2012 $20 Canadian Coast Guard 50th Anniversary Silver Coin

The Royal Canadian Mint recently unveiled a $20 silver coin to honor the 50th anniversary of the Canadian Coast Guard. The event took place at the Government Wharf in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada on July 13, 2012.

Designed on the 99.99% fine silver coin’s reverse is a depiction of the flagship icebreaker CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent at work in the Canadian Arctic. Next to the ship are the dates 1962 and 2012. The ship is framed by a unique riveted porthole window inscribed with CANADIAN COAST GUARD and GARDE CÔTIÈRE CANADIENNE, with the coin’s very outer rim bearing the inscriptions CANADA and 20 DOLLARS.

Marine artist Yves Bérubé created the reverse. The product page for the $20 Canadian Coast Guard 50th Anniversary Silver Coin says:

"Bérubé found his inspiration for this coin’s design while he was aboard an ice-locked ship and watched through a porthole as the Louis S. St-Laurent came to the rescue – a vision that perfectly embodies the CCG’s past, present and future."

Susanna Blunt’s familiar effigy of Queen Elizabeth II is featured on the silver coins’ obverse.

Collectors around the world can order the $20 Canadian Coast Guard 50th Anniversary Silver Coin for $129.95 CAD at the Royal Canadian Mint website (www.mint.ca). It comes packaged in a Canadian Maple wood presentation case with a small vial containing a piece of steel from the pre-refit bow of the CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent. Limited to a maximum mintage of 7,500, a serialized certificate also accompanies the coin.

In a related product, shipping later this year but available for order now is a cupronickel 25-Cent colored coin that also celebrates the Canadian Coast Guard’s anniversary.

Its reverse design was created by Canadian artists Chris Reid and Rosina Li. Shown are stylized image of vessels from the Canadian Coast Guard’s fleet in Canadian waters. Inscriptions include "CCG-GCC" and "1962-2012."

Produced to specimen quality, its price is $24.95 CAD.