5 Cents - Elizabeth II 4th portrait, colored

Canada's colored circulation-format collector issues occupy an odd niche — struck in fine silver to specifications that mimic the base-metal five-cent piece, they exist entirely outside the spending economy. The fourth portrait of Elizabeth II, by Susanna Blunt, was adopted in 2003 and notably omitted the traditional tiara in favor of a simpler depiction — a deliberate choice that generated some public debate at the time.

The .9999 fineness here is finer than sterling, achieved through electrolytic refining at the RCM's own facilities.