2026 - Commemorative Circulation Coins with Matt Traversy

The first podcast of 2026 is a deep dive into how your Canadian Commemorative Circulation Coins come into being.  Join Matt Traversy as he explains how he helps capture key moments and immortalizes them on your circulation coins! 

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:01

Whatever time of day it is for you, hello and welcome to the Royal Canadian Mince Masters Club podcast. This is our long-form interview with the people, artists, engravers, and engineers behind your favorite coins. And it's a Masters Club exclusive. Dive into insider tips, behind-the-scenes stories, and special interviews available only to our Masters Club members. This is your way to stay connected and get the most out of your membership. I'm your host and Masters Club program manager, Jamie Derrochier. Your elevated experience begins now. Welcome back to the Royal Canadian Mint's Masters Club podcast. It's good to have you back, and if you're new here, welcome. It's not every day that we get a behind-the-scenes look at our commemorative circulation program and the incredible effort that goes into creating those coins. Since 2012, I've had the privilege of collaborating with today's guests, and I'm continually inspired by their deep historical acumen, their cultural and political expertise, and unwavering attention to detail. He's the commemorative circulation program and special projects program manager at the Royal Canadian Mint, capturing key moments and immortalizing them on our circulation coins. He's Matt Traversy, and he's our guest next on the Royal Canadian Mint's Masters Club Podcast. Matt, welcome to the Masters Club Podcast. It's just you, me, and our most loyal Masters Club members.

SPEAKER_00 1:46

Thanks, Jamie, for having me. It's a pleasure, and uh it's exciting to be able to talk to an audience that's so passionate about coins.

SPEAKER_01 1:53

They are very passionate about coins, yeah. Uh, while I know a good majority of our members are well versed in commemorative uh circulation coins, for those who may not be as experienced uh as we always have new collectors, uh do you mind giving us a rundown of what exactly commemorative circulation coins are and how they differ from not only regular circulation coins, but also collectible precious metal coins?

SPEAKER_00 2:16

Yeah, you bet. So I guess the easiest technical definition is just that they're they are circulation coins, but they're circulation coins that you know have a different reverse design than the standard loon, polar bear, caribou. Um and I think that you know the question that you're asking about numismatics is interesting because you know they're they they circulate, right? So they're part of trade and commerce, they're produced uh to have a function in in sort of our economy. And um so they kind of, in a way, when you find them in your change, they're finding you as much as you're finding them, which you know, for a numismatic coin, I think numismatic coins are typically sought out by people who want to to own them, right? So there's there's sort of a we invert how people receive them, maybe is another way to think about it.

SPEAKER_01 3:02

Yeah, and and and uh I know we've talked about this in the past, but it it's there there's that sort of thrill of the hunt of trying to find commemorative circulation coins too.

SPEAKER_00 3:11

Yeah, it's one of my favorite things about sort of having gotten into this world. Like I and I suspect some of your listeners maybe started the same way or or still do this, but I I really love getting change because I like looking through my change and you know, finding those special or those commemorative circulation coins. Um, even if it's as simple as something with, you know, that's like an older coin or it's one with a date that I haven't seen before, or something like that is, or a coin from another country, that's you know, kind of a fun treasure too, because you get to look at at those. So there's kind of like a no, it's not like the lottery, but you know, there's a randomness to it that brings some excitement. And uh it's always a real kind of uh a real boost when you get something good in your change that uh that you can kind of uh look at and and maybe treasure a little bit too.

SPEAKER_01 3:58

So and and I I I'm the same way where I I love finding different types of change, whether it be you know older nickels or that that's a big one for me, or or the um commemorative circulation coins. Those are the they're always more special because a lot of times I'll know the stories behind them and uh maybe even I've worked on them. So uh yeah, it makes it uh it makes it fun.

SPEAKER_00 4:20

It's really exciting uh to be able to do that. And it's you know, that there's uh that moment is kind of what we look for to in the when we work on these coins is sort of that that three-second, I call it the three-second test in my head where you know if someone's getting their change and they they look at the handful of coins that they've received, you know, my goal is always to make sure that whatever we kind of create is something that will stand out to them. And hopefully it kind of gives them that that moment of pause where you know either they'll stop and look at it then or they'll tuck it back in their pocket and look at it later and sort of ask, you know, ask questions about the coin itself, right? So why, what's this design, why is it there? You know, what is it sort of marking or commemorating? So, you know, there's a lot of um effort that goes into finding ways, you know, we hope that people can connect and engage with these coins when they find them.

SPEAKER_01 5:11

Changing the design, it has to be something worthy of it too. And I know we'll get into that a little bit later, but uh, but yeah, it's it it makes people question things for sure, yeah. So uh why do uh why do we make these commemorative circulation coins uh and what's your role in getting these coins into the Canadian public's hands?

SPEAKER_00 5:28

The mint you know has kind of the privilege of of having the opportunity to fulfill a mandate to kind of commemorate, celebrate, honor, you know, the milestones, stories, and and the people, you know, that uh are are sort of nationally significant in different ways. And and through our commemorative circulation coins, we really get the chance um to represent those stories and to offer people who come across them the opportunity to learn more about them. So in that sense, they're kind of a form of public history. Um and it's the way you know the mint is able to do this through its numismatic coins as well. But you know, the way I always think about it is that these coins are the mint's opportunity to kind of um give texture to a little corner of the Canadian fabric, you know. Um, and through that, you know, uh to give people living in Canada the chance to to learn more about not only the coins of you know our nation, but about the history of our country itself.

SPEAKER_01 6:28

So that's a nice way of putting it. I like that. Uh it and uh it doesn't surprise me that you personally have a hand in in doing that because uh you know being a curator of history in a lot of ways, like you know, it's it's it's a nice way to contribute and and do your part for for that. So uh kudos to you for that. So do you remember what your first uh commemorative circulation coin was?

SPEAKER_00 6:50

Yeah, 100%. Yeah. I the I started at the Mint in 2009. I when I sort of started you know helping with these coins um with commemorative circ coins, we were working on the I call it the ready eye ready coin, so the 100th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Navy. Um and it was, you know, I came from uh an academic background uh in history, and it was a really interesting transition into what is a very different form of history. Like we have to express history in a radically different way, obviously. Um and it was also a really important learning experience in the sense that it taught me how sort of institutions like the Mint and the Navy can work together to tell stories and how, in some ways, you know, their approaches to storytelling is different, and how they can sort of find that um that optimal middle ground so that you know those stories are being told in a way that's interesting to the Canadian public and is it an engaging kind of story uh for people to kind of uh engage with.

SPEAKER_01 8:02

But yet accurate because you're working with them. Actually, that j just getting into that uh itself, it's I know it's a challenging program overall, and uh there's a lot of scrutiny and consultation that you have to consider with each coin. So, is there a strategy uh that you use to ensure that each coin is well vetted and considers all the angles? So going back into what we were just talking about, but just can if you could elaborate a little bit on that.

SPEAKER_00 8:28

Yeah, for sure. Um you know it's interesting, you know. I and I think you and I have known each other for a long time. I think about this a lot, right? And um we always want to make sure that we do everything we can to get things right. And whenever I start one of these projects, there are two things that I always try to keep in my mind to keep myself grounded in that sort of objective. And one is almost every week, and maybe it's because my algorithm now has kind of figured me out that I'm gonna click through when I see one of these stories, but there are stories of people in Europe, you know, who find caches of coins that have been sitting, you know, hidden in the earth for for hundreds of years. And each of those kind of stories to me is kind of a testament that that cuts to the heart of why coins are such important and interesting cultural objects. You know, they're first, obviously they're extremely durable, right? So, and our job is effectively to write the stories that we tell in metal. And you know, when you realize that the coins can be around for hundreds of years, you you get a sense that um you know extra care should be taken to try and get the subjects right because they're gonna be around for a while.

SPEAKER_01 9:39

Yeah, I think we're we're we're very similar in in that frame of thought where I I've I've considered, you know, like these things will outlive me. So it's important to get it right. Uh you know, um I've I've done coin design before too, so having your initials on it is even worse, I think, right? So you want to be able to get it just right because you know that, you know, the there's a potential that a thousand years from now someone's gonna be digging it up and finding it and saying, what were they thinking back then, you know, and and it and it kind of frames things.

SPEAKER_00 10:11

You know, you're banging on it. It's it cuts to the quick of like you know, what goes on them matters, right? So, and as you just said, right, the coins that the different communities have made represent those communities, and there's a lot of very intentional choices that kind of go into um deciding uh what goes on them and why what appears on them is you know important. So I think in that context, you know, like the responsibility that you know I can hear you carrying is you know, our coins represent Canada, right? And for that reason alone, I think it's worth putting a lot of effort into trying to get them as right as we can, and that the effort that's put into doing that is never wasted. Um because it's not impossible, as you said, right? That hundreds of years from now somebody's gonna looking looking back at this, and and at that point, they're basically a statement of who we are now as a community of people. And so, you know, that's a big responsibility.

SPEAKER_01 11:07

So it's it is and it's a snapshot of I and I think something that we do well in the last 20 years is where we're history's not as much about the the victors as much as it is about like trying to see things holistically, right? Um, and I I think that that w when you when you do this, it's a snapshot of how we're thinking today. It doesn't mean that it that you know a hundred years from now they'll they'll they won't think that we're backwards a little bit, but at the same time, it's it it is a snapshot of what we're thinking today, right? So yeah, so yeah, I can I can see where you're going with that.

SPEAKER_00 11:43

Yeah, that realization that history is kind of it's always written in the future, or sorry, written in the present about the past, but for the future, basically.

SPEAKER_01 11:53

Right, so it's tricky. So uh so let's review your work on the 50th anniversary of the Cien Tower coin, the $2 coin. Uh so what's the story with the creation of that coin? And I bet it's had its challenges uh being such a notable Canadian landmark.

SPEAKER_00 12:09

Yeah, I think that one's interesting. You know, like the work done on that I think is most significant on that coin, it really speaks to the the design and the the background that I would give there is, you know, when I started working with Tammy Brew on the idea of this coin, if nothing else, you know, she had uh a vision in her mind and was able to kind of very quickly distill it and sort of tell me, you know, this is the opportunity for us to make the second uh glow-in-the-dark circulation coin uh for Canada. A lot of the work that we did was to try to figure out how to do that in the most interesting way. And for commemorative Circ coins, I mean there's a lot of legwork that's done to get to the moment where we're getting concept art, and there's a lot of briefing, there's a lot of conversations. And so what Temmie was able to do, working with um, you know, the the three artists who were asked to submit concepts for it, and then the artist ultimately whose design was chosen, was to find creative ways to be able to do that. And what I really love about this coin is not just the fact that it glows in the dark, but that you know, she was able to work with um the artist of that coin to find a way to do that that incorporated, you know, not only the rest of the Toronto skyline sort of as it appears now, but the Toronto skyline as it appeared in 1976 when the tower initially opened. Um and so that in particular I think is worth sort of celebrating, you know, the fact that that that Tammy was able to have that insight and did the fantastic work that she did to um uh sort of bring it to light, uh, for lack of a better phrase.

SPEAKER_01 13:51

So but it's a genius little slice on her part, right? Where she was able to to make that uh that connection, right? Sounds like that. Totally. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 14:00

And it speaks to the the willingness of our partners at the C and Tower to be creative about it and to help us find solutions to it, right? And to have a look and uh at all of these different design iterations uh you know, sort of uh as they came in and eventually with the one that was chosen to sort of say, Oh, we'll tweak this, you know, that that's not quite right. And you know, there's a lot of effort that goes into to getting those details and and ultimately to to creating the final product that I I hope folks uh you know by the time the SARS have seen and uh and are uh are uh have gotten their hands on, hopefully.

SPEAKER_01 14:33

It's it's nice to to see that they were a good partner for that.

SPEAKER_00 14:36

Yeah, they were, and uh yeah, and they really, really uh were very supportive in that regard. And it helps in this case too, right? When you've got uh a good marriage of sort of subject and technology like this, where you can to your point, right? The you you know the CN Tower is lit up. And so it is a it's a cool thing to be able to sort of light it up on, you know, uh, you know, sort of a 3D canvas of our own. So yeah.

SPEAKER_01 15:00

So I I know we're both lovers of history. Uh do you think you have a favorite uh commemorative circulation coin over the years? Uh uh and is it based in Canadian history?

SPEAKER_00 15:10

So yeah, so like you, I'm but you know, by training a a history uh sort of history kid. Yeah. Um so absolutely in that regard, you know, like I I I have, but from that specific perspective, I have a lot of favorites. And part of that stems from just, you know, we were talking earlier about sort of the the vigor and the rigor that we try to put into, you know, learning and knowing the stories that that we we show on the coins. Um and each of them is sort of contains within it, each of those subjects is sort of an amazing feat of of the human mind or you know, an amazing event. And so they they themselves are kind of the the they could fill the wing of uh a wing of a museum, or they've been kind of the subject on which very, very bright people have, you know, sort of poured their careers into. And so, you know, learning from those folks is an integral part of it, and being able to do that early uh and sort of absorb that knowledge and and and sort of reflect the learning that we're getting on the coins as soon as we can is a really integral part of it. So in that sense, kind of getting that not only the historical knowledge, but knowledge about things like you know, how insulin works in the body, for example, um uh among other subjects, that has been absolutely fundamental. And I love all those things because there's nothing that I love more than being able to get into a subject that's got a lot of rabbit holes that I can lose myself in. So getting a lot of uh knowledge. So they all have something that commends them as a favorite at the end of the day. Um, and every one of them is more complex than they appear on the surface. So there's a lot of richness and texture that we can sort of um uh learn. And by the time you know we finish one of these subjects, or we finish one of these coins rather, my perspective on the subject, just based on the learning and listening to people and all that stuff, has fundamentally transformed how I think about it. So there's always a renewed appreciation for each of the topics that that we end up showcasing on the coins uh as a result of the work that we put in. But and I I I I think this is maybe true of at least some of the listeners on the on um uh to to the podcast. Uh I ultimately kind of default to the art as my my favorite coins are defined by sort of the art. And you know, I'll often, you know, like like you, like I when I get these uh coins in my change, I do stop and it gives me the opportunity to go back to them and to see them anew, catch the details I either missed or misunderstood in the first place, and to see them as you know, when they first come out, they're always kind of just evolutions in my head of the the initial 2D sketches that we saw. And so seeing them anew in that three-dimensional engraving is is always immensely enriching, and it gives me that um that a more kind of permanent sense of joy to tie into them, and and um uh it sort of it reminds me of of all the things that I loved about making each of the individual coins themselves.

SPEAKER_01 18:16

So but but no clear favorite though? No clear.

SPEAKER_00 18:20

I can definitely my favorite art was um it was actually the coin that we worked on together in 2011 or 2012. Yeah, came out in 2013, and it was uh Tim Petsuliak's Heart of the Art Eccoin. Uh Mr. Petsuliak very sadly uh has passed away since. But that coin is one that I often find myself kind of going back to because of uh what an exceptional artist he was, and his ability in particular, what I loved uh and I still love about that coin, is his ability to kind of combine extremely complex cultural sort of symbolism with sort of elements from the natural world, right? Like there's he he found a way to create a visual shorthand that was exp that could express a depth of meaning um through this beautifully crisp line uh line work and uh extremely sort of well thought through composition uh that that I absolutely fell in love with, and I will still go back not only to look at that coin, but his art more generally, just an appreciation uh of the creative mind that was able to do that because it it truly is exceptional.

SPEAKER_01 19:35

So uh when I think about commemorative circulation coins, most of the time there's a a color version and a version without color, just struck. Um I generally myself, and uh you know, I'm I'm curious about where where you are on this. I'm generally drawn myself to the the the struck versions and not the color, even though the color ones are the ones that probably get people in the door, they see them faster and stuff, but that the struck ones always kind of resonate with me. I'm wondering where what what your thoughts are.

SPEAKER_00 20:03

I think you and I are the same. It's there's I really savor the struck coins because they're they demonstrate or they show how exceptionally our uh the mints engravers can sort of take a two-dimensional image and turn it into this sort of really detailed, and it's always they're always so crisp, the coins are so crisply struck. Especially when you're looking at the detail, it it there's a lot that can be conveyed on metal that looks fundamentally to me a little bit richer than than in the color. And that's not to say anything negative about our color coins because they are absolutely fantastic as well. Um, but I always do kind of enjoy I I relish looking at the struck coins because they show me things about the original art that you can't necessarily see uh in color in the same way.

SPEAKER_01 20:55

So yeah. And i if you had a color coin that would that you lean more towards, what would it be?

SPEAKER_00 21:01

Uh definitely the the hundredth anniversary of the birth of Iljuist that we made, so Bill Reed, uh in 2020 we made that coin, $2 coin. Uh and it the you know the black, white, and red uh the circular nature of the piece of art that was chosen for that coin just fit the canvas so well and communicated uh the most exceptional artists that one can can conceive, right? The creator of Raven and the First Men, among many, many other uh huge pieces, but it just that that um that rendering of uh he called it Hidea Grizzly Bear on the inner core of the two dollar coin just fit so perfectly and the colors are so strong and beautiful that to me that uh you know uh is is the the the most lovely um example of a colorized two dollar coin that we've made so far.

SPEAKER_01 21:55

I I I'd agree a hundred percent actually on that one because uh it it was it looked like it was meant to be on that coin. Yeah, yeah. So and but the struck version is really great on that too. So like I I I'd almost the the again the color version is is the way it's meant to be that the struck version's got that I don't know something a little different to it. So yeah that I really love.

SPEAKER_00 22:17

Yeah yeah and it's got the like there's different textures on the outer ring as well that sort of play really nicely especially on the struck coin because they sort of there's a continuity uh between them that's really interesting. But I agree, yeah those are both they were both really special colors. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:32

Well Matt, you're a gentleman and scholars thank you so much for coming by and uh it's been great and next time we have a another uh member's circulation coin you're gonna have to come by and tell us all about it.

SPEAKER_00 22:43

It'll be a pleasure. Thank you and this was a pleasure as well thank you.

SPEAKER_01 22:46

That about wraps it up for another edition of the Baroque Canadian Mint Masters Club podcast. Thank you for joining us dear Masters Club members and remember whatever type of coins you have in your collection we hope you find the missing ones on your list. And let's exclaim without objection the best kind of collector is the numismatist We'll see you next time