2023 2 oz Canadian Silver Smilodon Coin (BU)

The 2023 Canadian Silver Smilodon is the first release in the Royal Canadian Mint’s Ice Age Series — a new bullion program showcasing prehistoric creatures with documented ties to Canadian territory. Built on 2 troy ounces of .9999 fine silver, it delivers more metal than a standard one-ounce bullion coin while carrying a design that pushes the format’s visual possibilities. The result is a coin that appeals equally to silver stackers, natural history enthusiasts, and collectors of RCM wildlife issues.

Key Features:

• Purity & Weight: 2 troy oz of .9999 fine silver (99.99%)
• Metal: Silver
• Face Value: $10 CAD — legal tender, guaranteed by the Government of Canada
• Obverse: Effigy of Queen Elizabeth II by Susanna Blunt, with memorial dates “1952–2022”
• Reverse: Leaping Smilodon fatalis with open jaws, by paleoartist Julius Csotonyi — inscribed “CANADA 2023 · FINE SILVER 2 OZ ARGENT PUR · .9999”
• Security Features: Micro-engraved maple leaf with numeral “23” (visible under magnification); precision radial lines
• Finish: Brilliant Uncirculated (BU)
• Diameter: 38 mm
• Mint: Royal Canadian Mint

The reverse is where this coin commands attention. Paleoartist Julius Csotonyi — one of Canada’s foremost scientific illustrators of prehistoric life — depicts Smilodon fatalis lunging directly toward the viewer, both forepaws extended with claws spread, mouth open wide, and the animal’s iconic elongated canines fully visible. The head and shoulders fill the upper field in deep relief, the musculature of the neck and chest individually textured. A rocky background in lower relief provides depth behind the animal. The “JC” artist initial and .9999 purity mark appear at the base. A micro-engraved maple leaf security feature containing the numeral “23” is struck into the field, visible under magnification. The surrounding inscription “CANADA 2023 · FINE SILVER 2 OZ ARGENT PUR” completes the rim. The obverse carries Susanna Blunt’s effigy of Queen Elizabeth II — the mature, uncrowned right-profile portrait introduced in 2003 — with the memorial dates “1952–2022” marking her 70-year reign. The face value of $10 CAD appears at the base, and precision radial lines in the background field serve as a second security element.

Smilodon fatalis lived across ice-free regions of North, Central, and South America during the Pleistocene epoch. In 2019, a 35,000-to-40,000-year-old bone found in southern Alberta became the first confirmed evidence of the species in prehistoric Canada — the direct regional connection that anchors it as the opening subject of the RCM’s Ice Age Series. The animal went extinct approximately 11,700 years ago at the close of the Pleistocene.

Individual coins ship in a protective plastic flip. Multiples of 14 come in acrylic mint tubes and 280 coins fill a Monster Box. The coin is eligible for Precious Metals IRAs as it exceeds the IRS minimum .999 fineness requirement.

Add the 2023 RCM Silver Smilodon to your cart today — the founding issue of a series built around Canada’s prehistoric past.