Description

Stunning Great Seal design from Canada?s history!

The design for this coin comes from an important moment in Canada?s past. The official seal it is based on was created when Britain?s two major Canadian colonies were brought together under a single government for the first time. The images in the design build on the separate seals of Upper Canada (now Ontario) and Lower Canada (now Quebec) and use popular Victorian imagery?all showcased in stunning detail on a large-format fine silver coin.

Before 1841, Upper and Lower Canada each had their own seals. The Great Seal of the Province of Canada placed these seals side-by-side, held up by two allegorical figures with their arms around each other?s shoulders. Over top of the entire scene is the Royal Arms of Queen Victoria, held by the lion representing England and the unicorn representing Scotland. Every element in this detailed design is symbolic. Here are some of the important symbols:

Lower Canada seal (engraved by Thomas Major in 1793): A graceful oak tree on the bank of a river overlooking several ships at anchor, with a typical Quebecois town featuring a church steeple in the background.

Upper Canada seal (from when the province was established in 1792): A peace-pipe or calumet crossed with a sword and an anchor and bound by an olive crown. The Union Jack is visible in the upper right-hand corner and two cornucopia decorate the bottom. Topping the design, to the left of the Union Jack, is the Royal Crown.

The royal arms of Queen Victoria (1837): Victoria?s shield, held up by the lion (England) and the unicorn (Scotland).

Two allegorical figures: A common practice during this era was to embody political entities like countries or provinces as a Grecian-style female figure. In this image, two graceful ladies embrace each other with one hand while holding up the seals of Upper and Lower Canada with the other.

Floral ornamentations: The seal is decorated throughout with the Scottish thistle, English rose, and Irish shamrock.

SPECIAL FEATURES

• Own a piece of early Canadian history, the Great Seal of the Province of Canada (1841-1867), recreated on 10 oz. fine silver coin.
• Enjoy the beautiful craftsmanship brought to life on this coin; large format, masterful engraving and intricate finishes work together to ensure that every little detail of this stunning design is faithfully replicated.
• A low mintage of 900 coins worldwide makes this a prestigious and rare collecting opportunity.

DID YOU KNOW?

• The 1840-41 Act of Union united the colonies of Upper Canada (?Canada West? under the new Act, now Ontario) and Lower Canada (?Canada East,? now Quebec) into a single colony with a shared government and economy. It was Canada?s first move toward responsible government and, according to the Canadian Encyclopaedia, was a ?26-year experiment in Anglophone-Francophone political cooperation.?
• There are two stone carvings of the Great Seal of the Province of Canada at the Parliament Buildings. One is above the doorway entrance to the East Block and believed to belong to the original buildings. The other is in the Hall of Honour of the Centre Block, carved in 1953 by Anthony Borysink, William F.K. Oosterhoff, and Wilfrid Rossignol.

DESIGN

The reverse image features the Great Seal of the Province of Canada from 1841, redrawn for use on a Royal Canadian Mint 76.25-millimetre, 10 oz. fine silver coin. The image features all of the elements of the original seal, including the seals of the colonies of Upper and Lower Canada held side-by-side by two allegorical female figures representing the united colonies. The coat of arms of Queen Victoria sits at the top of the image, which also features engravings framing the images and decorative floral engravings. The outer rim includes the Latin text from the original seal: ?VICTORIA D.G. BRITANNIARUM REGINA FID. DEF.? and ?SIGILLUM PROVINCIAE CANADAE.? The obverse features the effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Susanna Blunt.