Description

The Grizzly – A Fearless Protector

Capture the spirit of the bear in extraordinarily high relief

The Multifaceted Grizzly Bear Head by Canadian artist Alex Tirabasso is the second of a 3-coin series featuring the innovative use of extraordinarily high relief (EHR). This technology application on coins is a world first, a daring new approach unlike anything the world of minting has ever seen before.

Going beyond high and ultra-high relief, EHR introduces a coin design that can elevate the subject matter to around 6 mm. It creates a striking effect, akin to that of a sculpture rather than conventional embossing.

In fact, the three-dimensionality of this unique coin is so extreme that the engravers were unable to complete it with their standard software and had to migrate to new technologies that could strike the sculpture.

On top of its distinctive shape, the Multifaceted Grizzly Bear Head is crafted in proof finish, giving it a mesmerizing brilliance; the 498 polygons which make up the design reflect light from various angles, resulting in a coin that sparkles like a diamond.

The grizzly bear is Canada?s second largest carnivore. Its scientific name, Ursus arctos horribilis, translates from Latin to ?terrifying northern bear?. It is easily one of the most iconic animals on Canadian soil. On one hand, the grizzly is oft linked to danger, and its name sounds awfully close to the adjective ?grisly?. On the other, this bear remains a highly respected symbol of the nation?s nature and culture. It is synonymous with strength, confidence, leadership, rest and quietude. Bears are known to be particularly intelligent and resourceful beasts. They work hard for their food and the well-being of their cubs, but they also rest hard. Symbolic of signature Canadian winters, the grizzly can hibernate for up to seven months in our snowy landscape.

quietude. Bears are known to be particularly intelligent and resourceful beasts. They work hard for their food and the well-being of their cubs, but they also rest hard. Symbolic of signature Canadian winters, the grizzly can hibernate for up to seven months in our snowy landscape.

KEY SPECIAL FEATURES:

• Innovative world first coining technology. The Multifaceted Grizzly Bear Head features an ingenious approach to coin design. This second issue in the 3-coin series is the second proof-quality coins struck with extraordinarily high relief (EHR) ? a new term in the world of minting. EHR is defined by an impressive relief that reaches to around 6 millimetres on a coin of only 36 millimetres in diameter and 1 oz. in weight. Ultra-high relief coins barely reach 2 millimetres of height and standard relief coins remain almost flat in comparison.
• Exceptional frosting. The Grizzly Bear Head?s multiple facets, composed of 498?polygons, are crafted in proof finish to reflect light from various angles. The result is a coin that sparkles like a diamond. The highest quality proof finish combined with the EHR technique gives it an unequaled brilliance and sharpness, making it a World First coin of its kind. A lightly frosted background accentuates the sparkle of the central main design, giving its already dazzling subject even more emphasis. On the obverse, multiple light-relief facets provide similar luminous, reflective effect.
• Unique sculpting. The exceptional three-dimensionality of extraordinarily high relief allows the Grizzly Bear Head to elevate mere embossing to a sculpture faithful to the anatomical proportions of an actual bear head. The relief is so extreme and pronounced that the modeling and tooling work had to be approached in an unorthodox manner. The engravers had to adapt their normal coin modeling procedures, CNC machining strategies and tool polishing methods to accommodate such an extreme relief.

quietude. Bears are known to be particularly intelligent and resourceful beasts. They work hard for their food and the well-being of their cubs, but they also rest hard. Symbolic of signature Canadian winters, the grizzly can hibernate for up to seven months in our snowy landscape.

KEY SPECIAL FEATURES:

• Innovative world first coining technology. The Multifaceted Grizzly Bear Head features an ingenious approach to coin design. This second issue in the 3-coin series is the second proof-quality coins struck with extraordinarily high relief (EHR) ? a new term in the world of minting. EHR is defined by an impressive relief that reaches to around 6 millimetres on a coin of only 36 millimetres in diameter and 1 oz. in weight. Ultra-high relief coins barely reach 2 millimetres of height and standard relief coins remain almost flat in comparison.
• Exceptional frosting. The Grizzly Bear Head?s multiple facets, composed of 498?polygons, are crafted in proof finish to reflect light from various angles. The result is a coin that sparkles like a diamond. The highest quality proof finish combined with the EHR technique gives it an unequaled brilliance and sharpness, making it a World First coin of its kind. A lightly frosted background accentuates the sparkle of the central main design, giving its already dazzling subject even more emphasis. On the obverse, multiple light-relief facets provide similar luminous, reflective effect.
• Unique sculpting. The exceptional three-dimensionality of extraordinarily high relief allows the Grizzly Bear Head to elevate mere embossing to a sculpture faithful to the anatomical proportions of an actual bear head. The relief is so extreme and pronounced that the modeling and tooling work had to be approached in an unorthodox manner. The engravers had to adapt their normal coin modeling procedures, CNC machining strategies and tool polishing methods to accommodate such an extreme relief.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

• A design like no other. Thanks to the ingenious EHR technology, the Grizzly Bear Head design is no longer just an embossing, it is a sculpture built upon a coin.
• A spiritual symbol. This multifaceted coin is a tribute to one of the most prominent spiritual guides on Canadian soil?the grizzly bear.
• A pioneer?s work. Alex Tirabasso, the coin?s artist, has been a pioneer in introducing rendering and multimedia tools to produce highly realistic images for the Royal Canadian Mint. The Grizzly Bear Head is one of his new ventures into the innovation of minting.

DID YOU KNOW?

• An impressive size. The brown bear is one of the largest carnivores in North America, measuring up to 3 metres in length. They can also weigh up to 600 kg!
• Little families. Unlike other mammals that can reproduce multiple times per year with plentiful litters, bears usually have only a couple cubs once about every 3 years and carry them for 6 to 9 months, almost like humans.
• Deep sleepers. Grizzlies can hibernate for up to 7 months per year. They hunt actively in preparation and stack up food reserves, then enjoy a long nap during which they do not eat nor defecate.

DESIGN

The reverse sculpture by Alex Tirabasso features a multifaceted grizzly bear head built out of 498?polygons. The three-dimensional form protrudes from the flat coin, invoking both nature and geometry in its execution. The extraordinarily high relief plays an integral part of the design, introducing the coin among the first of its kind in the world?sharp, brilliant and doing away with the conventional flatness of minting.