Description
The second coin in the Royal Canadian Mint’s exciting new series featuring two complementary World Heritage Sites—one Canadian and one abroad. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization—UNESCO—was founded in 1945 and created its World Heritage Convention in 1972. This exciting new coin series by the Royal Canadian Mint pairs some of Canada’s most stunning World Heritage properties with other sites around the world to illustrate how two sites of global importance can share important similarities while still remaining richly diverse.
The reverse design by Canadian artist Lauren Crawshaw features side-by-side portraits of a bison and a giant panda, each in its own natural habitat. On the left side of the image, a bison stands with its low-slung rump curving behind its massive shoulders. Its shaggy, horned head is lowered as it regards the viewer with its right eye. The bison stands on a grassy plain, its brethren visible in the distance behind it. On the right side of the image, a giant panda is seated in the crook of a tree, looking at the viewer. Seen from its left side, the panda’s renowned black and white markings are rendered through expert engraving. In the foreground is a stand of bamboo. In the distance behind the panda are the mountains of southeastern China. The two scenes are bisected by the curving trunk of the tree upon which the panda sits.
