Description

A sweet take on an annual favourite

Celebrate a sweet holiday tradition with a Murano gingerbread man!

A spoonful of ginger, a pinch of nutmeg and a dash of cinnamon? these are the spices that make the holidays nice.

Our 2020 holiday coin serves up some festive magic with a Murano glass gingerbread man on a plateful of cookies for Santa!

Shortbread, chocolate chip and more ? these decorated treats are a sweet reminder of a holiday baking tradition that is a recipe for family fun. With the coin standing in for the plate, the colourful cookies will appeal to your sweet tooth and bring back memories of leaving milk and cookies out for the jolly old elf.

KEY FEATURES:

• ?Tis the season for tradition. Our annual holiday coin is a nostalgia-filled celebration of the magic of the season, topped by a beautiful Murano glass element.
• Festive treats that are fun to make, share and eat. For 2020, a plate full of iced cookies brings back fun memories of holiday baking with loved ones, and the excitement of leaving milk and cookies out for Santa on Christmas Eve.
• Features Murano glass. Our smiling gingerbread man is made from colourful Murano glass using centuries-old techniques. Due to its handcrafted nature, no two Murano pieces are exactly alike, meaning no two coins are alike either.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

• Back by popular demand. A collector favourite, our annual holiday coins have become one of the Royal Canadian Mint?s own holiday traditions.
• A multi-layered design. This year, the coin?s fine silver surface is more than just a beautifully polished canvas ? it is an important part of the design. An engraved motif gives it the look of a special silver platter that is used once a year to showcase the best of one?s holiday baking.

DID YOU KNOW?

What goes well with cookies? Milk, of course! While many will leave milk and cookies out for Santa this Christmas Eve, no one knows when the tradition actually began ? although the first literary reference dates back to the 1870s.

In the 16th century, Queen Elizabeth I had gingerbread men made to resemble visitors to her court and Shakespeare even mentioned it in his play,?Love?s Labour?s Lost (?An I had but one penny in the world, thou shouldst have it to buy ginger-bread?). But gingerbread likely dates back earlier, to the 11th century, when European crusaders returned home with spices from the east.

DESIGN

Designed by artist Pandora Young, the holiday-themed reverse resembles a plate filled with an assortment of cookies. An engraved festive motif captures the look of vintage tableware, like a special presentation dish reserved exclusively for the holidays. The festively shaped, iced cookies are colourfully highlighted and topped with a handcrafted gingerbread man made of Murano glass. The reverse includes the word ?CANADA? and the date ?2019?. The obverse features the effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Susanna Blunt.