This 2011 $20 stunning coin captures the sparkle and allure of one of nature’s most transient beauties, freezing it in time for you to enjoy all year round. Mintage is 15,000 coins. HST/GST exempt.

The Design:

Delicate snowflakes reveal the infinite diversity of crystalline sculptures that fill the air during a snowfall.

Snowflakes:

We catch them on our tongue. We capture them in photos. We study them in laboratories. Ephemeral, they always escape into mystery. For millennia, scientists, poets, artists, and ecstatic children have marveled at snow crystals.

Today we understand at least some of their magic. Snowflakes begin their journey high in the atmosphere as tiny crystals of water vapor frozen around particles of matter. They are built molecule by molecule as they pass through cloud and sky, sculpted by the pressures of wind, moisture, temperature—and finally, perhaps, by the mittened hands of a gleeful child.

Because no two flakes follow exactly the same path, and for other reasons, the lore is true: no two snowflakes are exactly alike. Each is a work of art, its lifespan measured in moments as it grows, melts, and changes on its journey back to vapor.

While each crystal is unique, snow itself is bountiful: an average snowfall sees about a million snow crystals for every two square feet of ground covered in ten inches of snow. For part of the year, half of the Earth’s land and ten percent of its oceans are covered in these dazzling flakes.

Crafted with the greatest care and skill, this truly unique collectible coin is available across Canada—just like its namesake. But this snowflake will not change or fade; it is yours to keep forever.