Canada 2013 ARCTIC FOX Untamed Canada $20 Pure Silver Proof in FULL OGP + CoA

Description: In Stock and Ready for Immediate Shipment!Long SOLD OUT at the Royal Canadian Mint! FIRST IN A NEW SERIES—And a phenomenally original work of art! Snare this striking Arctic Fox Pure Silver Proof before it slips away! Welcome to Untamed Canada, the new wildlife program from the Royal Canadian Mint! Always curious, always clever, the Arctic Fox gets things started off right! The first issue in the RCM’s exciting Untamed Canada Series displays a bold artistic direction. Each coin showcases five different types of finish (each with a separate degree of luster!), exceptional engraving techniques, and woodblock-inspired original artworks! This dramatic approach to coin design, inspired by the unbroken spirit of the Arctic Fox, is struck in 99.99% pure silver on a large 40 millimeter diameter planchet, the better to showcase the art and artistry of this majestic animal! A Bold And Striking Design, A Highly Detailed, Original Work of Art! The striking design by Canadian artist Tivadar Bote features a stylized image (inspired by woodcut design) of an Arctic Fox, set against symbolic elements of its Canadian habitat. The fox sits serenely in the foreground of the image, looking to the left, its thick fur, fluffy tail, small ears, and dog-like face beautifully rendered in intricate detail. Around the fox, motifs of circles, droplets, and rays rise from the image of a circular sunburst positioned directly behind the fox. The circles and droplets represent the snow and light, respectively, that are fundamental elements in the world of the Arctic Fox. The wavy rays allude to the warmth and brilliance of the sun, even in the Arctic landscape. The circularity of these elements echoes the circular field of the coin and suggests the cyclical nature of the Arctic Fox’s life cycle. The outer frame is engraved with the species’ Latin binomial name, “Vulpes lagopus”. The Untamed Arctic Fox Just slightly larger than the average house cat, Vulpes lagopus - the Arctic Fox - is Canada’s smallest member of the canidae family. A silent, prolific hunter, the Arctic Fox’s diet consists largely of lemmings; it will kill dozens a day, particularly when hunting for its brood of (on average) 6 pups. The population cycle of the Arctic Fox is thus inextricably tied to the mysterious waxing and waning of the global lemming cycle, which peaks and then diminishes to near zero levels about every 4 years. The Arctic Fox will also eat a wide variety of other foods (when and where available), including eggs, squirrels, berries, birds, small marine animals, fish, and carrion. The pelt of the Arctic Fox is unmatched for warmth, sustaining it at temperatures below -50° Celsius. Its fur is brown, gray-brown, blue-gray, or dark blue-gray in the warmer months. In the long Arctic winter, most foxes turn pure white, although some populations show lighter blue-gray through the winter phase. The fox’s thick fur covers its small rounded ears and even the pads of its feet, providing for optimal warmth. Technology Note The Royal Canadian Mint refines the purest silver in the world. The RCM is also the only mint in the world to issue commemorative coins in a .9999 fineness. This silver proof coin is 99.99% pure! ObverseA meticulously detailed and finely engraved detail of an Arctic Fox. The legend provides the Latin scientific name for the species, VULPES LAGOPUS. The date and denomination are also indicated. Reverse Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, in profile facing right. This portrait, the fourth effigy of the queen to appear on Canadian Coinage, was executed by the artist Susanna Blunt. The legend ELIZABETH II D. G. REGINA ("Elizabeth II, Queen by the Grace of God") also appears. Packaging The coin is encapsulated inside a burgundy leatherette, clamshell-style presentation case, lined with black velvet and protected by a black outer sleeve. An individually-numbered certificate of authenticity is included. Specifications Country Canada Year of Issue 2013 Face Value 20 Dollars Weight 28.02 g Diameter 40 mm Mintage Limit 8,500 Finish Proof Composition .9999 Fine (Pure) Silver Edge Reeded (milled, serrated) Artist Tivadar Bote Certificate Individually Numbered Complete Certificate Text Just slightly larger than the average housecat, Vulpes lagopus - the Arctic fox - is Canada’s smallest member of the canidae family. A silent, prolific hunter, the Arctic fox’s diet consists largely of lemmings; it will kill dozens a day, particularly when hunting for its brood of, on average, about 6 pups. The population cycle of the Arctic fox is thus intrinsically tied to the mysterious waxing and waning of the global lemming cycle, which peaks and then diminishes to near zero levels about every 4 years. Where available, the fox will also eat eggs, squirrels, berries, birds, small marine animals, fish, and carrion. The pelt of the Arctic fox is unmatched for warmth, sustaining it at temperatures below -50° Celsius. Its fur is brown, gray-brown, blue-gray, or dark blue-gray in the warmer months. In the long Arctic winter, most turn pure white, although some populations show lighter blue-gray through the winter phase. The fox’s thick fur covers its small rounded ears and even the pads of its feet, for optimum warmth. The Lemming’s Last Tale The snow moves behind me. It twitches like the thick tail of the one the Inuit call Tiriganiaq—my kind’s most feared hunter. He is the sly shape-shifter who sits in wait, gray against the seashore stone, brown against the hard earth of the summer tundra, waiting like a rooted bush as we gather our food. In winter, he becomes as white as… snow. It is a lean year and I am one of the last of my kind. Every day I must go further to find food, venturing beyond my safe, hidden world between the earth and the snow into the bitter white realm above. And now I feel the strange, shifting shape behind me, a staring beast with eyes of bluest ice stalking across the snow on feet padded with soft white fur. To me, this mound of white is more massive than a mountain—although there are other beasts nearby who dwarf the shape-shifter. Dwarf him, yes, but never outwit him. How I fear this silent, inscrutable snow-beast stalking me. I know that for him, my death means life. For his partner, too, and the many pups they will care for together as the winter snows give way to green once again. He is hungry. If he cannot catch me, he will have to travel far for food—as do all of his kind in the lean years. I see his sharp teeth in my mind’s eye, appearing from nowhere, snatching at my death as I leap for a hole in the hard-packed snow. The frozen wind’s chiding is lost on him; it cannot penetrate his thick pelt. His fur-lined feet move faster, yet are ever silent. I leap below the snow. Here is my burrow. I will be safe—for surely he cannot find me here, can he? Copyright © 2024 Talisman World Coins and Medals. All Rights Reserved.

Price: 49.95 USD

Location: Saint Louis, Missouri

End Time: 2024-11-22T01:22:44.000Z

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