Ottawa, Ontario, July 16, 2008 – History and innovative design combine to produce yet another outstanding series of Royal Canadian Mint (RCM) collector coins with the introduction of fine silver rectangular coins emulating a long-lost currency of our past: New France’s playing card money.

The innovation and design creativity continues with a new crystal-embedded fine silver raindrop coin, a new Royal Effigies Series coin featuring King Edward VII, as well as gold and silver coins celebrating yet another Canadian Achievement, the world-famous IMAX film standard, among several others captivating themes.

"As the Royal Canadian Mint celebrates its centennial and as Canada celebrates other historical milestones such as the 400th anniversary of the city of Quebec, we are proud that our collector products are telling the story of Canada in fascinating new forms", said Ian E. Bennett, President and CEO of the Royal Canadian Mint.

"Our artisans and experts have once again succeeded in creating outstanding treasures in silver and gold which capture the imagination of coin collectors and gift givers everywhere".

The following is an overview of the new products which will be available to the public on July 23, 2008:

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The 1913-2008 Inflation Calculator and rate charts show inflation’s jump with today’s latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) figures released by the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics.

By entering any two dates and a dollar amount, the CoinNews Inflation Calculator measures the change in buying power over time. At the same time, it charts plot historical annual averages for rate of inflation, and annual percent changes for rate of inflation. The numbers and charts reflect the June rise in inflation.

Inflation rates jump in June

Consumer prices jumped 1.1 percent in June compared to increases of 0.6 percent in May and 0.2 percent in April. It was the second highest rise since 1982 and much higher than the 0.7 percent increase Wall Street economists expected.

The core CPI, which excludes volatile food and energy costs, rose by 0.3 percent. That was 0.1 percent higher than many expected.

The index for fuel oil rose 10.4 percent in May and soared 64 percent over the 12 months. The gasoline index rose 5.7 percent in May and surged 20.8 percent on a year-over-year basis.

In other June numbers, food and beverages rose 0.7 percent, natural gas rose 4.9 percent, energy prices jumped 6.6 percent, and gasoline prices soared by 10.1 percent.

What’s the real world meaning of these figures? The CoinNews Inflation Calculator can provide many insights.

Inflation Calculator examples

Using the calculator, anyone can determine the purchasing power of the dollar over time. A few examples after adjusting for inflation:

• An item purchased in 1913 for $1 would now cost $22.10 (up $0.22 from May numbers)
• An item purchased in 1950 for $10 would now cost $90.79 (up $0.90 from May numbers)
• An item purchased for $20 in 1985 would now cost $40.67 (up $0.40 from May numbers)

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