Description
This limited edition restrike of Canada’s 1867 Confederation Medal, issued shortly after Confederation, is the first in a series of three important historical pieces commemorating Canadian Confederation. Each medal features a historic milestone in the story of our nation: Canadian Confederation in 1867, the 1927 Diamond Jubilee of Confederation, and Canada 150 in 2017.
When the Fathers of Confederation succeeded in creating a new nation in 1867, the event was celebrated by the production of Canada’s first official commemorative medal. Today this original medal is extremely rare and highly sought after, with attractive examples selling for several thousand dollars. As part of the Canada 150 celebrations, this new limited edition restrike is being issued with all the spectacular detail and ultra-high relief of the original, making Canada’s most popular medal accessible to a new group of collectors.
The allegorical reverse design features Britannia, Great Britain’s timeless allegory, peacefully seated and adorned with a helmet and armour. She holds a trident on her right as a shield ornamented with the Royal Union Flag rests on her side. A lion, the stalwart symbol of Great Britain, is seated at Britannia’s feet and is resting its head on her knees. Britannia is presenting a figurative representation of the British North America Act that reads CONFEDERATION.
The Confederation scroll is being bestowed upon four young maidens, who represent the four original provinces of 1867 (clockwise from the top): Ontario with a sickle and sheaf symbolizing agriculture; Quebec holding a canoe paddle that representing commerce; Nova Scotia with a shovel representing its rich mining; and New Brunswick with an axe, representing forestry. The prominent Latin motto around the reverse reads JUVENTAS ET PATRIUS VIGOR, or YOUTH AND PATRIOTIC STRENGTH.
