25 Cents - Elizabeth II Eastern Chipmunk

Part of the Royal Canadian Mint's fractional gold wildlife series, this piece was issued at a time when the Mint was aggressively expanding its collector bullion market with sub-gram gold denominations — a strategy aimed squarely at lowering the entry price for precious metal collectors rather than serving any transactional monetary purpose. The 25-cent face value is purely nominal; no rational actor has ever spent one.

The .9999 fineness places it among the purest gold issues the RCM produces, matching the standard set by the Maple Leaf bullion program.