Description
In 1918, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, the guns finally fell silent across the Western Front. A century later, the Royal Canadian Mint commemorates the anniversary of the Armistice with its most unusual coin yet: a poignant symbol of remembrance shaped like the steel helmets worn by Canadian combatants in the First World War.
PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS
SRP: $199.95
Item Number: 167843
UPC: 6-23932-09230-3
Composition: 99.99 % fine silver
Mintage: 6,500
Weight (g): 47.6
Diameter (mm): 52.35
Face Value: $25
Finish: Antique
Edge: Plain
Packaging: Maroon clamshell with black beauty box
SPECIAL FEATURES
- ONE HUNDRED YEARS LATER, CANADA HAS NOT FORGOTTEN: To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the armistice and the end of the First World War, a symbol of soldiering becomes the ultimate representation of bravery. Of sacrifice. Or remembrance.
- ONE OF OUR MOST UNFORGETTABLE FIRSTS: Our FIRST extreme curvature coin is an exceptional feat of craftsmanship, with a more deeply curved surface than any other concave- or convex-shaped coin.
- ANTIQUE FINISH: On the reverse, the antique finish gives the coin an appropriately aged and distressed look, while the engraved “cracks” and “markings” complete the helmet’s battle-worn appearance—a reminder of the reality of war and the hardships endured by those who fought and hoped for peace.
- A POWERFUL TRIBUTE TO COURAGE AND SACRIFICE: The small-scale replica of the steel helmet worn by Canadian soldiers in the First World War is a heartfelt tribute to their legacy, echoed in the poppy-flanked words engraved along the brim: “LEST WE FORGET N’OUBLIONS JAMAIS”.
DESIGN
Resembling the 1916 Mark I model worn by Canadian combatants, the combat helmet-shaped coin is the result of a careful collaboration between Royal Canadian Mint engravers and engineers. The coin’s unprecedented, extreme curvature allows for a realistic re-creation (on a much smaller scale) of the bowl-shaped headgear issued to Canadian troops and all British Empire forces in 1916. The reverse provides a view of the top of the now-iconic steel helmet, whose battle-worn appearance is the result of engraved “cracks” and “markings” beneath the antique finish that gives it all a distressed look. Along the brim that helped protect soldiers from airborne debris, the heartfelt assurance “LEST WE FORGET N’OUBLIONS JAMAIS” is flanked by engraved poppies, while the double dates “1918” and “2018” mark the centennial of Armistice. The obverse features the effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Susanna Blunt engraved deep in the recessed circular crown, while the legend and face value are engraved on the brim.
