Palladium coin
Encyclopedia
Palladium coins are a form of coin
age made out of the rare silver-white transition metal
palladium
. Palladium is internationally recognised as a form of currency
under ISO 4217
. Sierra Leone issued the first palladium coins in 1966. Tonga
commenced issuing palladium coins a year later in 1967, which included the Tonga Palladium Hau. Since then a number of countries have issued palladium coins, including Canada
, the Soviet Union
, France
, Palau
, Portugal
, Russia
, China
, Australia
and Slovakia
. Most of these have been special commemorative coin
s.
The former USSR, now the Russian Federation minted the most palladium coins in the world. Some other popular palladium coins minted by other countries are listed below.
A bill authorizing the United States Mint to produce and distribute a 1 troy ounce palladium coin was passed into law on December 14, 2010.
, totaling no more than 1200 coins. There are four versions corresponding to four seasons. Actual mintages are 297 springs, 296 summers, 296 autumns, and 293 winters.
The Royal Canadian Mint also minted palladium maple leafs from 2005 to 2007, as well as in 2009. These coins were made of 99.95% pure palladium (.9995 quality), each one containing one troy ounce
of pure palladium. They are legal tender in Canada. One of the sides bears a single maple leaf
(one of the national symbols of Canada
), and the other has the effigy of Queen Elizabeth II.
Coin
A coin is a piece of hard material that is standardized in weight, is produced in large quantities in order to facilitate trade, and primarily can be used as a legal tender token for commerce in the designated country, region, or territory....
age made out of the rare silver-white transition metal
Transition metal
The term transition metal has two possible meanings:*The IUPAC definition states that a transition metal is "an element whose atom has an incomplete d sub-shell, or which can give rise to cations with an incomplete d sub-shell." Group 12 elements are not transition metals in this definition.*Some...
palladium
Palladium
Palladium is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Pd and an atomic number of 46. It is a rare and lustrous silvery-white metal discovered in 1803 by William Hyde Wollaston. He named it after the asteroid Pallas, which was itself named after the epithet of the Greek goddess Athena, acquired...
. Palladium is internationally recognised as a form of currency
Currency
In economics, currency refers to a generally accepted medium of exchange. These are usually the coins and banknotes of a particular government, which comprise the physical aspects of a nation's money supply...
under ISO 4217
ISO 4217
ISO 4217 is a standard published by the International Standards Organization, which delineates currency designators, country codes , and references to minor units in three tables:* Table A.1 – Current currency & funds code list...
. Sierra Leone issued the first palladium coins in 1966. Tonga
Tonga
Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga , is a state and an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, comprising 176 islands scattered over of ocean in the South Pacific...
commenced issuing palladium coins a year later in 1967, which included the Tonga Palladium Hau. Since then a number of countries have issued palladium coins, including Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Palau
Palau
Palau , officially the Republic of Palau , is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Philippines and south of Tokyo. In 1978, after three decades as being part of the United Nations trusteeship, Palau chose independence instead of becoming part of the Federated States of Micronesia, a...
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
. Most of these have been special commemorative coin
Commemorative coin
Commemorative coins are coins that were issued to commemorate some particular event or issue. Most world commemorative coins were issued from the 1960s onward, although there are numerous examples of commemorative coins of earlier date. Such coins have a distinct design with reference to the...
s.
The former USSR, now the Russian Federation minted the most palladium coins in the world. Some other popular palladium coins minted by other countries are listed below.
A bill authorizing the United States Mint to produce and distribute a 1 troy ounce palladium coin was passed into law on December 14, 2010.
Canadian Big & Little Bear Constellations and Palladium Maple Leaf
These are the lowest mintage coins ever minted by the Royal Canadian MintRoyal Canadian Mint
The Royal Canadian Mint produces all of Canada's circulation coins, and manufactures circulation coins on behalf of other nations. The Mint also designs and manufactures: precious and base metal collector coins; gold, silver, palladium, and platinum bullion coins; medals, as well as medallions and...
, totaling no more than 1200 coins. There are four versions corresponding to four seasons. Actual mintages are 297 springs, 296 summers, 296 autumns, and 293 winters.
The Royal Canadian Mint also minted palladium maple leafs from 2005 to 2007, as well as in 2009. These coins were made of 99.95% pure palladium (.9995 quality), each one containing one troy ounce
Troy ounce
The troy ounce is a unit of imperial measure. In the present day it is most commonly used to gauge the weight of precious metals. One troy ounce is nowadays defined as exactly 0.0311034768 kg = 31.1034768 g. There are approximately 32.1507466 troy oz in 1 kg...
of pure palladium. They are legal tender in Canada. One of the sides bears a single maple leaf
Maple leaf
The maple leaf is the characteristic leaf of the maple tree, and is the most widely recognized national symbol of Canada.-Use in Canada:At the beginning of the eighteenth century, the settlements of New France had attained a population of about 18,000...
(one of the national symbols of Canada
National symbols of Canada
National symbols of Canada are the symbols that are used in Canada and abroad to represent the country and its people. Prominently, the use of the maple leaf as a Canadian symbol dates back to the early 18th century, and is depicted on its current and previous flags, the penny, and on the coat of...
), and the other has the effigy of Queen Elizabeth II.
See also
- Precious metalPrecious metalA precious metal is a rare, naturally occurring metallic chemical element of high economic value.Chemically, the precious metals are less reactive than most elements, have high lustre, are softer or more ductile, and have higher melting points than other metals...
- Gold coinGold coinA gold coin is a coin made mostly or entirely of gold. Gold has been used for coins practically since the invention of coinage, originally because of gold's intrinsic value...
- Silver coinSilver coinSilver coins are possibly the oldest mass produced form of coinage. Silver has been used as a coinage metal since the times of the Greeks. Their silver drachmas were popular trade coins....
- Platinum coinPlatinum coinPlatinum coins are a form of currency. Platinum has an international currency symbol under ISO 4217 of XPT. The issues of legitimate platinum coins were initiated by Spain in Spanish-colonized America in the 18th century and continued by the Russian Empire in the 19th century...