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2022 $20 Canada's Unexplained Phenomena: The Yukon Encounter Fine Silver (No Tax)
Imagine driving on a snowy highway at night and seeing a row of lights in the sky... and you suddenly realize it’s a giant UFO! This is the scene depicted on the Royal Canadian Mint’s fifth Canada’s Unexplained Phenomena coin, which tells the story of a UFO encounter in the Yukon. On the night of December 11, 1996, at least 31 people in four different areas reported seeing a UFO in the sky. The bright lights described by the witnesses have been re-created on this rectangular coin’s reverse, where a more complete picture of the giant UFO comes into view when the black light paint technology is activated.
December 11, 1996: It was a clear and cloudless night when a motorist driving along Fox Lake (Kwätän ’aya) on the Yukon’s Klondike Highway noticed a bright and unusual light. As he got closer, he observed a group of rectangular lights moving east in the sky. About a half-hour later, motorists in two separate cars also spotted a row of lights and got out of their car to get a better look. Within minutes, the UFO was almost directly above one of the witnesses, who described a large white beam coming from the centre of an object the size of a football stadium! Two more witnesses travelling from the other direction provided a similar description (with additional flashing lights), while a sixth witness saw multicoloured lights.
Earlier that evening, four people driving north towards Carmacks had observed a UFO with three flashing orange lights and several small white lights arranged in an elliptical pattern—a description similar to the one provided by a family of five who viewed the UFO from their house in Carmacks.
Near the village of Pelly Crossing, a trapper described seeing the same row of lights, as well as a luminescent green beam and two more rotating ones. Four women observed the UFO while taking a break from classes at the community college, and two more local witnesses compared the length of its lights to the width of the Big Dipper.
And finally, in the village of Mayo, the strange lights were observed by at least eight more witnesses, including out-of-town hotel guests and several teenagers who similarly described the mysterious object as being very large.
What was it they saw? All we know is that a large UFO, one of the largest ever reported, was seen by multiple witnesses that night, and all within a short timespan.
One of the motorists who spotted the UFO at Fox Lake attempted to relay what he had seen, but when he pulled out his two-way radio, he could only get static. Another witness noticed that her interior vehicle lights went dim and her music slowed when the lights appeared in the sky.
Fox Lake’s name in the Dän K’e (Southern Tutchone) language is Kwätän ’aya, and it is located within the Ta’an Kwäch’än and Kwanlin Dün Traditional Territories. According to reports of the 1996 incident, the UFO would have travelled north from Fox Lake and into other territories.
None of the 31 witnesses reported hearing any sounds emitted by the UFO.
The reverse design by Canadian artist Neil Hamelin features the artist’s rendition of a 1996 UFO encounter on the Yukon’s Klondike Highway, near Fox Lake (Kwätän ’aya). In this wintry scene, two motorists have pulled over to observe the mysterious lights in the night sky. The lights are amplified by black light paint technology; when activated, the effect provides a more complete picture of the huge UFO that was spotted in four different areas on the night of December 11, 1996. The obverse features a wormhole background and the effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Susanna Blunt.
Specifications
Item Number: 205604
Composition: 99.99% pure silver
Mintage: 7,500
Weight*: 31.56 g
Diameter: 49.80 mm x 28.60 mm
Face Value: $20
Finish: Proof
Edge: Plain
Artist: Neil Hamelin (reverse), Susanna Blunt (obverse)
Special Features:
• The Royal Canadian Mint's UFO Series continues! From unusual sightings to strange encounters, this series of colourful coins brings you some of Canada’s most fascinating tales of unexplained phenomena.
• Coin #5 shows a giant UFO! The Royal Canadian Mint's fifth UFO coin highlights a 1996 encounter in the Yukon, where more than 31 witnesses in four different areas observed a UFO, which appeared to be larger than a football stadium! The coin’s reverse is based on two of those eyewitness accounts.
• Black light technology! Each coin comes with a black light flashlight, which activates the technology embedded in your coin’s reverse design. When viewed in normal lighting conditions, the coin shows the mysterious lights that appeared in the night sky; when the black light paint technology is activated, the full shape of the giant UFO is revealed!
• Horizontal orientation! Like 2020’s The Clarenville Event coin, this 1 oz. 99.99% pure silver rectangular coin features a horizontal orientation, which emphasizes the size of the Fox Lake UFO.
• Obverse field pattern! The obverse’s wormhole-like pattern is a nod to the UFO theme.
• One of the Royal Canadian Mint's most popular themes! Collectors love a good UFO story! All previous coins in the series sold out quickly, and with a mintage of 7,500, this one is sure to be a sought-after (and much-coveted) piece too.
• A unique UFO collectible! If you enjoy UFO stories, this coin is for you! Crafted in 1 oz. of 99.99% pure silver, this rectangular coin is a fun addition to any collection and makes a great gift.
Packaging:
The coin is encapsulated and presented in a Royal Canadian Mint-branded clamshell with a black beauty box.
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