Collector’s Corner: Remembrance Day coins from the Royal Canadian Mint
By Medicine Hat News on November 24, 2018.
For all Canadians, the poppy is a symbol of remembrance. In 2004 the Royal Canadian Mint issued its first poppy quarter. The 2004 poppy quarter was the first coloured circulation coin in the world — to remember the sacrifices every veteran made and to honour them and current Canadian Forces members. In 2008 the second poppy quarter was in honour of the 90th anniversary of the 1918 Armistice. It was a re-issue of the 2004 design (but with a superior red poppy process and appearance) with “1918 Armistice” added to commemorate the 90th anniversary. In 2010, the third one since 2004 was circulated: It was emblazoned with a red poppy in honour of the 65th anniversary of the Second World War. It features a soldier with a bowed head and hands on a rifle in front of a maple leaf and two coloured poppies on each side of the soldier. In 2014 the Royal Canadian Mint issued its first toonie ‘Wait For Me Daddy’. It is perhaps the most famous photograph taken in Canada during the Second World War: A five-year-old boy breaks away from his mother’s grasp to run after his father as he marches off to war. Taken in New Westminster, B.C. in the fall of 1940, ‘Wait for Me, Daddy’ continues to resonate as a snapshot of the war’s impact on Canadians and the personal sacrifices they made. In 2015 the Royal Canadian Mint issued a toonie and a quarter for the 100-year anniversary of Canadian Lt.-Col John McCrae’s penning of “In Flanders Fields” on the battlefield of Ypres, Belgium. The toonie circulation coin commemorates his iconic poem of remembrance, with him sitting writing his poem. The quarter circulation coin features a coloured poppy. In 2016 the Royal Canadian Mint issued a toonie to honour the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Atlantic where Canada emerged as a leader in the Battle of the Atlantic, to protect the shipping lanes essential to the Allied war effort and help ensure victory in the Second World War. In 2017 the Royal Canadian Mint issued a toonie to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge. It was produced to honour the brave Canadians who fought at the Battle of Vimy Ridge 100 years ago and paved the way to the Allied victory which ended the First World War. One hundred years ago, the four divisions of the Canadian Corps fought as one for the first time at the Battle of Vimy Ridge and through ingenuity, bravery and sacrifice, achieved one of the most decisive and pivotal victories of the First World War. With this new coin, we remember every Canadian whose unconditional service in the First World War inspired the generations which followed to do their part in defending Canada and everything it stands for. In keeping with the tradition of issuing coins remembering the sacrifices of Canadians who served with the military, the Royal Canadian Mint has issued a toonie circulation coin that commemorates the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War. The coin recalls the signing of the historic peace treaty on Nov. 11, 1918. The coin depicts an important pairing of two symbols of remembrance. The inner core features a soldier’s “Brodie” helmet which represents a solemn reminder of the many lives lost during the war. Below the helmet lies a large poppy, the official bloom of remembrance inspired by the Canadian poem, “In Flanders Fields.” Two more poppies are engraved on the outer ring of the coin which includes the banner bearing the bilingual words “Remember,” “Souvenir,” and the year “2018.” “For a nation of eight million people, Canada’s efforts in the First World War were remarkable. More than 650,000 Canadian men and women served in uniform during the First World War, with more than 12,000 comrades from Newfoundland and Labrador also answering the call to arms,” said the Honourable Bill Morneau, minister of finance. “By issuing a circulation coin honouring the 100th anniversary of the Armistice, the Mint is helping to preserve the memory of all Canadian veterans, who continue to remind us that peace and freedom are worth fighting for, even at great personal costs.” Collector’s Corner is contributed by the Medicine Hat Coin & Stamp Club. For questions or comments about coin or stamp collection email medhatcsc@live.com. 14-13
