Canada just got a pricey new coin paying homage to a prehistoric predator

Canada just got a brand new dinosaur coin, and it's bringing a prehistoric predator back to life in stunning detail.

Dinosaur enthusiasts and coin collectors alike will want to take a closer look at the Royal Canadian Mint's latest release, which is basically a tiny window into Canada's prehistoric past.

The MintLAB – Exceptional Discoveries: Dinosaurs of Canada coin features a dramatic scene inspired by a rare 2009 discovery in Alberta's Dinosaur Provincial Park: the remains of a young tyrannosaur, a Gorgosaurus libratus (a cousin of the famous T. rex), with its last meal still preserved inside its stomach.

The coin's design tells two stories: one of the past, the other of the present.

Royal Canadian Mint.

The obverse highlights the Alberta dig site where the fossil was discovered, with the remains surrounded by the excavation trench that helped reveal the incredible find.

Flip the coin over, and the past comes roaring back to life. The reverse shows a reimagined version of the young dinosaur hunting down a yearling Citipes elegans (a young, bird-like theropod dinosaur), and offers a peek into the predator-prey encounters during the Late Cretaceous era.

Royal Canadian Mint.

Canadian paleoartist Julius Csotonyi brought the prehistoric showdown to life with a detailed reimagination of the predator hunting its prey. The obverse was designed by Canadian portrait artist Steven Rosati.

Royal Canadian Mint.

Made with 99.99 per cent pure silver, the coin weighs 156 grams and has a face value of $50. Of course, it's no ordinary pocket change — the collectible is available on the Mint's website for $1,829.95. And it’s a rare one, with only 647 of its kind available worldwide.

The coin is encased in a branded case, and each one comes with a serialized certificate, as well as an art card that shows a photo of the fossil specimen that resulted in this groundbreaking paleontological discovery.

It's also not the Mint's first dinosaur-themed coin.