Pièce 10 onces d'argent Le cycle de la vie 2024 | Monnaie royale canadienne

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. 99.99% 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.

Own a 10 oz.-sized showcase of Northwest Coast art.

COIN HIGHLIGHTS

• 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.
• Return of the 10 oz. format. This is the first 10 oz. coin the RCM 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.
• 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.
• No GST/HST.

PACKAGING

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

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.

"PIANTING" 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.

DID YOU KNOW?

The engraved “knife” markings on your coin’s reverse serve to honour both the artist and the artform, which has served as an important medium for preserving Kwakwaka’wakw heritage.

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.

ABOUT THE ROYAL CANADIAN MINT

The Royal Canadian Mint is known as one of the most reputable mints in the world. The Ottawa Branch of the Royal Mint opened in 1908 and was renamed The Royal Canadian Mint in 1931 when control was transferred to the Canadian government. Their high standards for excellence and quality allowed them to be the first refinery to manufacture 9999 fine gold bullion coins in 1982, as well as the first to reach 99999 fine gold purity in 1998.