Description
Beyond the Queen’s Gate on Parliament Hill lies the Centennial Flame, a monument to Canadian unity topped by an ever burning flame. This $50 fine silver coin captures the image of the Centennial Flame with ultra high relief and an antique finish patina similar to the aged look of the monument. Mintage is limited to just 2,500 coins. GST/HST exempt.
The Design:
The 13-sided design consists of one panel for every Canadian province and territory, which are represented by their armorial bearings. On the edge of the fountain basin, the province or territory’s floral emblem frames its date of entry into Confederation. The antique finish adds a weathered look that emphasizes the deep sunk relief.
The recessed basin gives this coin a minimum thickness of 1.51 millimetres, but the relief steadily climbs from there, culminating in a height of 5.05 millimetres from the base to the tip of the engraved flame. The obverse features the effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Susanna Blunt.
The Centennial Flame:
Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson first lit the flame on December 31, 1966. The Centennial Flame was intended to be a temporary installation for the centennial celebrations in 1967. By popular demand, it became a permanent addition to the public grounds of the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa.
Fuelled by natural gas, the heat from the flame keeps the waters flowing — even on the coldest winter days. But it’s not quite an eternal flame: it has been extinguished a few times, largely for maintenance work.
In 2017, the 12-sided fountain was updated to include a 13th panel representing Nunavut. (Nunavut entered Confederation on April 1, 1999, three decades after the fountain was originally built.)
