In 2014, the Royal Canadian Mint released a series of one-ounce $20 silver coins that presented a "Day in the Life" of a Bald Eagle. As a collector of coins that feature one or more Bald Eagles in a natural setting (i.e., vs. the heraldic eagles found on many coins), I "strayed" from my focus on Canada's commemorative silver dollar series and picked up each of the $20 silver coins of the Bald Eagle series.
Presented here is the "Soaring Bald Eagle" release. Its reverse combines traditional engraving (background) with selective colourization applied to the eagle. The Bald Eagle is seen from below as it turns sharply in mid-air, likely to pursue sighted prey. Below the eagle, and in the background, is seen a tree-lined shoreline; the water in the foreground and mid-ground appears to be a river that is flowing into the ocean as no shoreline is seen in the distance/far background. Claudio D'Angelo is the Quebec-based artist responsible for the design. D'Angelo also designed the other $20 coins in the series - the unadorned "Bald Eagle with Fish, and the selectively-gold-plated "Perched Eagle." (Subjects of future posts.)
The coin's obverse features the Susanna Blunt, right-facing portrait of Queen Elizabeth II.
From the Mint's web page for the coin:
"A day in the life of the Bald Eagle is filled with activity from dusk until dawn and beyond. From the moment it awakens, the eagle is at work--tending to its nest, soaring high, hunting, feeding its young, and taking pause to eat and rest. Here, as it soars high above the Canadian wilderness, let's take a moment to consider the exceptional sight of a Bald Eagle in flight, wheeling high in the air as it positions itself to dive.
Few images are as graceful as that of a Bald Eagle in flight. The renowned raptor, noted for its distinctive dark body and white head, large golden eyes, bright yellow beak, and massive yellow claws armed with sharp, powerful talons, will dive at speeds in excess of 120 kilometres per hour, snatching its prey from the water or ground with lightning speed."The Bald Eagle
(Haliaeetus leucocephalus) tends to build its nest in trees / rocky outcroppings near the water - rivers, lakes, marshland, ocean coastlines - and can be found across Canada, from the shores of British Columbia to Newfoundland. (They are not generally found in the northern reaches of Canada (e.g., Nunavut), however.) Speaking of nests: Bald Eagle nests are the largest of any North American bird, and are often 1.5 to 2.0 meters in diameter and 1.0 meter tall.
The coin was struck on a one-ounce 0.9999 fine silver planchet as a proof coin. It had a maximum stated mintage of 8,500, and, per the Mint's 2014
Annual Report, sold 8,455 units. The minor difference between the two can be accounted for by damaged/unsaleable returns. The popular coin was considered a sell-out. The issue price for the coin was $99.95 (CAD) [~$81.00 USD at the time].
2014 Soaring Bald Eagle $20 Silver Coin
For more of my topics on commemorative coins and medals, including more on Canadian commemoratives, see:
Commems Collection.
Posted 10/24/2022 4:08 pm
