New Life for a Canadian Classic

This richly detailed coin was inspired by a popular historic postcard from 1899, a time when it was common for collectibles like postcards and commemorative dishware to feature a country’s arms.

The reverse of this exceptional coin centres on the seven-province shield that was widely used in Canada, both officially and unofficially, from the 1870s to the early twentieth century. The imagery includes the arms of Canada’s four founding provinces at Confederation (Quebec, Ontario, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick) as well as those of Manitoba (which joined in 1870), British Columbia (1871) and Prince Edward Island (1873). The four shields of the founding provinces are also individually highlighted, encircled by laurel wreaths.

The artist for this coin, Cathy Bursey-Sabourin, maintained the charm of the original postcard, making a few revisions to fit it perfectly to the coin. She is uniquely qualified for this work: Cathy Bursey-Sabourin is the Fraser Herald and principal artist of the Canadian Heraldic Authority. She painted the arms for the current and several previous Governors General of Canada and the Coat of Arms of Canada.

KEY SPECIAL FEATURES:

•  Low mintage: Only 600 of these coins will ever be minted for worldwide sale
• This design has never before been depicted on an RCM coin
• Designed by prominent Canadian heraldic expert and artist Cathy Bursey-Sabourin

ADDITIONAL SPECIAL FEATURES

• 1 kilogram of 99.99% pure silver
• A stunning find for collectors

DID YOU KNOW?

In the nineteenth and early twentieth century, many collectibles featuring Canadian arms were produced in Europe, where people had never seen beavers first-hand. The result was occasionally quite fantastical, as shown on this design, where the beaver looks rather odd and exotic.

Modern-day viewers will spot obvious differences in the style of some of the elements on this coin design when compared to the provincial coats of arms of today. For example, the three conjoined maple leaves in the arms of Ontario and Quebec are depicted in a more natural form. The lymphad (boat) in the arms of New Brunswick has its sails hoisted instead of unfurled. The bison in the arms of Manitoba is depicted running instead of standing.

British Columbia had stopped using the non-armorial device shown in 1896 and therefore the 1899 postcard featuring this design was already out of date at the time it was printed.

DESIGN

The reverse of this silver coin centres around the seven-province shield used in Canada from the 1870s to the early twentieth century. It bears the arms of the four founding provinces (Quebec, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia) as well as those that were added shortly after Confederation (Manitoba, British Columbia, Prince Edward Island). The central shield is surmounted by a stylized royal crown. At its base is a beaver and a ribbon bearing the bilingual text “DOMINION OF/DU CANADA”. Flanking the central shield are four individual versions of the shields of the original provinces, with Ontario and Nova Scotia on the left and Quebec and New Brunswick on the right. Each of individual shields is encircled by a laurel wreath. The background is filled with stylized maple leaves. The obverse features the effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Susanna Blunt against a background with a pattern of maple leaves in the same style as featured on the reverse.

PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS