An Alberta cousin of T-Rex crashed the Royal Tyrrell Museum’s 25th birthday party in Drumheller Saturday when the Royal Canadian Mint proudly presented the Museum with its very own framed Albertosaurus coin, which commemorates this anniversary and is part of the exciting "Dinosaur Exhibit" coin series.
The Mint has taken its lenticular technology to new heights with this coin’s multi-frame animation of a fearsome Albertosaurus prowling the Museum’s grounds in the heart of Alberta’s Badlands.
Available to the public since July 21, 2010, and having sold over 12,000 to date, the 50-cent brass-plated steel coin is the second of a series of three coins to be issued in 2010 featuring life-like animations of dinosaurs.
"The Royal Canadian Mint is proud to have once again merged art and technology to create an outstanding collector coin which pays a colourful tribute to the scientific legacy of the Royal Tyrrell Museum and to Canada’s contribution to the field of palaeontology," said Ian E. Bennett, President and CEO of the Royal Canadian Mint.
"The Albertosaurus coin aims to attract young Canadians to coin collecting, as well as educate them on Alberta’s role as a world-class source of dinosaur discoveries."
"The Royal Tyrrell Museum is synonymous with Canada’s leadership in the study of the world’s history and the Government of Canada is proud to take part in this celebration," said Kevin Sorenson, Member of Parliament for Crowfoot. "This collector coin has immortalized an important element of Canadian heritage which dinosaur hunters and coin collectors of all ages can cherish for years to come."
"For a quarter century, the Royal Tyrrell Museum has been educating and amazing visitors from across Canada and around the world with its prehistoric treasures. This coin is yet another treasure for the Museum to be proud of and is a great way to commemorate the Museum’s silver anniversary," said Lindsay Blackett, Minister of Alberta Culture and Community Spirit.
The 50-cent Albertosaurus lenticular coin comes with six exciting trading cards: five of which depict various dinosaurs, while the sixth tells the story of Drumheller’s famous Royal Tyrrell Museum.
On May 3rd, dinosaur enthusiasts also began tracking down the Daspletosaurus Torosus coin, which will honour the centennial of Ottawa’s Canadian Museum of Nature.
On October 6th, the lenticular coin featuring Sinosauropteryx, another prized member of the Canadian Museum of Nature’s dinosaur collection, will complete the 2010 issue of this series.
Each coin retails for $24.95 CAD and Albertosaurus is currently available through the Mint’s on-line store at www.mint.ca/dinosaur, or by direct order from the Mint at 1-800-267-1871 in Canada and 1-800-268-6468 in the US.
The coin is also available at the Mint’s boutiques in Ottawa and Winnipeg as well as through our global network of dealers and distributors.
About the Royal Canadian Mint
The Royal Canadian Mint is the Crown Corporation responsible for the minting and distribution of Canada’s circulation coins. An ISO 9001-2008 certified company, the Mint is recognized as one of the largest and most versatile mints in the world, offering a wide range of specialized, high quality coinage products and related services on an international scale. For more information on the Mint, its products and services, visit www.mint.ca.
About the Royal Tyrrell Museum
The Royal Tyrrell Museum is Canada’s only museum dedicated exclusively to the science of palaeontology. In addition to housing one of the world’s largest displays of dinosaurs, the Museum offers a wide variety of creative, fun, and educational programs that bring the prehistoric past to life. The Museum is operated by the Government of Alberta under the Ministry of Culture and Community Spirit. For more information on the Royal Tyrrell Museum visit www.tyrrellmuseum.com.
