In Stock and Ready for Immediate Shipment!
Long SOLD OUT at the Royal Canadian Mint!
Sold out at the Mint on pre-release! This
masterwork of wildlife fine
art by Canadian animal artist Glen Loates depicts a proud polar bear,
the King of the Arctic, in pure silver with proof finish and
vibrant, full color!
Tremendous
investment potential here, as well as the meticulous, traditional
engraving and extraordinary
applied technology for which the Royal Canadian Mint is known
world-wide!
Commemorate the endangered
Polar
Bear with this truly scarce,
low mintage, full
color proof, minted on a full one troy ounce planchet of 99.99%
pure silver
(the
purest on the planet)! Better yet, it's an original work of art by
famous wildlife artist Glen Loates! A true investment piece for the
discriminating
wildlife
lover, savvy numismatic investor and/or bear aficionado!
The ever popular polar bear, in
vibrant, living color and struck purest silver on the planet with a proof
finish! The polar bear is
highly endangered, as is this proof—it sold out at the Mint on pre-release!
We recommend quick action to get in on the ground floor now!
A Highly
Detailed, Original Work of Art by Wildlife Artist Glen Loates!
The intricate design depicts a full-body portrait of a
large and powerful polar bear in its natural
Arctic
environment. The bear looks to the right, its body pointed to the left
in a graceful curve. Its massive musculature, huge front and rear paws
and vast furred body are presented in minute detail, each claw, hair,
and shadow evident. Its large sloping head, small ears and black-nosed
muzzle illustrate the renowned physiognomy of this iconic Arctic
dweller. The bear stands atop a small rise in an ice field. The vast
frozen landscape that the
polar
bear
calls home is evident all around it, from the rugged white terrain upon
which this specimen pauses to the vast rocky mountain range in the far
distance behind it and the ominously clouded sky that rises darkly
above the scene, foreshadowing the challenges of survival this
endangered
species
faces in the coming decades with global warming. The stark shadow cast
by the bear on the ice below speaks to the harsh contrasts of this
northern realm.
The Quintessentially
Canadian (and American!) Polar BearFor many North
Americans, the profile of a
polar
bear (
Ursus
maritimus) is as recognizably Canadian as the shape of a
maple
leaf or the silhouette of a
Canada
goose.
Canada’s polar bears comprise more than half of the entire
world's population, since they live primarily in the coastal regions of
the
Arctic,
depending upon sea ice to hunt the ringed seal. The polar
bear’s adaptations to its carnivorous lifestyle in the frozen
north include a thick layer of subcutaneous fat, dense water-repellent
fur the color of snow, fur on the bottoms of its paws for traction and
warmth, sharp claws, and an elongated body and huge forepaws that make
polar bears great swimmers.
Please see the articles lower in this presentation for a more detailed
natural history of the proud polar bear!
Technology Note - Color
The Royal Canadian Mint leads the world with its proprietary
colorization technology, in which the color is actually sealed on the
coin. The intricate detail, smooth gradients, and extreme precision of
the technology create a stunning look on each coin.
Purity Note
The Royal
Canadian Mint refines the purest silver in the world. The RCM is also
the only mint in the world to issue commemorative coins in a .9999
fineness. This silver proof coin is 99.99% pure!
Obverse
A
meticulously detailed and finely engraved detail of large
adult
polar
bear surveying its domain atop the crest of a mountain in its
native Arctic environment. The traditional-style
engraving has
produced a magnificent work of beauty. The date and denomination are
also
indicated.
Reverse
Her Majesty,
Queen
Elizabeth II, in profile facing right. This portrait, the fourth
effigy of
the queen to appear on Canadian Coinage, was executed by the artist
Susanna Blunt. The legend
ELIZABETH II D. G. REGINA ("Elizabeth II,
Queen by the Grace of God") also appears.
Packaging
The coin is encapsulated inside a burgundy leatherette, clamshell-style
presentation case, lined with black velvet and protected by a black
outer sleeve. An
individually-numbered certificate of authenticity is included.
Specifications
Country |
Canada |
Year
of Issue |
2014 |
|
|
Face
Value |
20 Dollars |
Weight |
31.39 g |
Diameter |
38
mm |
Mintage
Limit |
8,500 |
|
|
Finish |
Proof with
Color |
Composition |
.9999
Fine (Pure) Silver |
Edge |
Reeded
(milled, serrated) |
|
|
Artist |
Glen Loates |
Certificate |
Individually
Numbered |
The Largest Terrestrial
Carnivore
- Endangered
The polar bear (
Ursus
maritimus)
is a bear native largely within the
Arctic
circle encompassing the
Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is
the world's largest land carnivore and also the largest bear (together
with the omnivorous Kodiak bear, which is approximately the same size).
An adult male weighs between 770 and 1,500 pounds (350–680
kg),
while an adult female is about half that size. Although it is closely
related to the brown bear, the polar bear has evolved to occupy a
narrow ecological niche, with many body characteristics adapted for
cold temperatures, for moving across snow, ice, and open water, and for
hunting the seals which make up most of its diet. Although most polar
bears are born on land, they spend most of their time at sea (hence
their scientific name meaning "maritime bear") and can hunt
consistently only from sea ice, so they spend much of the year on the
frozen sea.
As of 2008, the World Conservation Union (IUCN) reports that the global
population of
polar
bears is only 20,000 to 25,000, and is declining.
In 2006, the IUCN upgraded the polar bear from a species of least
concern to a vulnerable species. It cited a "suspected population
reduction of great than 30% within three generations (45 years)", due
primarily to global warming. Other risks to the polar bear include
pollution in the form of toxic contaminants, conflicts with shipping,
stresses from recreational polar-bear watching, and oil and gas
exploration and development. The IUCN also cited a "potential risk of
over-harvest" through legal and illegal hunting.
A little good news - on 15 May 2008, the United States listed the
polar
bear as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act
and
banned all importing of polar bear trophies. Importing products made
from polar bears had been prohibited from 1972 to 1994 under the Marine
Mammal Protection Act, and restricted between 1994 and 2008. Under
those restrictions, permits from the United States Fish and Wildlife
Service were required to import sport-hunted polar bear trophies taken
in hunting expeditions in Canada. The permit process required that the
bear be taken from an area with quotas based on sound management
principles. Since 1994, more than 800 sport-hunted polar bear trophies
have been imported into the U.S.
Unfortunately,
Canada has not followed suite with a hunting ban. The territory of
Nunavut
accounts for 80% of Canadian kills. In 2005, the government of
Nunavut increased the quota from 400 to 518 bears, despite protests
from some scientific groups. In two areas where harvest levels have
been increased based on increased sightings, science-based studies have
indicated declining populations, and a third area is considered
data-deficient. While most of that quota is hunted by the indigenous
Inuit people, a growing share is sold to recreational hunters (0.8% in
the 1970s, 7.1% in the 1980s, and 14.6% in the 1990s). The Government
of the Northwest Territories maintain their own quota of
72–103
bears within the Inuvialuit communities of which some are set aside for
sports hunters.
Complete
Certificate Text
King of the Arctic
The majestic polar bear is a fitting icon for a nation that, like
Ursus maritimus
itself, has been shaped by the forces of ice, wind, water and stone.
Stoic and strong, adaptable and clever, the polar bear has long
captivated the Canadian imagination and been held up as a symbol of the
northern spirit. As master of its icy domain, the
polar
bear
also reminds us of the ongoing importance of Canada’s Arctic
sovereignty—and, increasingly, of the need to protect and
preserve a region that is becoming more vulnerable in the face of a
changing global climate.
Of the 19 circumpolar populations of
Ursus maritimus,
comprising about 25,000 members, the greatest number—about
15,000—resides in the Canadian Arctic. This truly massive land
animal can exceed 600 kilograms, measures about 1.7 metres at shoulder
height when standing on all fours, and can reach nearly 4 metres when
standing on its hind legs. It lives most of its life on the
snow-covered Arctic sea ice, feeding primarily on fat-rich ringed and
bearded seals at open water holes called “leads.”
As we learn more about the
polar
bear,
the iconic animal’s importance to Canadians grows ever deeper. A
true study in adaptation, the polar bear is believed by some
researchers to have branched off from a common ancestor with brown
bears about 150,000 years ago. Becoming isolated in the glaciated
northern environment, the species developed important features that
have allowed it to thrive in a land where temperatures can dip below
-45 degrees Celsius for much of the year. These features include a
thick, colourless pelt that protects it from the cold and camouflages
it against the snow, dense fat layers, claws and teeth optimized for
hunting and eating seals, fur-covered footpads, foreshortened ears and
tail to help retain heat, and more highly-developed scenting
capabilities than other bears.
As worldwide fascination with the
polar
bear
and its Arctic habitat grows, we can remain hopeful that the incredible
survival skills that make it so symbolically poignant for Canadians
will also help to preserve this amazing animal for the long term.
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