SKU# OK147831EB

2018 $20 Canada’s Hundred Days - 1 oz. Pure Silver Selectively Gold-Plated Coin: First World War Battlefront Series

Specifications

Composition - 99.99% pure silver

Finish - proof

Weight (g) - 31.39 (one troy ounce)

Diameter (mm) - 38

Certificate - serial numbered (serial numbers will vary)

Face Value - $20 (a legal tender Canadian coin)

Artists - Joel Kimmel (reverse), Susanna Blunt (obverse)

Description

The first stage of this Battle of Amiens is over, and one of the most successful operations conducted by the Allied Armies since the war began is now a matter of history. - Sir Arthur Currie, August 13, 1918

A young nation's coming-of-age was never more evident than in the final months of the First World War. After hard-fought victories at Vimy and Passchendaele, the crowning glory of the Canadian Corps' battle achievements came in the summer and fall of 1918, when Canadian troops played a front-line role in one last Allied offensive that finally brought an end to the four-year conflict. 

These were Canada's Hundred Days: three months of successive battle victories that began at Amiens on August 8 and continued at Arras; Canal du Nord; Bourlon Wood; Cambrai; Denain; Valenciennes; and finally, Mons on the morning of November 11, 1918, when the fighting came to an end.

These are the battles that re-affirmed Canada's reputation as an elite fighting force; but the victories that lined the road to peace also came at a heavy price. The powerful scene engraved on this commemorative coin is one of remembrance — for the legacy of Canadian combatants and for nearly 46,000 Canadian casualties in the Hundred Days, the penultimate chapter in this First World War: Battlefront series.

Special features:

• SEVENTH COIN IN SERIES: The multi-year First World War Battlefront series continues its exploration of Canada's participation in the First World War with a poignant design that reminds us of the tragic cost of the war.
• TO ALL THAT WAS WON AND ALL WHO WERE LOST: The makeshift grave amid the rubble is a reminder of the personal sacrifices behind each battle victory during Canada's Hundred Days.
• RICHLY DETAILED: Modern engraving techniques and finishes bring this complex design to life and help set apart some of the smaller details that carry special meaning, including the flowers laid on the fallen soldier's grave.
• 99.99% PURE SILVER WITH A TOUCH OF GOLD: Selective gold plating puts special emphasis on the winged figure of "Victory," as depicted on the Victory Medal awarded to members of the Allied forces after the First World War.
• FEATURES A HISTORIC EFFIGY: Like all Canadian coins minted between 1914 and 1918, the coins in this retrospective series feature the effigy of King George V by Sir E. B. MacKennal, but with a touch of selective gold plating to add a golden shine.
• PLACE BOX SERIES SPINE-TO-SPINE: Each encapsulated coin is beautifully packaged in a specially designed beauty box that is unique to the Battlefront series! When placed spine-to-spine, the completed series stands as a visual timeline of Canada's major battles of the First World War.

Design:

Inspired by a soldier's account, this coin's image by Joel Kimmel looks beyond the tactical successes of Canada's Hundred Days to reflect on the notions of sacrifice and loss. The scene pulls away from the front lines to show the aftermath of the battle in a nearby town, where smoke still billows in the distance. Broken stones and rubble are piled in a street lined with buildings that have been damaged by artillery. With their Lee Enfield rifles slung over their shoulders, two Canadian soldiers are seen standing on a pile of debris and looking down at a small clearing, where a single cross within a circle marks the makeshift grave of a Canadian soldier. The soldiers have paused to remember their fellow combatant, while noting the flowers that were placed on the tomb by civilians as a show of respect. Below the image is the selectively gold-plated figure of "Victory," from the bronze-hued Victory Medal awarded to Allied soldiers in 1919. The obverse features the effigy of King George V by Sir E. B. MacKennal.

Did you know...

• While the Allied offensive is more widely known as the Hundred Days Offensive, it is often remembered as Canada's Hundred Days when citing Canada's tremendous contributions — especially in areas of northern France and Belgium, where much of the fighting during "les cent jours du Canada" took place.
• By 1918, the reputation of the Canadian Corps as elite "shock" troops preceded it on the battlefield: when the Allies prepared to launch their counter-offensive at Amiens, a small unit of Canadians was sent north to Ypres, Belgium, to deceive the enemy with false radio reports and misrepresentations of their presence in the sector. Meanwhile, most of the Canadian Corps secretly marched to Amiens, even keeping out of sight of fellow Allies.
• During Canada's Hundred Days, a force of more than 100,000 Canadians went up against a quarter of the total enemy army and forced their retreat across 130 kilometers. The Hundred Days took the lives of more than 6,800 Canadians and Newfoundlanders and left about 39,000 wounded, or the equivalent of a staggering 460 casualties a day. Thirty Canadians and Newfoundlanders were also awarded the Victoria Cross for individual feats of heroism.

Packaging:

Each coin is encapsulated and presented in a Royal Canadian Mint-branded maroon clamshell protected by a graphic beauty box.

Shipping & Handling

Fast, free shipping & handling via USPS First Class Mail to all U.S. addresses.  USPS Priority Mail & Priority Mail Express are also available for an additional charge.  International shipping is via the ebay Global Shipping Program.

Additional Information

Photos: When a listing offers multiples of the same coin, one coin is picked at random and photographed.  Since all coins offered in that listing are essentially identical, the coin photographed is representative of all coins offered.

Surface areas that appear black on some proof coin photos are actually highly polished, mirror-bright metal reflecting the color of the camera. We often include proof coin photos with the coin slightly tilted to better depict the mirror bright surfaces.  However, tilting the coin may result in one side being slightly out of focus.  Please review all of the photos provided to obtain the best understanding of the coin's actual appearance.

Our goal is to provide clear, high definition photos that accurately represent the coin(s) offered in each of our eBay listings.  Whenever possible, we use actual photos of our coins, rather than just stock artwork from the Mint.  We frequently update and upgrade the photos that appear with our listings, using improved cameras and lenses and better lighting.  We will honor your requests for additional photos as quickly as our schedule permits.