Description
This 2013 Proof finish 14 karat gold coin is part of a low mintage gold coin series featuring the Coat-of-arms of each province, and pays tribute to the province of Ontario. With a weight of 60 grams (about two ounces), and a diameter of 50 mm, this is a large and impressive piece. With an extremely low mintage of only 500 coins, it will also be a scarce collectors’ item. The coin comes encapsulated and cased with a numbered certificate of authenticity. Mintage is limited to 500 coins. HST/GST exempt.
The Design:
The Coat of Arms for Ontario incorporates the Provincial Shield that was originally granted by Queen Victoria in 1868. This Shield featured the Cross of St. George on a white background (representing England) above a sprig of three gold maples on a green background (representing Canada). The province's Coat of Arms was created 41 years later in 1909 under Royal Warrant from King Edward VII. Three animals indigenous to Ontario's wilderness were placed around the Shield; a moose to its left and a deer to its right act as supporters while a black bear stands above the Shield on a green and gold wreath. Absent from its design are any royal symbols (i.e. a royal crown); a distinction shared with a few other Provincial Arms. The Latin motto that appears at the bottom of the Arms reads UT INCEPIT FIDELIS SIC PERMANET (Loyal she began; loyal she remains), and reflects the province's Loyalist history—the British refugees from the American Revolution that settled throughout various regions of Ontario.
In 1972, an Order-in-Council of the Ontario government adopted a highly-stylized version of its Arms in order to update its traditional heraldic design for a modern world. In 1994, to clearly differentiate the Ontario Coat of Arms from heraldic devices, the word "Ontario" was made a permanent part of the design. It is the only province or territory in Canada to utilize a graphic representation of this centuries-old art form
Over the past few years, the Royal Canadian Mint has significantly reduced the mintages of many of its coins, leading to regular sell outs and many coins rapidly appreciating in the secondary market.
