SKU: SKU:206150-206147
2023 Canada $30 Multifaceted Animal Family: Grizzly Bears Fine Silver (No Tax)
2023 Canada $30 Multifaceted Animal Family: Grizzly Bears Fine Silver (No Tax)
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FREE SHIPPING OVER $500
The qualities we admire in grizzly bears—their fierceness and strength—are also the source of the expression “Mama Bear”! Female grizzlies are known to be fiercely protective of their cubs, and will aggressively defend them at all costs. But in the absence of perceived threats, a sow reveals her softer side, nurturing her young through their first three years of life and imparting the life lessons needed to ensure their survival. That tenderness between a mother and her cubs, so often hidden from our view, is magnificently captured on this 99.99% pure silver coin’s reverse, where multifaceted engraving takes a more geometric and dimensional approach to the grizzly bear’s distinctive form within the traditionally engraved scene.
Grizzly bears have one of the lowest reproduction rates of all land mammals in Canada. A sow (mother) will have her first cubs when she’s five- to eight-years old, and it might be another four or five years until her next pregnancy (keep in mind, the average lifespan for a grizzly bear in the wild is 20 to 25 years).
While grizzly bears are omnivores, personal diets vary from bear to bear, depending on their environment and available resources. During their time together, a mother will typically teach her cubs to dig up roots and search for carrion in spring; feast on berries and grasses in summer, and spawning salmon later in the season; and go grubbing for insects and larvae in fall. All Canadian grizzlies hibernate, so they need to pack on as much fat as possible in late summer and early fall!
The reverse design by Canadian artist W. Allan Hancock features a rare and scenic view of a grizzly bear (Ursos arctos horribilis) mother and her two cubs enjoying a quiet moment in the wilds of western Canada. Set in a traditionally engraved landscape, the wildlife portrait is enhanced with multifaceted engraving that gives the grizzly bears a more three-dimensional form. The obverse features a polygon pattern and the effigy of Queen Elizabeth II by Susanna Blunt. The obverse also bears a special marking that includes four pearls symbolizing the four effigies that have graced Canadian coins and the double date of her reign.
Specifications:
Item Number: 206150
Mintage: 4,500
Composition: 99.99% pure silver
Weight: 62.69 g
Diameter: 50 mm
Face Value: $30
Finish: Proof
Edge: Serrated
Artist: W. Allan Hancock (reverse), Susanna Blunt (obverse)
Special Features:
• Coin #2! See the animal world from yet another angle with the second Multifaceted Animal Family coin! The perfect fusion of modern engraving and classic art, its reverse design reveals a more tender side of an iconic species that is typically portrayed as a symbol of strength.
• Multifaceted engraving! This is only the second 2 oz. coin to feature multifaceted engraving, an innovative approach to minting dimensional art. The art style isn’t often seen on our coins, but by applying it to a wildlife species whose shape is well known, the highly reflective geometric facets elevate the fauna design and transform it into something truly unique.
• Traditional engraving too! While multifaceted engraving brings the grizzly bears to life, the rest of the scene on your coin’s reverse has been traditionally engraved. This mix of geometric shapes in a realistic landscape makes for a compelling design that will make a lasting impression.
• Large canvas! Crafted in 99.99% pure silver, the coin features a 50 mm diameter—an uncommon size that draws you into the engraved scene and provides plenty of space for all the engraved details.
• Mix of finishes! With a uniformly brilliant finish, many of the portrait’s finer details would get lost in the mix; instead, the Royal Canadian Mint has opted to “paint” this family portrait using multiple finishes that create a sense of distance and depth.
• Obverse pattern! On the coin's obverse, an array of laser-engraved polygon shapes—a nod to the multifaceted elements on the reverse—form a dynamic pattern behind the effigy.
• Low mintage! Limited to just 4,500 coins worldwide.
Packaging:
The coin comes encapsulated and presented in a black Royal Canadian Mint branded clamshell case with black beauty box.