Description
This 2015 50 cent coin is a highly collectible numismatic inspiration of the gold medal from the TORONTO 2015 Games. More than 7,500 athletes will compete in the TORONTO 2015 Pan American and Parapan American Games. Each athlete will strive to perform their personal best in the hopes of winning the greatest symbol of athletic excellence - a gold medal.
The Design:
This coin is a numismatic replica of the competition medals to be awarded for gold performances at the TORONTO 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games. Masterful engraving is enhanced by a stunning combination of reliefs, while artistry and storytelling are brought together through symbolic elements that represent both the natural world and the spirit of the Games. Three irregular shapes represent the participating nations from North America, South America, Central America and the Caribbean, and are layered in a way that resembles the steps of the medal podium. The curved nature of these shapes take their inspiration from the TORONTO 2015 logo (as seen on the top shape) and reference the open, accessible nature of the Host City. Dynamic pictograms featured on the middle shape reference the Games' official motto—United We Play!—by inspiring people to come together through sport. Unique patterns further celebrate diversity while adding an element of textural interest, including a beautifully engraved version of the mokume gane insert that adorns each medal; another crescent-shape represents water as a sustaining element for us all, with flowing lines that symbolize the rivers and oceans of the Pan American region.
The Pan Am and Parapan Am Games are held every four years, in the year preceding the Olympic and Paralympic Summer Games. They have been held twice before in Canada, in 1967 and 1999, both times in Winnipeg, Manitoba. TORONTO 2015—the "People's Games"—emphasize accessibility and the coming together of 41 countries and territories through the power of sport and culture.
