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The Bluenose
This ninth issue
of the Royal Canadian Mint's 1/25 ounce pure gold coin features the
Bluenose - a historic fishing and racing schooner launched at Lunenburg,
Nova Scotia on March 26, 1921. In October of that year, Bluenose won
her first of many International Fishermen's Trophy series of races.
Almost immediately, the ship became an important symbol of excellence in
ship design, shipbuilding and seamanship for Nova Scotians and,
eventually, for all Canadians.
Bluenose went on to serve
actively as a fishing vessel. Her designer, William J. Roue, and her
stalwart crew, under Captain Angus Walters, became known and admired
around the world. When the global economy faced stormy waters in the
1930s, Bluenose increasingly served as a cultural and tourism promotion
vessel. Although Canadians lobbied strongly to preserve the ship as a
national symbol, Bluenose was sold in 1942 and worked as a freighter in
the Caribbean. On January 28, 1946, the ship was lost off the coast of
Haiti. A replica - Bluenose II - was launched in 1963 and gifted to the
Government of Nova Scotia in 1971.
Bluenose is featured on Canada's 10-cent piece.
Specifications:
Face Value: 50-cents
Composition: 99.99% pure gold
Mintage: 15,000
Weight (g): 1.27
Diameter (mm): 13.92
Finish: Proof
Edge: Serrated
Packaging:
Coin is encapsulated and presented in a maroon clamshell case lined with flock and protected by a black sleeve.
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