This is the first of three coins that celebrate the rich marine life found along Canada’s Atlantic, Arctic and Pacific coasts.Canada’s national motto pays tribute to the oceans that border our land, for these waters—and the life within them—have long nurtured, challenged and fascinated Canadians. The rich diversity of life in the Pacific, Arctic and Atlantic Oceans are an important part of Canada’s maritime heritage, and is at the heart of a three-coin series that begins with the starfish (Asterias rubens) on Canada’s Atlantic coast. The eye-catching use of selective gold plating showcases the engraved starfish, but allows for the beauty of the detailed background to be appreciated on its own.
Designed by Canadian artist Tony Bianco, the reverse image presents a unique glimpse of Atlantic Canada’s coastal waters. Beneath the engraved word “CANADA” stands a lighthouse on the rocky shoreline, where the sentinel was often the first sign of land to many travelling by sea. The crashing wave infuses the reverse with a sense of sweeping motion while transitioning to the underwater realm, where an outstanding amount of engraved details recreate an ocean floor littered with shells and dotted with coral. The use of selective gold plating draws the eye to the two starfish, while providing an enhanced view of their defining characteristics. Against the silver background, the gold plating truly shines as it highlights the rough and spiny appearance of the five-armed ocean-dwellers, and adds a life-like sense of texture and dimension to this idyllic aquatic setting.
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