The Royal Canadian Mint has issued the 2015 Weather Phenomenon: Winter Freeze 1 oz. Fine Silver Coin, which is composed of 99.99% silver, has a diameter of 38 mm, and costs $99.95 CAD. Its mintage limit has been set at 8,000 pieces, and the Mint’s Web site points out that 80% of these have already been sold, leaving no more than 1,600 units remaining for purchase.
The reverse of the coin was created by Tony Bianco and Arnold Nagy and boasts the first time the R.C.M. has applied an enhanced finish, employed for the purpose of rendering the ice as realistically as possible. The Mint’s product page notes that the three pictured birds are grosbeaks; they’re shown in full color, perched in a frozen tree, with the icy landscape around them depicted in silver. CANADA and 20 DOLLARS 2015 are inscribed along the rim of the design.
In keeping with the theme of “Weather Phenomenon,” the icy image recalls a 1998 ice storm that bombarded areas of Ontario, Quebec, and New Brunswick for more than 80 hours, causing significant damage and more than two dozen deaths. The branches are covered in “glaze ice,” which is smooth and transparent and can be hazardous to trees.
The coin’s obverse features Susanna Blunt’s portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, with the inscriptions ELIZABETH II and D.G. REGINA curving along the rim within the field.
For more information, please visit the product page for the 2015 Weather Phenomenon: Winter Freeze 1 oz. Fine Silver Coin at the Royal Canadian Mint’s Web site. You can watch a brief promotional video for the issue below.
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