Canada 300 Dollars Gold Coin 2008 Great White Shark - IMAX Movie Theater
Obverse: A color hologram picture of a great white shark, as projected on the huge IMAX movie screen. The denomination is stated along the lower rim, the year of issue along the upper rim.
Reverse: A frosted cameo portrait of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II of England, in profile facing right. This portrait, the fourth effigy of the queen to appear on Canadian coinage, was executed by the artist Susanna Blunt. The legend The legend ELIZABETH II D. G. REGINA ("Elizabeth II, Queen by the Grace of God") also appears.
Year of Issue: 2008
Face Value: 300 Canadian Dollars.
Weight: 45 g
Diameter: 40 mm
Mintage Limit: 1000
Finish: Proof with Hologram
Composition: .5833 Fine (14-Karat) Gold alloyed with .4167 Silver
Edge: Serrated (milled, reeded)
Artist: Royal Canadian Mint Engravers
Manufacturer: Royal Canadian Mint.
Technology Note
The Royal Canadian Mint leads the world with its proprietary hologram technology, in which the hologram is actually minted on the coin. The mint has taken this technology to the next level with their new Colored Hologram Technology. The image of the great white shark in the sea shimmers and scintillates as you tilt the coin from side to side, resulting in a wondrous rainbow of colors that simulates the ocean waters! The hologram is dynamic and interactive, an ever changing panoply of colors, so it looks even more incredible in person (a static, two-dimensional image just can't do it justice). You have to see it to believe it!
“You're going to need a bigger boat!" With these immortal words in the film Jaws, director Steven Spielberg announced the lethal presence of an oversize great white shark, the apex predator of the world's oceans. Suddenly, the entire moviegoing world was talking about the terrifying prospect of being eaten alive, while some popular tourist beaches saw much lighter than usual traffic. Jaws is regarded as a watershed film in motion picture history, the very first summer "blockbuster" movie and one of the first "high concept" films.
What better way to get an up-close and personal experience with a great white (short of cage diving) than the IMAX movie experience? The motion picture format that puts you IN the movie will give you chills as the fearsome carnivore circles ever closer! To the millions worldwide who see IMAX movies each year, it might come as a surprise that this remarkable film medium was invented in Canada. For more information on IMAX, please see the article at the end of this presentation.
The IMAX Cinema Experience
Just over 40 years ago, an idea was born that transformed the way people experience movies. The technological breakthrough of four Canadians (Graeme Ferguson, Roman Kroitor, Robert Kerr and William Shaw) resulted in the invention of IMAX, the best cinematic experience available. Today, close to a billion people worldwide have visited an IMAX theater.
The IMAX® Experience combines the world’s clearest and brightest motion picture images with digital surround sound and an immersive theater geometry that puts audiences IN the movie in a way that cannot be replicated in ordinary movie theaters or at home.
IMAX Corporation is one of the world's leading entertainment technology companies, specializing in digital and film-based motion picture technologies. In 1997, IMAX’s innovation was recognized with an Academy Award® for Scientific and Technical Achievement. In 2008, the company intends to introduce its first fully digital IMAX 3D projection system paving the way for a new generation to enjoy the biggest and best cinematic experiences delivered with the newest technologies. IMAX is headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Shanghai and Europe.
The Great White Shark
The great white shark(Carcharodon carcharias) is an exceptionally large lamniform shark found in coastal surface waters in all major oceans. Reaching lengths of more than 20 feet (6 m) and weighing up to 5,000 pounds (2,250 kg), the great white shark is the world's largest known predatory fish. It is the only surviving species of its genus, Carcharodon.
Contrary to popular opinion, the great white shark is not a man-eater and does not target humans as prey - it favors mammals with a high fat content, such as seals and sea lions. Nonetheless, its attacks on humans are almost always widely reported.
The fearsome Great White Shark in its natural element. Many incidents seem to be caused by the animals "test-biting" out of curiosity. Great white sharks are known to perform test-bites on buoys, flotsam, and other unfamiliar objects, and might grab a human or a surfboard with their mouth in order to determine what kind of object it might be. Other attacks can be attributed to mistaking humans from below for its preferred meals. Most great white shark attacks on people are not fatal, and end after a single bite. Those attacks that are fatal are almost always as a result of blood loss, rather than whole consumption by the shark.