Description
In 2011, the Royal Canadian Mint became the first Mint in the world to issue a coin featuring a Venetian glass element. The engraved silver coin's reverse bore a beautiful coloured tulip bloom embellished with a delicate Venetian glass ladybug. Each ladybug was hand-crafted from Venetian glass-renowned for its intense colour and gem-like clarity-by a master glassmaker in Murano, Italy. This world first was the flagship release in what has become an annual series of stunning painted flora-themed coins embellished with Venetian glass fauna, all with a uniquely Canadian twist. With the release of the Tulip and Ladybug coin, collectors and gift-givers alike fell in love with the delicate Venetian glass inclusion and vibrant colours, leading to phenomenally high sales and a subsequent selling out of every coin in the series as they were released. Now you can own every highly-collectable release from this extraordinarily beautiful series...each struck in an incredible two ounces of the Royal Canadian Mint's world-class 99.99% pure gold! Mintage is limited to 100 sets worldwide. HST/GST exempt.
The Design:
Designed by Canadian artist Maurice Gervais, the coloured reverse of each coin features a selectively painted and engraved image of a species of Canadian flora embellished with a Venetian glass element handcrafted by Giuliano Donaggio, a master glass-maker in Murano, Italy. The handcrafted nature of the Venetian glass element means that every coin is one-of-a-kind! Coins in the series so far include:
Tulip and Ladybug:
The coin that started it all! A red and black Venetian glass ladybug sits on the bright green leaf of a red tulip.
Aster and Bumble Bee:
A Venetian glass Yellow-Banded Bumble Bee perches delicately on the golden heart of an engraved and coloured purple aster.
Purple Coneflower and Eastern Tailed Blue Butterfly:
A bright, red-spotted indigo Venetian glass butterfly perches on the pink petals of a coneflower, about to feed from the spiky engraved orange tubiflora at the flower's centre.
Water Lily and Leopard Frog:
A grass-green and chartreuse Venetian glass frog sits on a brightly painted water lily leaf beside a stunningly detailed painted and engraved yellow water lily blossom.
Broadleaf Arrowhead Flower and Turtle:
White flowers of the broadleaf arrowhead, rests on floating log with a sunbathing painted turtle.
