When the Royal Canadian Mint calls you, you certainly sit up and take notice. When they ask you to help them create a new coin series, remaining seated and composed becomes a challenge.

So it is that Canadian Geographic found itself assisting the Mint in sourcing the images that have been reproduced on the faces of the new Celebrating Canada’s 150th coin series, which was officially announced June 27, 2016.

“We wanted to show all of Canada in its colourful glory, which is best represented by real-life photographs,” says Yudi Harsono, the Mint product manager behind the series. “Canadian Geographic is a perfect fit for this, with thousands of such photographs in their My Canada Photo Club gallery.”

Starting July 5, 2016, the Mint will release one coin in the 13-coin series each month until July 2017, around the time of the nation’s sesquicentennial. And because the coins feature amazing images sourced by the magazine, largely from its popular Photo Club, seven of the original photographs used for the coins will appear in upcoming issues of Canadian Geographic in the “Big picture” department (the magazine’s opening section that’s dedicated to an image celebrating Canada’s grandeur).

The 13 half-ounce pure silver coins — with selective colour application over the engraving to achieve photo-like quality — represent Canada’s provinces and territories, from the iconic loon to the lighthouse at Peggy’s Cove, the great blue heron, a canola field, a float plane, a grizzly bear, the northern lights, swift foxes, and an iceberg, among other iconic Canadian images.

Collectors can subscribe to the series (for $44.95 per coin) to ensure they receive each of the coins (there’s a 25,000-coin mintage). Subscribers get a free collector case and a complimentary one-year subscription to Canadian Geographic. What better way to celebrate Canada?