The newest coin from the Royal Canadian Mint is celebrating the nation’s Pacific Coast with an innovative design from a Campbell River artist.
Glen Green, the coin’s designer, depicts four orcas swimming in the Pacific Ocean. Despite their endangered status, orcas remain a familiar BC sight, symbolizing the region’s identity.
Green is a self-taught Canadian artist from Campbell River, known for his previous work with the Mint, and his paintings of athletes like Wayne Gretzky and Joe Montana. Additionally, he did a series of 25-cent coins for the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.
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The coins are 99.9% silver, have a face value of $20, and sell for $104.95. The other side of the coin features a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Susanna Blunt.
The Wondrous Waters series includes three other coastal regions — Arctic Coast, Atlantic Coast and the Great Lakes — and each coin will be designed by artists from the regions.
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The unveiling of the coin comes at a fitting time, as the Pacific gray whales are currently making their return to Tofino on their northern migration.
There are 7,500 Pacific Coast coins available for purchase.