Description
This large format five ounce $50 fine silver coin features an intricately engraved and coloured scale map of the Great Lakes. Shared by Canada and the United States, this largest group of freshwater lakes on earth has been a key element of the development of our growth and development. Mintage is limited to just 2,000 coins. HST/GST exempt.
The coin features a custom map that has been accurately scaled down to an extreme 1:22 000 000 to fit the size of the coin. The Great Lakes region is where 8.5 million Canadians live, work and play, and these bodies of water are instantly recognizable to most Canadians. All the traditional map features can be found on the coin: borders, roads, urban centres, and even longitude and latitude lines on both sides. For added realism, colour over engraved relief denotes changes in land elevation throughout the Great Lakes region, where the most famous drop occurs at Niagara Falls.
The Design:
Designed by artist and Canadian Geographic cartographer, Chris Brackley, all five lakes (Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario) have a luminous silver appearance thanks to a mirror-like (brilliant) finish, while their names appear as frosted elements. Each colour represents a different land cover: three shades of green to represent different forest types, blue/green represents wetland, pink represents urban space, yellow to represent farmland and lastly red lines indicate roadways.
Beneath the word “CANADA” (right), a compass rose indicates direction, while graticules—lines representing longitude and latitude—are painted on the reverse and laser-engraved on the obverse. The obverse features the effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Susanna Blunt.
