2017 $3 The Spirit of Canada – Pure Silver Coin

From one coast to another, Canadians share a common iconography that powerfully reflects our history, geography, and natural legacy. Each of the visual elements on the coin’s reverse carries deep meaning; but when combined as one, they convey the soaring spirit of a nation, and the national pride that unites all those who call Canada “home.” The inspiring beauty of Canada shines bright in the most affordable fine silver coin produced by the Royal Canadian Mint.

The reverse design by Steven Hepburn presents a cross-country journey that ties together some of Canada’s most iconic images—particularly those that have come to define the Canadian experience, and the landscape itself. The upper portion features that celebrated emblem of Canada’s Pacific coast, the orca whale. The scene transitions smoothly to the northern coastline of the Canadian Arctic, which is represented by an inukshuk and a polar bear with cub. Beneath these are the majestic Rocky Mountains, which once made the land seem impenetrable to early European explorers. The peaks tower over the vast boreal forest on the left, which stretches across much of Canada, and the agricultural landscape of the Prairie provinces on the right, where a tractor is at work in a hay field. Atlantic Canada is represented by a Nova Scotian/New Brunswick Herring Seiner, which slightly overlaps the stirring image of a raised Canadian flag blowing in the wind. Finally, the nation’s northern climate is represented by the heartwarming image of two youths playing Canada’s beloved winter sport: hockey.