RCAF Centennial Coins: 1990 Lancaster Bomber and 2024 Proof Set

The Royal Canadian Air Force’s 2024 centennial brings two very different Royal Canadian Mint collectibles into focus: a 1990 sterling silver coin featuring the Lancaster bomber, and a 2024 Special Edition Silver Dollar Proof Set with a silver dollar bearing the original RCAF badge. One looks back to an aircraft with a strong Canadian wartime connection; the other pairs circulating denomination proofs with a commemorative design available only in the set.

A Lancaster coin with a gold cameo

Issued in 1990, the Proof Lancaster Bomber is one of 20 sterling silver coins in the Royal Canadian Mint’s Series I and II Twenty Dollar aviation coin series of the 1990s. Its distinguishing feature is an inset 24K gold cameo depicting an aviator. The combination of the aircraft, silver coin and small gold element gives this issue a visual character that sets it apart within the series.

The Lancaster’s place in the story is personal as well as historical for the article’s author, whose father flew 35 missions over Europe as a Lancaster navigator. The coin’s appeal to collectors, the author writes, reflects the aircraft’s connection to many Canadians during the wartime period. That association gives the design a resonance beyond the mechanics of its metal and finish.

The article reports that the coin once reached a value of well over $100 and places its current average retail price at $75. Those figures are presented as market context, not as a promise about what an individual coin will sell for. Condition, completeness and the presence of the original packaging can all matter when collectors assess a particular example, so buyers should check the coin and its accompanying materials rather than assume every piece is identical.

Alliance Coin and Banknote says it has a limited number of the coins in their original aluminum “flight” cases with certificates, offered for $45 each while supplies last. That is the seller’s stated price and availability for this offering. The article links readers to Alliance Coin and Banknote for inquiries.

The 2024 set’s distinct RCAF dollar

The 2024 Special Edition Silver Dollar Proof Set has a feature that separates it from the other 2024 commemorative dollar offerings: its silver dollar carries a different design. The Royal Canadian Mint’s commemorative silver dollar for the RCAF centennial uses a collage of Maple Leaf imagery and aircraft. The dollar included in this special set instead presents the original RCAF badge.

According to the article, the set contains Proof strikings in base metal of the circulating denominations from Five Cents through Two Dollars, along with a Pure Silver commemorative Dollar. The silver dollar has the same badge design as the standalone and Fine Silver Proof Set versions would have had, though the article notes that finish and other details can vary between versions. For collectors comparing the 2024 issues, the design difference is the key point: the Special Edition set’s RCAF dollar is not simply the collage design repackaged.

The author also reports that the badge design is available only in this set and will not be issued as a standalone coin. That makes the set particularly relevant to collectors who want this specific RCAF design, while the combination of denominations gives it interest as a group of proof coins. The article gives the original issue price as $119.95 and says the Special Edition set was offered at half the price of the standard Fine Silver Proof Set.

Those details are useful when comparing the set with other 2024 Mint products. Check the product description and packaging to confirm which version of the dollar is included, especially when considering a set on the secondary market. The two 2024 designs share a centennial subject, but their imagery and availability differ.

Two collecting angles on one centennial

Together, the coins offer two distinct ways to collect the RCAF centennial theme. The 1990 issue connects an aviation coin series to the Lancaster and adds an inset gold cameo. The 2024 set places the original RCAF badge on a silver dollar and surrounds it with Proof versions of circulating denominations. One is a decades-old series coin with an established place in the author’s collecting discussion; the other is a current set whose distinguishing design is tied to its format.

For collectors weighing either option, the most useful details are specific: the 1990 coin’s Proof finish, sterling silver composition, 24K gold cameo, case and certificate; and the 2024 set’s denomination range, Pure Silver dollar, badge design and set-only availability. Those features make the two issues easy to distinguish and provide a clear starting point for examining an example or comparing listings.