and surrounded by the inscription, “ELIZABETH II 2500 DOLLARS D · G · REGINA”. The reverse contains a half-size galloping horse facing to the left with its mane “blown out” towards the right. The horse is overlooking the text, “CANADA” and the Chinese horse symbol.
The Canadian Gold Year of the Horse coins are minted exclusively by the Royal Canadian Mint. This Crown corporation was established on January 2 1908 and is headquartered in Ottawa, Canada. The Government of Canada owns it although the Crown holds its shares in trust.
