Royal Canadian Mint

5 dollars

Silver 925°

7500

Proof, niobium coin

John Mantha

Royal Canadian Mint

Throughout history, cultures around the world have recognized the moon as the guardian of nature’s cycles and the rhythms of life. Part of a series of four selectively oxidized niobium-inset coins representing the four seasons of the Canadian climate as symbolized by the full moon at key points throughout the year, this coin features a young buck poised before a full summer moon. The yellow colouring selectively applied to the buck and other regions of the niobium insert enhances the coin’s summertime theme and draws out the majesty of the stunning silver moon. The obverse features the portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, by Susanna Blunt.

Calendar in the sky. This coin is part of a series that celebrates the culture of the First Nations tribes that make up the Algonquin people—a vast native group whose territory spans from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic. In North America, First Nations peoples assigned a name to each full moon to reflect seasonal activities within the annual cycle. The full moon of the month we call “July” was known as Thunder Moon, Summer Moon, or most commonly Buck Moon to reflect the fact that buck deers in the North American wilderness are beginning to grow new antlers at this time.