Description
This $30 pure silver coin commemorates the 100th anniversary of the completion of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway—a massive early twentieth-century engineering feat that linked eastern Canada to the Pacific, and enabled the settlement of western Canada. The coin has a limited mintage of just 5,000 pieces, and contains about two ounces of pure silver. GST/HST exempt.
The Design:
The extremely large diameter of 54 mm for this coin creates an expansive canvas for the beautiful imagery of Canadian artist Joel Kimmel. The coin features a dynamic portrait of a 1914 era steam train traversing the Grand Trunk Bridge in Saskatoon at the time of the railway’s completion. In a striking composition that evokes the drive and energy of the early 20th century’s theme of “progress,” the image depicts a steam engine pulling elegant wooden passenger cars. With its wheel arrangement and vast steam engine bellowing a long cloud of smoke, the image is true to the locomotives of the Grand Trunk’s construction era. The scene’s vantage point on the foliage-lined shoreline and slightly below the left side of the train bridge enhances the drama and grandeur of the moment. The year “2014”, the word “CANADA”, and the face value of “30 DOLLARS” are displayed on the reverse.
