The Royal Canadian Mint’s 2016-dated $20 Fine silver coin, “Mother Earth” won the “most inspirational coin” category of the 2018 Krause Publications Coin of the Year (COTY) awards.
The award was presented to the Mint on Feb. 3 at the World Money Fair in Berlin, Germany, the world’s foremost gathering of the global minting industry.
“The Mint takes great pride in crafting coins which capture the essence of Canadian values and we are honoured to have earned the ‘most inspirational coin’ award by creatively portraying Planet Earth’s dependence on healthy waterways on our Mother Earth collector coin,” said Sandra Hanington, Mint president and CEO.
“The Coin of the Year awards are the highest praise in our industry and we are delighted at this recognition of our efforts to produce collector coins that are memorable, not only for their artistry and innovation, but also for the stories they tell.”
3D DROPLET DESIGN
Designed by Canadian artist Alexandra Lefort, the 99.99 per cent pure silver “Mother Earth” coin features a 3D droplet with an inset full-colour image of Earth, conveying the importance of water to all life on this planet. The space around the water droplet brings the design’s focus to Canada, and the diverse fauna and flora that live there on land, in the sky, and in the water, which are delicately engraved around the water droplet.
ANNUAL COMPETITION
The annual COTY competition receives nominations from an international consortium of mint representatives and numismatists. The judging is conducted by an international panel of the world’s leading mint officials, medalists, journalists, central bank and museum officials.