The Canadian Gold Bluenose coin is a continuation of the Canadian celebration of the legendary Tall Ships’ series of coins. With this coin, the Royal Canadian Mint commemorates the famous Nova Scotian Bluenose. The vessel launched on 26 March 1921 from the Nova Scotian harbor of Lunenburg. Since the vessel brought in such incredibly huge catches, she was soon nicknamed “Queen of the North Atlantic Fishing Fleet”. In the October of 1921, she won the coveted International Fishermen’s Race and continued on a winning streak for two decades.
The Canadian Gold Bluenose coin is made of pure 99.99 percent gold (1 t/oz) and has a proof finish. It has a gross weight and actual gold weight of 31.16 grams. Its diameter spans 30 millimeters with a serrated edge, the coin has a face value of 200 Canadian Dollars. Notably, only 275 mints of the Canadian Gold Bluenose coin were made in its debut year, 2016 by the Royal Canadian Mint. Trading in the coin is sales tax or VAT exempt.
The obverse of the coin contains the effigy of Queen Elizabeth II facing to the right with the inscription, “SB” printed on the Queen’s right shoulder. SB refers to Susanna Blake who is the British artist who adapted the original younger-looking effigy by Ian Rank-Broadley to the aging Queen’s looks. The texts, “200 DOLLARS”, “ELIZABETH II”, and “D · G · REGINA” are inscribed around the Queen’s effigy to the bottom, left, and right.
The reverse of the Canadian Gold Bluenose coin was the work of Neil Hamelin. It contains a starboard side perception of the iconic Bluenose in full sail captured in racing view. Intricate engravement is capturing her true representation including the deck dories and the rigging. The mainmast and foremast mount the Flag of Nova Scotia and Canadian Red Ensign respectively flapping in the wind, as the Bluenose wades through the North Atlantic waters. The inscription, “CANADA” appears at the top while, “BLUENOSE” is inscribed at the bottom. The inscriptions, “2016” and “HH” appear diagonally opposite each other to the mid-left and bottom-right sections of the coin.
