Canada 200 Dollars Gold Coin 2016 Tall Ships Legacy, Bluenose
Commemorates the 95th anniversary of the Bluenose
Obverse: Likeness of Queen Elizabeth II with a stylized design.
Reverse: A starboard side view of Canada’s iconic schooner, the Bluenose, under full sail and heeled at a distinctive racing angle. The legendary racing ship and working fishing vessel is brought to life through intricate engraving that captures her likeness in outstanding detail, including the rigging and even the dories on deck.
Commemorates the 95th anniversary of the Bluenose, a Canadian schooner and a racing legend that has graced the reverse of Canada’s 10-cent circulation coin since 1937.
Mintage: 275.
Composition: 99.99% pure gold.
Finish: proof.
Weight: 31.16 g.
Diameter: 30 mm.
Edge: serrated.
Face value: 200 Canadian Dollars.
Artist: Neil Hamelin (reverse), Susanna Blunt (obverse).
Manufacturer: Royal Canadian Mint.
The Bluenose was launched in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, on March 26, 1921. Bringing in exceptionally large catches, she quickly earned the title "Queen of the North Atlantic Fishing Fleet." In October of that same year, the Bluenose sailed to victory in the prestigious International Fishermen's Race—the first in an illustrious racing career that spanned two decades and rarely saw the schooner defeated.
Designed and built by Canadians, she is arguably Canada's most famous ship and an enduring symbol of the nation's rich maritime history—one that shines with outstanding detail on the series' first pure gold coin.
Celebrate famous tall ships with this beautiful coin!
Special features: First in an outstanding four-coin Tall Ships Legacy subscription, which celebrates the famous tall ships that have left an indelible mark on Canadian history.
Commemorates the 95th anniversary of the Bluenose – a Canadian schooner and a racing legend that has graced the reverse of Canada's 10-cent circulation coin since 1937.
Expertly engraved with multiple finishes that bring the design to life in stunning detail.
An unforgettable addition to any collection featuring Canadian or naval themes, and a powerful keepsake for those with a passion for Canada's maritime history.
Crafted from 99.99% PURE GOLD!
About the Design: Designed by Canadian artist Neil Hamelin, your coin features a starboard side view of Canada's iconic schooner, the Bluenose, under full sail and heeled at a distinctive racing angle. The legendary racing ship and working fishing vessel is brought to life through intricate engraving that captures her likeness in outstanding detail, including the rigging and even the dories on deck. Atop the foremast and mainmast, the Canadian Red Ensign and the Flag of Nova Scotia flap in the wind that fills the ship's eight sails, as the Bluenose charges for victory in the waters of the North Atlantic.
The Bluenose had to be competitive for racing purposes, but the Bluenose was also designed to be a working fishing craft. The salt banker schooner proved her worth in her first season at sea by sailing into port with remarkably large cargoes of cod and groundfish from the Grand Banks, and would land a record haul in 1923. Yet her racing feats would soon eclipse any other success when, in October 1921, she claimed her first of five victories in the International Fishermen's Race—and a Canadian racing legend was born.
As the fishing industry declined in the 1930s, the Bluenose transitioned to a role as a show vessel and floating ambassador, representing Canada at the Chicago World's Fair in 1933 and in the Silver Jubilee celebrations for King George V and Queen Mary in 1935. Another racing victory came in 1938 but by 1939, the Bluenose was out of work and at risk of being auctioned off. The outbreak of the Second World War and the shift to motorized schooners meant retirement for both the fishing vessel and her captain; sold to the West Indies Trading Company in 1942, the Bluenose sailed as a freighter in the Caribbean until 1946, when she tragically struck a coral reef and sunk in the waters off of Haiti.
- The Bluenose measured 49 metres in length overall with a beam measurement of 8 metres.
With the exception of the spars, the materials used in her construction were entirely from Nova Scotia.
- The International Fishermen's Race was held between working fishing schooners only; competition was fierce between the Lunenburg, N.S., fleet and the American fleet based in Gloucester, Massachusetts.
- The Bluenose's sole defeat came in the Lipton Cup of 1930, against the Boston schooner Gertrude L. Thebaud; the Bluenose later defeated the Thebaud twice in the Fishermen's Races of 1931 and 1938.
- For five years, the Bluenose was the first and only non-human inductee of the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame.
- A replica, the Bluenose II, was launched in 1963 as a show vessel and was built by many who had worked in the Lunenburg shipyard that built the original Bluenose.
