Double-dated $20 silver coin honours Second Battle of Ypres

The Royal Canadian Mint has launched its fourth numismatic catalogue of the year, with new commemorative coins detailing Canadians’ role in the First and Second World Wars.

Highlights include a double-dated $20 Fine silver coin commemorating the April 1915 Second Battle of Ypres; a five-cent Fine silver coin – the third in the Legacy of the Canadian Nickel series – honouring the 1943-45 Victory Nickel; and a $75 pure gold coin commemorating the rescue and safe storage of Allied gold reserves during the Second World War.

Designed by Silvia Pecota, the $20 Second Battle of Ypres coin depicts a Canadian soldier standing in the foreground with a bayonet and a Ross rifle, scoping the advancing enemy. Behind him, one soldier is crouched as he tends to his rifle while another leans against sandbags while firing at the enemy. To the right, a soldier is using a handkerchief to protect himself against the burning effects of the chemical clouds that bore down on the Allies. A banner frames the lower portion of this poignant image, with selective gold plating showcasing the winged figure of “Victory” as it appeared on the Victory Medal awarded to Allied soldiers of the First World War. The obverse features the effigy of King George V. The coin has a weight of 31.39 grams, a diameter of 38 mm and a mintage of 10,000. 

The third coin in the Mint’s five-cent Fine silver Legacy of the Canadian Nickel series honours the Victory-themed five-cent coins, which were made of non-nickel alloys from 1943-45 in support of Canada’s Second World War effort. With a limited mintage of 8,500, the coin has a weight of 31.83 grams and a diameter of 40 mm.

The Mint has also captured the fascinating story of the rescue and safe storage of Allied gold reserves between 1940 and 1945. Designed by Joel Kimmel, this $75 pure gold coin has a weight of 7.8 grams, a diameter of 20 mm and a very limited mintage of 1,500.

In addition to the silver and gold coins struck for the upcoming FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada, the Mint is also launching a $20 Fine silver coin with a Venetian glass turtle and broadleaf arrowhead flower; a $10 Fine silver coin from the Colourful Songbirds of Canada series; a $300 platinum coin from the North American Sportfish series; a $20 Fine silver coin from the North American Sportfish series; a $10 Fine silver coin from the Canoe Across Canada series; a $300 platinum coin from the Maple Leaf Forever series; and a $15 Fine silver coin from the Exploring Canada series.

Products from the Mint’s new catalogue are now available for purchase. For more information, visit mint.ca.

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