Canada 25 Dollars Silver Coin 2014 75th Anniversary of the First Royal Visit
Obverse: Susanna Blunt’s design of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Reverse: Ultra-high relief effigies of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth - Royal Canadian Mint engravers re-create the King's military hat to accurately represent his attire during royal tour of 1939.
Theme: Anniversary of the First Royal Visit.
Mintage: 6000.
Composition: fine silver (99.99% pure).
Finish: proof.
Weight: 30.76 g.
Diameter: 36 mm.
Edge: plain.
Face value: 25 Canadian Dollars.
Artist: Susanna Blunt (obverse).
Manufacturer: Royal Canadian Mint.
History was made when King George VI and Queen Elizabeth visited Canada in 1939. It was the first time a reigning monarch had ever traveled to North America, and for a young nation eager to flex its muscles of independence, the royal tour provided the perfect opportunity. Eight years earlier, a number of colonies had gained full sovereignty from British rule under the Statute of Westminster; for Canada, the Royal Tour would breathe life into that legal document in a real and dramatic way.
The royal tour was more than two years in the making; a grand, 29-day voyage across Canada from east to west and back again—almost 14,000 kilometres by rail. The royal train featured the best carriages that Canadian Pacific and the Canadian National Railway had to offer, with two specially fitted convertible McLaughlin-Buicks on board to tour the royal couple in cities and towns along the way.
The King and Queen arrived in the city of Québec aboard HMY Empress of Australia on May 17, 1939. Huge crowds of adoring well-wishers waited to greet them; a scene that was repeated again and again as the royal train made its way from the city of Québec to Montréal, Ottawa, Toronto, Port Arthur (Thunder Bay), Winnipeg, Regina, Calgary and Vancouver where the King and Queen where ferried to Victoria escorted by naval ships and air force.
The return trip followed a more northerly route through Jasper and Edmonton. Every village and town greeted the King and Queen with the same enthusiasm that had welcomed them in the city of Québec. At Niagara Falls, the royal train made a detour to the United States before returning to Canada near Montreal. From there, it traveled through Quebec's Eastern Townships, up the St. Lawrence River to St. John and Charlottetown. In Halifax, the King and Queen gave their farewell radio address, but this would not be their final function. After leaving port on June 15th aboard RMS Empress of Britain, the Royals visited Newfoundland, their final stop in the historic royal tour that will forever reign as a turning point in Canada's evolution into a mature and sovereign nation.
A highly limited mintage is sure to make this a sought-after coin for collectors and monarchy fans worldwide.
Special features:
• This coin is beautifully engraved with the added dimension and old-world craftsmanship of ultra-high relief. This exceptional technique is normally reserved for large medals and medallions, but has been applied to this coin to create an effigy that literally rises from the coin's surface, like a sculpture.
• Each coin is struck four times using special tooling and blanks developed specifically for the demanding pressures of ultra-high relief and is meticulously crafted and polished by hand for a stunning result.