Description
This stunning 2017 $20 fine silver coin pays tribute to one of Canada’s wide range of nocturnal animals – The Little Brown Bat. From the edge of the Arctic tundra to the Great Lakes, the little brown bat owns the night by using echolocation to locate its insect prey. Our Nocturnal by Nature series continues its exploration of a nocturnal Canada, using selective black rhodium plating to set the tone for a night-time encounter with the diminutive flying mammal.
The coin weighs just over one ounce of pure silver, and has a limited mintage of 7,000 coins. As a pure silver coin struck by the Royal Canadian Mint, this item is HST/GST exempt.
The Design:
The reverse design by Canadian artist Calder Moore brings the viewer face-to-face with the little brown bat. Rhodium plating represents the dark night sky that fills most of the field—save for the full moon that is faithfully engraved at the centre. The enhanced shine of the coin’s silver surface mimics the effect of lunar luminosity in this nocturnal setting, where a little brown bat suddenly makes its presence known overhead. The rhodium-plated hunter appears like a shadowy figure in the night thanks to a matte finish. And with moonlight spilling down across its back and outstretched wings, the bat’s engraved features are faintly visible.
