2012 $20 Rhododendron - Pure Silver Coin

This 2012 $20 coin is the third coin in the Royal Canadian Mint’s painted wildflower series and features a stunning full-colour image by Canadian artist Claudio D’Angelo of three delicate 5-lobed Pacific Rhododendron blooms. This coin is arguably the most striking and beautiful of the wildflower series. Mintage 10,000. HST/GST exempt.

The Design:

The reverse image centres on a perfect specimen, the fine gradations in its petals’ colouring—from soft candyfloss pink to robust raspberry—rendered with painstaking care. Its curling stamen, with yellow anthers poised atop slender pink filaments, burst from the flower’s centre. Soft yellow markings dot the uppermost petal. To its right, another open blossom turns its face in a three-quarter view. Behind the second flower, the graceful back of a third blossom is visible. The cluster of flowers sits atop four of the beautiful shrub’s glossy green leaves. To render the image even more beautiful, three glittering Swarovski “dew drops” nestle among the delicate petals and leaves.