Canadian Call of the Wild Gold Coins
Gold Call of the Wild series - among the purest gold coins ever minted
The year 2014 saw the start of the Gold Call of the Wild coin series with the initial "Howling Wolf" release. The 2015 coin depicted a "Growling Cougar" and the following year's coin a "Roaring Grizzly". The coin series then continued in 2017 and 2018 with the depictions of a roaring elk bull and a Golden Eagle. The 6th and 7th coin of the series that were released in 2019 and 2020 respectively show a majestic Moose and a Bobcat. Investors that desire to buy gold coins of this series will find them more easily available in the 1 oz denomination. The 1/10 oz version with the same animal design is always issued in limited mintage in the following year. Even the 'regular' brilliant uncirculated coins have a proof-like finish since each coin is hand polished to achieve a mirror-like background. A special collectible proof version of the Canadian Call of the Wild gold coins (with extremely limited mintage) also exists though.
The Royal Canadian Mint produces the Call of the Wild gold coins out of 99.999% pure gold, the highest level of gold purity available on the market. Another record is the 1 oz coins' legal face value of CAD $ 200, which is the highest face value of any legal tender 1 oz gold bullion coin in the world. The coins are only available individually and not in tubes. Each coin is sealed within a credit-card-sized assay card that certifies its authenticity and purity.
American buyers that are investing in gold for their retirements in the form of Individual Retirement Accounts (IRA's) may include the Call of the Wild coins therein. As an added security feature, the coins have a micro-engraved maple leaf with the last two digits of the year of mintage laser-engraved on the reverse.
Coin Specifications
| Weight | Face Value | Purity | Diameter x Thickness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 oz | CAD $ 200 | 99.999% | 30 x 2.87 mm |
| 1/10 oz | CAD $ 20 | 99.999% | 16 x 1.13 mm |
Call of the Wild Series Coin Designs
Design of the Call of the Wild Coins
Each coin in this series features one of Canada's predatory animals on their reverse side. The Canadian artist Pierre Leduc created each stunning design that attempts to show each animal at its fiercest moment. The current 2020 coin depicts a yowling bobcat. The preceding 2019 and 2018 coins respectively showed a majestic Moose making his loud grunt as well as a Golden Eagle in the process of releasing its shrieking cry. Stylized sound waves are depicted in the background.
The preceding 2017 edition featured the portrait of an elk bull bearing formidable antlers. Elks are also known as wapitis and count among the largest members of the deer family. The elk is shown lifting its heavy head to release a powerful roar. Stylized sound waves that fill the background of the coin are meant to symbolize the animal's power and ferocity. Especially in the fall, the loud roars of elk bulls are often heard in the Canadian Wilderness.
The preceding three coins of the Call of the Wild series depicted three other ferocious wild beasts that are commonly seen in Canada. The 2014 gold coin depicted a howling gray wolf, the 2015 coin a growling cougar and the 2016 coin a roaring grizzly. The animals are depicted in close-up at their wildest moment with baring teeth, the gray wolf in mid-howl, the cougar while letting out a menacing growl and the grizzly while roaring angrily. All three coins depict stylized sound waves in the background.
The reverse of each coin also contains a textured maple leaf design that has the last two digits of the year of mintage laser-engraved on it as a security feature that is meant to prevent counterfeiting. The letters PL indicating a proof-like finish appear near this security feature. The word "CANADA" is written above the animal design and references to the coin's purity and gold weight appear below.
The obverse side of the coins that was designed by Susanna Blunt depicts the British Queen in profile. The year of mintage, the CAD $ 200 face value and "ELIZABETH II" are inscribed along the coin's edge. Since 2016, the 1 oz coins also have "D G Regina" inscribed. So do the 1/10 oz Gold Call of the Wild coins that are always released in the year that follows the original 1 oz version. The presence of the British Queen on these Canadian coins is meant to illustrate Canada’s ongoing reverence for both its mother nation and the monarchy.
History of the Canadian Call of the Wild gold coin series
The Canadian Call of the Wild gold coin series that is issued by the Royal Canadian Mint is perhaps the only gold coin series in the world with a gold purity of 99.999%. Its coins depict Canada's ferocious predatory animals in their wildest state. The first "Howling Wolf" gold coin was issued in February 2014. It was succeeded by the "Growling Cougar" gold coin in February 2015. The third coin of the series portraying a "Roaring Grizzly" was released in February 2016. Originally, this coin series was planned to include three coins only! However, the fourth edition depicting a roaring elk bull came out in February 2017. It was then followed by the Golden Eagle edition in February 2018, the Moose edition in 2019 and the Bobcat edition in 2020.
A 1/10 oz version of the coins with the same animal design was at first always issued in the year after the original 1 oz issue. So, the "Howling Wolf" appeared on these smaller coins in 2015 and the "Growling Cougar" followed in 2016. Further 1/10 oz Call of the Wild gold coins haven't been issued so far.
From 2014 to 2017, there was also a limited annual issue of 99.999% pure 1 oz proof coins as well as 99.99% pure 1/2 kg proof coins in addition to the 'regular' 99.999% pure 1 oz BU coins.
Mintage Numbers
Mintage of the brilliant uncirculated version of the Canadian Gold Call of the Wild coins is according to market demand. The Royal Canadian Mint hasn't released final mintage numbers for these coins yet.
Mintage of the collectible proof version of the 1 oz coins is severely limited in comparison. Whereas 2,000 coins were minted with the "Howling Wolf" design in 2014, only 250 coins were minted in both 2015 and 2016 featuring the "Growling Cougar" and "Roaring Grizzly". The sharply reduced mintage will contribute to make these coins very popular with collectors expecting rapid value gains in the years to come. In 2017, proof mintage of the Roaring Elk version of the coins increased a bit to 400 coins.
The 1/10 oz version of the coins was at first always released in the year after the original 1 oz release. The annual mintage of this smaller version of the original design is limited to 10,000 pieces.
Canadian Call of the Wild Silver
The Royal Canadian Mint also produces 1/2 kg Call of the Wild silver coins with a highly detailed proof finish. They are of the same size - 85 x 11 mm - and just as detailed in design as the 1/2 kg gold proof version of the coins. The coins out of 99.99% pure silver have an official face value of CAD $ 125 and only 1,000 such silver coins were minted with the Howling Wolf design in 2014 and the Growling Cougar in 2015. Mintage of the 2016 coin with the Roaring Grizzly design was even more limited with just 600 pieces.