Canada 2013 Holiday Traditions #7 - Pond Ice Skating Winter Scene $10 Pure Silver Proof with Color

Product Description

A scene of serene beauty, traditionally engraved, as three bundled-up children learn to skate on a frozen pond!

School is out! The holidays are finally here! Delighted children turn their attention to outdoor fun. Whirling, twirling, spinning under a snowy sky - they sail across the ice alight, with festive joy. These moments with their friends and the biting cold make the warm treats to come once they get back indoors seem even sweeter! This limited edition, traditional winter scene (with a very low mintage limit - only 8,000 coins available worldwide!) will appeal to lovers of winter, fans of the simplicity of rural life, and art aficionados seeking the work of talented, practicing artists - in this case, by Canadian artist Rémi Clark.

Families (including parents, grandparents, and small children) skate and sled blissfully across a frozen pond. The children, bundled against the winter cold, dart across the ice, scarves flying behind them. The pond is surrounded by soft round snowbanks lined with snow-covered evergreen trees. In the background, snowy paths carved out of the white hillsides lead to cozy homes, roofs piled with white snow. In the distant background, hilly highlands lead to a distant frozen field, flanked by blue-white mountains in the distance.

Click here for the other coins in the Holiday Traditions series!

Children learning to skate on a frozen pond in this peaceful, pastoral, rural scene.

On Frozen Pond!
For most, it starts haltingly: a tumble, a bump, perhaps a few bruises. Ankles wobbling, knees knocking, sometimes clinging to a chair or a parents hand. But one day, balance and determination prevail. The chair is set aside, the helping hands now clapping instead as, head down, the brave new skater glides along unaided.

Since ice skating was first introduced to North America in the eighteenth century, learning to skate has been a coming-of-age ritual for millions of children. Some go on to play professional hockey, compete in figure skating events, or race on speed skating tracks. Others simply enjoy the occasional game of pond hockey or a turn around the local rink. Either way, it is in these earliest moments on the ice, when children learn what it feels like to move faster than their legs alone can carry them, that the magic of ice skating is ignited.

Click here for more holiday coins and gift sets!

This is the seventh coin in the annual Holiday Traditions series of silver proofs, and the third to feature full color in conjunction with traditional engraving. The superb designers and engravers at the Royal Canadian Mint have continued last year's theme of the a peaceful, pastoral scene. This is traditional engraving and design at its finest, and will be an inspiring gift for anyone who appreciates the thoughts of traditional Christmas activities.

Nothing says "Christmas fun" like skating on a frozen pond, but owning a meticulously-engraved silver proof that captures the memories of a simpler time gone by is a close second!

Click here to see the other coins in the Holiday Traditions series!

Technology Note
The Royal Canadian Mint leads the world with its proprietary colorization technology, in which the color is actually sealed on the coin. The intricate detail, smooth gradients, and extreme precision of the technology create a stunning look on each coin.

Click here for other great colored coins!

Purity Note

Canada 2013 Holiday Pond Skating $10 Silver Coin in box

The Royal Canadian Mint refines the purest silver in the world. This half ounce silver coin is 99.99% pure!

Click here for the more great pure silver coins!

Obverse

Families skate on a frozen pond, in front of a charming, idyllic rural scene. The date and denomination are also indicated.

Reverse

Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II of England, 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.

Click here more holiday coins featuring snowflakes!

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 Christmas Tree

Country	Canada
Year of Issue	2013

Face Value	10 Dollars
Weight	15.87 g
Diameter	34 mm
Mintage Limit	8,000

Finish	Proof with Color
Composition	.9999 Fine (Pure) Silver
Edge	Reeded (milled, serrated)

Artist	Rémi Clark
Certificate	Individually Numbered

Complete Certificate Text

Glide Across the Winter Pond

It may start with a hike through the woods from a rural road, or be a quick bus ride away in the heart of any Canadian city. For those who are very lucky, its just a short walk from home. Outdoor skating on a frozen pond: From Banff to Bonavista, from Windsor to Whitehorse, it is one of the most wondrous and affordable pastimes of the long Canadian winter.

Canadas frozen lakes and ponds have attracted skaters for thousands of years. First Nations people used the shinbones of caribou and other large mammals to traverse frozen waterways, making long, cold journeys a little shorter. In the early 17th century, French explorers and settlers continued the tradition using prototypical skates. By the 19th century, skating for fun and leisure had become a favourite way for Canadians to while away the winter months.

There is something magical about a bright winters day spent gliding across a frozen pond. Frigid air on ones face. The sense of adventure that comes from negotiating ice not shaped by human hands. Bundled against the elements, skates firmly tied, family and friends skate hand-in-hand, together round and round the pond. Though they glide across the winter pond together, the thrill is each persons alone.

Click here for more holiday coins and gift sets!