500 gram 2025 Murano Monarch Butterfly Proof Silver Coin | Royal Canadian Mint

Our biggest Murano butterfly has landed, and no two are alike.

A monarch butterfly’s orange-and-black colouration and stained-glass-like wings never fail to catch the eye as it flits by on the breeze, nature’s own fluttering work of art. The monarch butterfly on this half-kilo coin is also impossible to miss: it’s our biggest Murano glass butterfly yet. Sourced from Murano, Italy, where master glassmakers honour a centuries-old process that produces the colours and complexity for which Murano glass is renowned, each of these colourful glassworks is handcrafted – and no two Murano monarchs are alike. It is truly unique to your selectively gold-plated coin, which, from start to finish, celebrates art in its many forms – from the original watercolour painting that the design is based on (as seen on the accompanying art card), to the delicate butterfly that is sure to inspire.

Murano glass is back, and it’s bigger than ever.

COIN HIGHLIGHTS

• A Mint first. Crafted in ½ kg of 99.99% pure silver, this is RCM's first half-kilo coin featuring a Murano butterfly and selective gold plating — an eye-catching combination.
• Biggest Murano butterfly yet. Your coin features RCM's biggest Murano glass butterfly yet! Each glass butterfly has been meticulously handcrafted, and no two pieces are exactly alike, meaning your Murano monarch is unique to your coin.
• Comes with a second certificate. An additional certificate of authenticity certifies that your butterfly is genuine Murano glass and was crafted by master glassmaker Vio Col Vetro in Murano, Italy.
• Also included: an art card. Each coin comes with an art card featuring a colour reproduction of the original watercolour painting that inspired your coin’s reverse, allowing you to view the original artwork and the numismatic version side by side (and upon closer inspection, you’ll notice a few surprise elements that aren’t on your coin).
• Very low mintage. Only 800 coins are available to collectors worldwide.
• Includes serialized certificate. The Royal Canadian Mint certifies all of its collector coins.

PACKAGING

For a more memorable viewing experience, and to complement the botanical theme, your coin comes enclosed in a new, taller dome capsule shaped to resemble a glass cloche. Presented in a Royal Canadian Mint-branded wood base with a black set up box, your coin is accompanied by the usual certificate of authenticity from the Royal Canadian Mint, and another from Vio Col Vetro certifying that your exquisite butterfly was handcrafted in Murano, Italy. Also included: a colourful art card with a reproduction of the original watercolour painting, which, on closer inspection, reveals a few surprise elements that aren’t featured on your coin.

A BOTANICAL-THEMED MASTERPIECE

Your coin’s reverse combines world-class minting with the world-renowned qualities of Murano glass, and the entire scene features a stunning botanical art style inspired by an original painting. It’s a celebration of craftsmanship and art in its many forms.

NEW DOME CAPSULE

Your coin is the first to be encapsulated in a new, higher dome capsule. Shaped like a glass cloche, the dome and base complement the botanical theme and make for a memorable presentation.

DID YOU KNOW?

Home to the glassmakers of Venice since 1291, Murano, Italy, is one of the world’s most prominent centres of glassmaking, and its handcrafted glass artworks are renowned for their vibrant colours and highly intricate designs. There’s no paint involved – those captivating colours are achieved by mixing colourless glass with minerals and oxides, such as zinc for white.

Enhanced with selective gold plating, the reverse design is an engraved rendition of an original watercolour painting by Canadian artist Caren Heine. It features two monarch butterflies — an engraved one, and a handblown Murano glass butterfly crafted by master glassmaker Vio Col Vetro in Murano, Italy. The engraved botanical-themed backdrop focuses on the monarch’s host plant, milkweed, its leaves, flowers and seed pods mixing with spikes of delphinium flowers to form an enticing environment for these important pollinators. 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.