1 oz 2025 The Sundial Silver Coin | Royal Canadian Mint

Make time to admire this functional sundial—a Mint first!

More than just an eye-catching garden adornment, the sundial is humanity’s oldest known timekeeping device—one that functions just as well today as it did in ancient times. An elaborate and functional showcase of craftsmanship, this limited collectible adds a working sundial to your coin collection. Its embellishment is a rhodium-plated brass gnomon that, when placed in view of the sun and in the direction of true north, casts an angled shadow onto the elaborately engraved 99.99% pure silver base to indicate local solar time.

A functional sundial coin—a Mint first!

COIN HIGHLIGHTS

• This sundial coin is a first for RCM. Your coin’s reverse isn’t just an ode to humanity’s oldest known timekeeping device—it is an actual sundial, a Mint first!
• Frosted to perfection. The acanthus leaf motif has a timeless look that harkens back to a bygone era, while various frostings highlight different design elements and give the coin a more brushed appearance.
• Specially encapsulated. Each coin has been carefully placed inside a taller capsule that can accommodate the additional height of the gnomon.
• Low mintage. Only 5,000 sundial coins are available to collectors worldwide—order today!
• Includes serialized certificate. The Royal Canadian Mint certifies all of its collector coins.

PACKAGING

Your coin is encapsulated and presented in a black Royal Canadian Mint-branded clamshell with a black beauty box.

A CAST GNOMON

Standing upright on your coin’s reverse, the cast gnomon—the angled pointer that casts the shadow—is rhodium-plated brass and styled to complement the coin base’s ornate design.

INTERACTIVE

This sundial is appropriate for mid-northern latitudes. To use your coin as a sundial, place it on a flat surface in direct sunlight and with the gnomon pointing north. Take note of where the shadow’s outer edge lines up, and that should indicate the approximate local solar time. (Like any sundial, some additional adjustments may be required due to longitude and the time of year.)

DID YOU KNOW?

One of the oldest sundials in Canada is located across the street from our Ottawa facility, at the corner of Bruyère Street and Sussex Drive, where a matching pair of vertical sundials built in 1851 served as Ottawa’s first public timepieces.

A functional sundial for mid-northern latitudes, your coin’s time-keeping reverse was designed by Canadian artist Anna Bucciarelli. Serving as the base, the reverse is ornamented with acanthus leaves and edged with Roman numerals indicating the hours from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. At the bottom, a stylized sunflower—a heliotropic flower and a beloved symbol of the sun—supports the gnomon, which harnesses the power of sunlight and casts the measured shadow that helps determine the time of day. The obverse features the effigy of His Majesty King Charles III by Canadian artist Steven Rosati.

ABOUT THE ROYAL CANADIAN MINT

The Royal Canadian Mint is known as one of the most reputable mints in the world. The Ottawa Branch of the Royal Mint opened in 1908 and was renamed The Royal Canadian Mint in 1931 when control was transferred to the Canadian government. Their high standards for excellence and quality allowed them to be the first refinery to manufacture 9999 fine gold bullion coins in 1982, as well as the first to reach 99999 fine gold purity in 1998.