- Country:Canada
- Collection:Silver Commemorative $20
- Metal:Silver
- Year:2017
- Denomination:$20
- Finish:Complete
- Weight (oz):1.02
- Purity:0.9999
- Mintage:5500
- Product type:Coin
In a time that predates the dinosaurs, roughly 500million years ago, marine invertebrates were the most abundant life forms on Earth. Early arthropods known as trilobites thrived in the ancient seas thatcovered our planet during the Cambrian Period. Today, their remains are the object of study and fascination-particularly those of the Mount Stephen Trilobite Beds, in British Columbia's YohoNational Park, where "stone bugs" such as Ogygopsis provide a glimpse of life in Ancient Canada!
Arrives beautifully packaged in a ready-to-display floating frame! Order today!
Special features:
MADE LIKE AN ANCIENT ROMAN COIN! Using an old coin-making technique, your coin does not have a rim; instead, the 99.99% pure silver was allowed to spill beyond a traditional round shape to give your coin a slightly irregular shape-just like an ancient Roman coin!
TRULY UNIQUE! Due to its irregular shape, your coin may be larger and flatter but will always have a minimum diameter of 38 mm! Each coin will vary, which makes your coin truly unique!
ATTENTION TO HISTORICAL ACCURACY! Verified by Alberta's Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology, your coin uses precision engraving to recreate the fossil remains and the textured appearance of sandstone-much like the rock in which the original fossil was found!
ANTIQUE FINISH APPLIED! To enhance the detailed engraving of the fossil and its sandstone-like surroundings, a stunning patina finish has been applied to your coin. This gives your coin an antiqued appearance that reflects the series' historical theme!
NO PLASTIC CAPSULE FOR A VISUALLY TACTILE EXPERIENCE! Since your coin's irregular shape does not fit in a typical plastic capsule, your coin instead is packaged in a ready-to-display floating frame! Measuring 80 mm x 80 mm x 34 mm,this framed presentation makes for one-of-a-kind wall art and a sure conversation piece-it will seem like the fossil is embedded in your wall!
SEALED IN LACQUER! Your coin's antique finish is sealed in lacquer, which should minimize the appearance of fingerprints if the coin is accidentally removed from its frame.
PREHISTORIC-LOOKING FONT! A fun font with a prehistoric appearance was used on both sides of your coin to give an overall aged appearance!
INCLUDES SERIALIZED CERTIFICATE! The Royal Canadian Mint certifies allof its collector coins. Most of these are serialized certifications, meaning that each certificate is given a unique number, starting at 1.
VERY LOW MINTAGE: Only 5,500 coins will be made available worldwide. Hurry and order yours today before they are all gone!
ONE-OUNCE 99.99% PURE SILVER COIN! Your coin has no GST/HST!
Design:
Your coin's 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. The rimless coin's unusual contour is the resultof an old coin-minting technique that allows the fine silver to spill out and form an irregular shape, much like an ancient Roman coin. Further bridging the past with the present, a combination of cutting-edge technology and finishing techniques re-createthe articulated dorsal exoskeleton of a young Ogygopsis klotzi-specifically, that of a presumed moult. The precision-engraved depiction of these fossils has added shine next to the textured appearance of its rock-like encasement. A patina finish gives the entire design an ancient look and feel, which is enhanced by the use of a prehistoric-looking font on both the reverse and obverse. The obverse features the effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Susanna Blunt.
Did you knowÃ
Ogygopsis klotzi is by far the most abundant species in the Mount Stephen Trilobite Beds-so much so that fossilized specimensare now part of museum collections around the world! Surprisingly, Ogygopsis klotzi is rarely found in the Cambrian rocks elsewhere in North America; nonetheless, it remains one of themost frequently illustrated trilobites, and is easyto recognize thanks to the smooth, oval-shaped exoskeleton, its crescent-shaped cephalon (head), and its segmented thorax.
The specimen on your coin is a near life-sized depiction ofa young individual, but adult Ogygopsis can measure up to 13 centimetres long. Like today's lobsters and crabs, Ogygopsis underwent successive moults as it matured: shedding its existing exoskeleton, the soft-bodied arthropod would seek shelter until its new exoskeleton had grown in and hardened. Evidence suggests it wasn't a predator-certainly not like the fearsomely clawed Anomalocariscanadensis! Instead, Ogygopsis likely moved along the seabed in searchof particles of organic matter that have fallen to the bottom of the ocean.
