Notable News (May 13-19, 2025)

This week’s headlines include the Royal Canadian Mint’s Murano Monarch Butterfly coin, the 2025 COTY awards, and the ongoing saga of New York’s precious-metal coin tax exemption.

The Royal Canadian Mint has unveiled its Murano Monarch Butterfly half-kilo fine silver coin. Each coin features a handcrafted, one-of-a-kind three-dimensional Murano glass butterfly with stained-glass-like wings. The 99.99-percent silver coin features selective gold plating and a detailed botanical scene.

Photo: Royal Canadian Mint

Nearly 550 coins have been nominated for the 2025 Coin of the Year (COTY) Awards. A committee has narrowed the submissions to the COTY 100—100 standout coins from 38 countries—across 10 award categories. The category winners and Coin of the Year will be announced at the ANA’s World’s Fair of Money on August 19-23.

Photo: Latvian Mint

The U.S. Mint will release the 2025 American Eagle 1-ounce silver uncirculated coin on May 20 at noon ET, with a 10-coin per household limit for the first 24 hours. Struck at the West Point facility and priced at $91, the coin showcases sculptor Adolph A. Weinman’s full-length figure of Liberty on the obverse and an eagle carrying an oak branch in its talons on the reverse.

Photo: U.S. Mint

Just days after the National Coin & Bullion Association (NCBA) and its New York members successfully defeated an attempt to repeal the state’s sales-tax exemption on precious-metal purchases over $1,000, a new threat has emerged. Senator Andrew Gounardes has introduced Senate Bill S7875, which seeks to end tax-free sales of qualifying precious-metal coins and bullion.

Photo: Getty Images/thad