2018 1oz $20 FOUR SEASONS OF THE MAPLE LEAF FINE SILVER COIN

Spring, summer, fall or winter — Canada’s beloved sugar maple is naturally stunning in every season. Shaped like the traditional symbol for re-birth and renewal, this irregular-shaped coin celebrates a timeless cycle that begins anew each spring across the Canadian landscape, where life moves to the natural rhythm of the four seasons.

PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS

SRP: $129.95
Item Number: 167307
UPC: 6-23932-09140-5
Composition: 99.99% pure silver
Mintage: 4,000
Weight (g): 31.82
Diameter: (mm) 45 long x 33 wide
Face Value: $20
Finish: Proof
Edge: Interrupted Serrations
Artist: Margaret Best
Packaging: Maroon clamshell with black beauty box

SPECIAL FEATURES:

• A “YEAR IN THE LIFE” SNAPSHOT: The coin’s elongated shape provides an unusual canvas for this maple-themed celebration of Canada’s four seasons! 
• A SYMBOLIC SHAPE: While the extended form provides extra space for the complex design, the egg shape is also a traditional symbol for rejuvenation and re-birth — an added nod to the sugar maple’s continuous cycle through the four seasons, beginning in the spring. 
• A (SELECTIVE) GOLDEN TOUCH: Adding to the complexity of the design, selective gold plating adds a “sunlit” glow to the summer leaves, and a touch of warmth next to the polished proof shine of the wintry landscape. 
• RE-CREATES NATURE’S COLOURS: Two of Canada’s most colourful seasons are brought to life by selective colour, which re-creates the hopeful hues of spring and the spectacular nature of the sugar maple’s fall foliage.

DESIGN:

Like a “year in the life” snapshot of a Canadian icon, the reverse image by Margaret Best traces the sugar maple tree and its leaf’s progression through the seasons. A finely engraved maple tree and its mirror image are each divided in half to create quadrants representing spring, summer, fall and winter, helped by artistic touches that stand in for Mother Nature’s ever-changing colour palette. The coloured upper left quadrant steps into a spring landscape, where the maple’s branches are covered in the reddish-brown buds featured in the enlarged view near the centre. The engraved upper right quadrant leaps ahead to a mid-summer day, where selective gold plating mimics the effect of sunlight on the maple’s broad summer foliage. In the coloured lower right quadrant, the fall scene is a tapestry of brilliant red, yellow and orange hues that famously give Canada its fall colours, while the leaf’s curled edges allude to the seasonal shedding of leaves in preparation for winter. In the engraved lower left quadrant, the maple’s frosted silhouette embodies the resilient spirit of Canadians who embrace our northern climate, even in the face of winter’s fury, while the withered leaf is highlighted with selective gold plating for an elegant contrast. Coupled with the coin’s egg shape, which traditionally symbolizes renewal, the addition of a pair of maple keys is significant: the winged seeds represent the future of the maple and hint at the timelessness of this continuous seasonal cycle. The obverse features the effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Susanna Blunt.