Canadian Gift Guide

Taking a break from holiday hijinks again here. I visited the Royal Canadian Mint website yesterday to see what goodies they had in store for the holidays. For the record, there are tons of cute and glam products available if someone in your life is an avid coin collector, or if they might simply appreciate a little blingtastic gift for some special commemorative occasion this year. My picks, if you are looking for holiday gifts, are the motion-activated Santa/Rudolph coin ($26.95) or one of the glittering fine silver coins inlaid with crystals or tanzanite ($99.95).

Anyway the Mint apparently plans their gifts in advance, and so should you. You can currently preorder a variety of 2011 items for the lucky giftee on your list. Whether someone is celebrating a milestone birthday, getting hitched, or having a baby, the Mint produces a range of affordable gift sets ($19.95) that make for a great collectible to throw in with whatever tangible item you’re also getting them.

Beyond that they’re also rolling out a super cute Tooth Fairy gift card ($9.95) from a bilingual fairy, including a special 25 cent coin and an envelope to slip under your child’s pillow. Obviously the card can be used as a means to try and teach children that a collectible coin is actually cooler than receiving cold hard cash, sort of a pre-lesson on the value of saving, since you certainly don’t want them to spend the $10 quarter on something!

As nerdy as collecting coins may sound, the Royal Canadian Mint is known worldwide as a major innovator when it comes to decking out everything from pennies to silver dollars with holograms, jewels, hand-painting, colours, unique metals, shapes, and more. There is something nice about owning a small piece of Canadian history, one that won’t unobtrusively take up tons of space in your home but will serve as a nice, lifelong memory, of the year that you…well you fill in the blanks.