Canada – 2017 – 20 Dollars – Gilded silver maple leaf cut out

Description

First used as a symbol for this land in the 1700s, the maple leaf continues to inspire a sense of pride and belonging in the people it represents, and whose endeavours have made the leaf a shining icon of freedom and inclusion. The Royal Canadian Mint proudly celebrates a nation’s 150 years of history through this fine silver coin, whose unique shape recreates Canada’s most revered national emblem.

Careful sculpting and finely detailed engraving capture the natural beauty of sugar maple (Acer saccharum) leaves in all their intricate beauty. A true-to-life recreation of the leaf’s silhouette, the coin’s unusual shape provides a fitting canvas for this celebration of a Canadian icon, whose irregular edges and five palmate lobes have been painstakingly replicated through a labour-intensive process. The reverse design by Canadian artist Joel Kimmel includes multiple engraved maple leaves that fill the entirety of the reverse. The scattered positioning of these leaves deliberately evokes an autumn day, when the leaves have softly tumbled to cover the ground. While the reverse also features the engraved face value “20 DOLLARS” and the year “2017”, the spotlight shines brightly on the three gilded maple leaves that each represent 50 years of Canadian history—a symbolic nod to the 150th anniversary of Confederation. The selective application of gold plating technology further enhances the deeply engraved veining, while giving each leaf a rich golden hue that shines as bright as a sunny autumn day.