The latest from R&D: A small-scale replica with extra-deep depth!

Beyond the Queen s Gate on Parliament Hill lies a fire-topped monument to Canadian unity.

Ultra high relief has allowed us to take coin designs to greater heights than ever. But we ve taken things in a new direction with our latest engineering marvel: deep sunk relief on a palm-sized replica of the Centennial Flame.

The recessed basin gives this coin a minimum thickness of 1.51 millimetres. But the relief steadily climbs from there, culminating in a height of 5.05 millimetres from the base to the tip of the engraved flame.

An antique finish highlights this height variation, especially the raised shields and incused dates. The weathered look also mimics the appearance of the actual granite-and-bronze fountain, whose waters tumble down the 13 sides that proudly represent every province and territory.

KEY FEATURES:

• A coin-sized replica of a landmark. Our latest engineering feat is a small-scale replica of a famous Canadian landmark: the Centennial Flame on Parliament Hill.
• Our latest R&D innovation. Instead of ultra high relief, this coin features incuse relief. Deep sunk relief adds dramatic depth to a design that has a minimum thickness of 1.51 millimetres and a peak relief height of 5.05 millimetres.
• New coin shape, new capsule. Our first tridecagon coin has 13 sides, just like the monument. The new shape also means a new shaped capsule!

DID YOU KNOW

• Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson first lit the flame on December 31, 1966. The Centennial Flame was intended to be a temporary installation for the centennial celebrations in 1967. By popular demand, it became a permanent addition to the public grounds of the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa.
• Fuelled by natural gas, the heat from the flame keeps the waters flowing even on the coldest winter days. But it s not an eternal flame: it has been extinguished a few times, largely for maintenance work.
• In 2017, the 12-sided fountain was updated to include a 13th panel representing Nunavut. (Nunavut entered Confederation on April 1, 1999, three decades after the fountain was originally built.)
• Make a wish and throw a coin into the fountain for luck you ll also help fund disability research! Coins tossed into the fountain are regularly collected and put towards the annual Centennial Flame Research Award.

DESIGN

On the reverse, an engraved flame tops this small-scale replica of the Centennial Flame monument on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario. The 13-sided fountain consists of one panel for every Canadian province and territory, which are represented by their armorial bearings. On the edge of the fountain basin, the province or territory s floral emblem frames its date of entry into Confederation. An antique finish adds a weathered look that emphasizes the deep sunk relief. The obverse features the effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Susanna Blunt.