2024 Canada $100 The Cycle of Life 10 oz. Fine Silver Coin (No Tax)

Carved in silver: Celebrate Kwakwaka’wakw carving and storytelling traditions.

To the Kwakwaka’wakw people, art and ceremony allow them to express a connection to, and appreciation for, all the living things that sustain them—including the Salmon, believed to be immortal people who offer themselves up as food, and whose bones are returned to the waters so they may rise again to continue the cycle of life. Signifying fertility and prosperity, the Salmon is given pride of place on this 10 oz. 99% pure silver adaptation of an original Kwakwaka’wakw carving, where it serves as a beautifully crafted tribute to the natural cycles that sustain life, and to a revered specie that is deeply connected to all living creatures on the Northwest Coast.

Enhanced with selective gold plating and a variety of frostings, your coin’s reverse re-creates an original cedar panel carved by Kwakwaka’wakw artist Junior Henderson, complete with engraved carving marks. The design centres on an adult Salmon rendered in the Northwest Coast formline style, its form extending in a circular motion so that the head is curved over the tail. The sense of movement extends to the twisting border that surrounds the Salmon, which is depicted with child (centre right) to represent fertility, abundance and renewal. The selectively gold-plated obverse features the effigy of His Majesty King Charles III by Canadian artist Steven Rosati.

Specifications:
RCM Number: 246142
Mintage: 750
Composition: 99.99% pure silver with selective yellow gold plating
Weight: 311.54 g
Diameter: 76.25 mm
Face Value: $100
Finish: Proof
Edge: Serrated
Artists: Junior Henderson (reverse), Steven Rosati (obverse)

Special Features:

• Ancestral storytelling recounted in modern times. This 10 oz. fine silver coin honours Kwakwaka’wakw storytelling and carving traditions through its representation of the cycle of life.
• Carved in silver. Based on an original Kwakwaka’wakw carving, your coin’s reverse features carving marks that pay tribute to the original piece, all re-created in silver.
• Special art card. Your coin comes with a serialized certificate of authenticity and a special insert featuring a reproduction of the artist’s original carving and an explanation of the design.
• Return of the 10 oz. format. This is the first 10 oz. coin we’ve issued since 2021. Its 76.25 mm diameter is just the right size to include all the finer details, textures and finishes of the original Kwakwaka’wakw carving.
• “Painting” with precious metals. Kwakwaka’wakw carvings typically feature bold colours. Art elements that were painted black on the original wood carving have been re-created and plated with gold on your coin, while different frostings are used to distinguish other coloured details found on the original piece.
• First collaboration. Hailing from a family of master carvers, Junior Henderson is an accomplished Kwakwaka’wakw artist and a world-class chainsaw carver, and we’re excited to introduce him to collectors as a new Mint coin artist!
• A limited work of art. Only 750 coins are available to collectors worldwide.

Packaging:
Encapsulated and presented in a black Royal Canadian Mint-branded clamshell with a black beauty box, the coin comes with a special art card featuring a reproduction of the artist’s original wood carving and a brief explanation of the design.