Royal Canadian Mint Wins “Best Circulated Coin” Category for 2021 Dated Coins
The Royal Canadian Mint took home top honors in the “Best Circulation Coin” Category for the Coin of the Year Awards (COTY) for coins dated 2021. The winning coin celebrates the Bluenose centennial and is the first time Canada has added color to its 10-cent circulation coin.
The Bluenose is Canada’s most famous ship and has served as an important national symbol since the 1930s. The schooner was built in 1921 in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Canada. The Bluenose served as both a racing ship and fishing vessel, earning the nickname the “Queen of the North Atlantic.” The Bluenose has been featured on Canada’s 10-cent coin since 1937. For its centennial, Nova Scotia marine artist Yves Bérubé re-imagined the coin’s design.
“We re-imagined the Bluenose design with the help of Nova Scotia marine artist Yves Bérubé and added colour to our smallest circulating coin for the very first time,” the Mint said in a statement. “A peerless maritime icon built in Lunenburg, N.S., Bluenose was a hard-working fishing schooner whose racing proficiency in the International Fishermen’s Race was unrivalled for nearly two decades. It remains, to this day, a testament to the ingenuity, craftsmanship and exceptional skill of the Canadians who designed, built and crewed it.”
The reverse depicts the Bluenose under sail. It is surrounded with the face value and the inscription “CANADA” with the dual date on each side of the design. The obverse features the gold-plated effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, as designed by Susanna Blunt and engraved by Susan Taylor. Queen Elizabeth is aged 77 years, bare headed, wearing a necklace and earrings, and facing right.
The coin was minted by the Royal Canadian Mint of Winnipeg, which produces all the country’s circulating coins. It measures 18.03 mm and weighs 1.75 grams. The coin is comprised of nickel-plated steel, with a serrated edge.
Several versions of this coin were struck including a colorized proof coin; a specimen strike coin, and a divided double date weighing 1.75 grams; The coin design was also made as an uncirculated and proof silver coin weighing 2.45 grains with a serrated edge.