A little over 500 million years ago, the Burgess Shale region of the Rocky Mountains was at the bottom of the ocean, and long since extinct creatures inhabited both the land and sea.  This 2018 $20 fine silver coin features a depiction of the fossilized remains of a Marrella. The Cambrian arthropod is the most abundant species found in Canada’s fossil-rich Burgess Shale, where hundreds of thousands of diverse specimens provide us with a fascinating window to ancient life.  To add to the realistic appearance of this coin, the Royal Canadian Mint has employed a “splash strike” technique, giving each coin a unique shape much like a true fossil. 

The coin weighs one ounce of pure silver, and has a limited mintage of just 5,500 coins.  As a pure silver coin struck by the Royal Canadian Mint, this item is HST/GST exempt.

The Design:

The reverse design is based on fossils curated at the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology in Drumheller, Alberta, and has been reviewed for scientific accuracy by palaeontologists at the Museum. It features a near life-sized reproduction of Marrella splendens, a marine arthropod from the Middle Cambrian period (505 million years ago), whose curving spines and wedge-shaped head are among its most distinguishing features. A carefully sculpted rock texture fills the field and surrounds the precision-engraved fossils, resulting in a more true-to-life rendering of the Marrella specimen recovered from the Burgess Shale Formation. While the rimless coin’s unique shape is the product of an old coin-making technique, the antiqued look of a patina finish adds to the design’s “ancient” look and feel, which extends to the prehistoric-looking font on the reverse and obverse. The obverse features the effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Susanna Blunt.

The coin comes ready-to-display in a floating frame.  Measuring 80 mm x 80 mm x 34 mm, this framed presentation makes for one-of-a-kind display art and collectible at the same time.