This special issue collector set features numismatic uncirculated examples of all six denominations of Canadian coins, including a coloured glow in the dark large format half dollar coin. All the coins are set into a maple leaf shaped display holder, with the half dollar coin featured prominently in the center of a red maple leaf. Denominations include the 5 cent, 10 cent, 25 cent, Special issue glow-in-the-dark 50 cent, Loon Style dollar, and 2 dollar coins.
The Design:
On the 50-cent coin, the reverse image by Steve McPhee features the red-and-white flag of Canada, which is superimposed over all of Canada on an outline map. An engraved line highlights the International Boundary known as the 49th parallel, which marks its bicentennial in 2018. In the dark, glow-in-the-dark technology lights up the whole map, along with the latitude and longitude lines. The reverse includes the engraved word “CANADA” and the commemorative dates “1818–2018”. The obverse features the effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Susanna Blunt.
The 49th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 49° north of Earth's equator. It crosses Europe, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America, and the Atlantic Ocean. Roughly 3,500 kilometres (2,175 mi) of the Canada–United States border was designated to follow the 49th parallel from British Columbia to Manitoba on the Canada side, and from Washington to Minnesota on the U.S. side, more specifically from the Strait of Georgia to the Lake of the Woods. This international border was specified in the Anglo-American Convention of 1818 and the Oregon Treaty of 1846.