2024 marks 100 years since a professional air force was created for the defence of Canadian freedom and sovereignty. Since 1924, the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) has evolved into a storied national institution, one that has played a pivotal role in our nation’s history.
Building on the foundations laid by Canadian pilots in the First World War, the fledgling RCAF first distinguished itself through its civil air operations, pioneering the use of aircraft for fighting forest fires and contributing to the mapping of Canada. When Canada’s air force stepped onto the world’s stage during the Second World War, the RCAF quickly made a name for itself at home and abroad, propelled forward by the war and peacetime contributions of its members. Today, whether participating in air defence, Arctic patrols, NATO training, humanitarian flights, natural disaster relief, peacekeeping operations or search-and-rescue efforts – or even providing space power support to the Canadian Armed Forces, Canada’s air force continues to defend Canada’s air space, saving lives, helping people at home and abroad, and serving Canada.
To honour the RCAF, the Royal Canadian Mint has launched a number of numismatic tributes to the RCAF Centennial, which include the 2024 Proof Silver Dollar, the 2024 Fine Silver Proof Set and the 2024 $100 Pure Gold Coin.
The 2024 $20 Fine Silver Coin’s reverse design, by Edmonton artist David Moore, features three iconic aircraft that open windows on the celebrated past and promising future of the RCAF. Moore chose the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lighting II, the next generation of fighter jet to enter service as the symbol of the future RCAF. Depicting its illustrious past are a Supermarine-designed Spitfire fighter, the Allied forces’ master of skies throughout the Second World War; as well as a Sopwith Camel, an agile combat biplane that helped Canada and its allies win the First World War and remained in active service when the RCAF was founded. This 99.99 per cent pure silver keepsake is limited to a mintage of 12,000 and retails for $109.95.
TheFine Silver Proof Dollar is the mint’s flagship collector coin, and one of the year’s most anticipated collectibles. The collage on the coin’s reverse is the product of a close collaboration between the mint, the RCAF and the artist, Jason Bouwman, who also designed the 2009 Anniversary of Flight in Canada proof dollar. Only 35,000 coins are available to collectors worldwide.
The Fine Silver Proof Setgathers every denomination of Canadian seven circulation coins: one of each two dollars, one dollar, 50 cents, 25 cents, 10 cents and five cents. The set includes an exclusive version of the collector dollar coin: instead of traditional (yellow) gold plating, an application of rose gold adds colour to the RCAF roundel’s maple leaf and the rim on the coin’s reverse. Only 25,000 sets are available, at $234.95.
Finally, the Pure Gold Coin tells the story of the RCAF’s formative years and the vital role it played in the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan during the Second World War, in a design represented by the De Havilland DH-82C Tiger Moth. On the coin’s reverse, the early trainer’s take-off represents the ascent of Canada’s air force, while the current motto, Sic Itur ad Astra (“Such is the pathway to the stars”) visually connects the RCAF of today with both its future and its storied past. This 99.99% pure gold coin coin’s design was the product of a close collaboration between the mint, the RCAF and artist Neil Hamelin. Only 1,500 coins are available, at $1,099.95.
The Royal Canadian Mint certifies all of its collector coins. These products may be ordered by directly contacting the Royal Canadian Mint at 1-800-267-1871 in Canada, or at mint.ca. They are also available at the Royal Canadian Mint’s boutiques in Ottawa and Winnipeg, at participating Canada Post outlets and through the mint’s global network of dealers and distributors.
