This $20 pure silver proof coin pays marks the 100th anniversary of the poem “In Flanders Fields”, and is a remembrance of those who bravely served their country – lest we forget.  The coin contains just over one ounce of pure silver, and has a limited mintage of 10,000. As a pure silver coin struck by the Royal Canadian Mint, this item is GST/HST exempt. 

The Design:

The design by Canadian artist Laurie McGaw features a soldier with his hat removed and his head lowered in a moment of quiet reflection.  He stands at a gravesite of soldiers killed in battle. To the left of the soldier is an image of a large poppy. Two birds can be seen in the background that echo John McCrae’s words: “The larks, still bravely singing, fly. Scarce heard amid the guns below”. The front is engraved with the word “CANADA,” and the date “1915-2015”.  The back has a portrait of King George V and the denomination “20 Dollars”. 

“In Flanders Fields”:

Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae (a Canadian physician in World War I) was inspired to write the poem on May 3, 1915, after presiding over a funeral of a fellow soldier. His references to the red poppies growing over the graves of fallen soldiers has resulted in the poppy being used as one of the world’s most recognizable symbols for Remembrance Day.