The Mint’s second-ever coin with a genuine JADE gemstone depicts a mother polar bear, the Queen of the Arctic, with her two cubs, on this one troy ounce pure silver proof! In combining its renowned, meticulous and intricate engraving techniques with its technology, the Royal Canadian Mint has produced a marriage made in heaven. The highly-detailed engraving brings to life one of the Canadian Norths most iconic animals alongside others that are closely identified with the Arctic region. A celebration of a powerful creature in its natural environment, the design is enhanced by an unique jade gemstone that further highlights Canadas wealth of natural beauty through its resources. Tremendous investment potential here, as well as the meticulous, traditional engraving. Extraordinary applied technology for which the Royal Canadian Mint is known world-wide! Low mintage proof, complete with jade gemstone. Insert, minted on a full one troy ounce planchet of 99.99% pure silver. (the purest on the planet)! A true investment piece for the discriminating wildlife. Lover, savvy numismatic investor and/or bear aficionado! The ever popular polar bear, sculpted in precious jade and struck. Silver on the planet with a proof finish! The polar bear is highly endangered, as is this proof! We recommend quick action to get in on the ground floor now! A Highly Detailed, Original Work of Art. This touching scene by Canadian artist Cindy Deborah Sorley-Keichinger features a large and powerful polar bear in its natural Arctic. Environment in a way that tells the story of several of the Canadian Great White Norths animal resident endangered species. In the foreground, a jade polar bear and her two engraved cubs have made their way to the edge of the ice pack. The stunning jade insert naturally draws the focus to the mother bear, who has turned her attention away from her cubs to look to the horizon. Behind the cubs, two whales show their tales in the vast expanse of the largely ice-free waters – save for a few awe-inspiring icebergs in the background. The polar bears two cubs carry on, somewhat playfully; while the smaller cub rests, its sibling takes the opportunity to explore its surroundings. Coming nose-to-nose with a seal pup, the polar bear cubs curious glance is particularly poignant – neither cub nor pup fully grasp yet that as adults, they will be at odds in their roles as the hunter and the hunted in the polar chain of survival. The Quintessentially Canadian and American! For many North Americans, the profile of a polar bear. Is as recognizably Canadian as the shape of a maple leaf. Or the silhouette of a Canada goose. Canadas polar bears comprise more than half of the entire world’s population, since they live primarily in the coastal regions of the Arctic. Depending upon sea ice to hunt the ringed seal. The polar bears adaptations to its carnivorous lifestyle in the frozen north include a thick layer of subcutaneous fat, dense water-repellent fur the color of snow, fur on the bottoms of its paws for traction and warmth, sharp claws, and an elongated body and huge forepaws that make polar bears great swimmers. Please see the articles lower in this presentation for a more detailed natural history of the proud polar bear! Technology Note – Jade. For thousands of years, the beauty of jade has captivated people, from the ancient Chinese and to the pre-Columbian New World Indians to todays collectors and jewelry makers. Treasured by the Chinese who associate it with longevity, purity and the soul, jade has been used as a good luck and protection stone in the ancient art of Feng Shui, while in gemstone therapy, it is said to bring happiness and harmony while stimulating agility and creativity. The jade insert on this coin is Canadian nephrite jade that was mined in British Columbia, prized for its resilience and mirror-like finish once polished. By some accounts, Chinese settlers who were hunting for gold along British Columbia’s Fraser River and the Dewdney Trail were the first to identify jade deposits there in 1886. In the 1930s, European miners also found large boulders from the provinces gold mines. But it wouldn’t be until the mid-20th century that commercial mining of jade was established in B. Which has since become one of the worlds top jade producers! The Royal Canadian Mint refines the purest silver in the world. The RCM is also the only mint in the world to issue commemorative coins in a. This one troy ounce silver proof coin is 99.99% pure! In the foreground, a jade mother polar bear. And her two engraved cubs have made their way to the edge of the ice pack in their native Arctic environment. The traditional-style engraving has produced a magnificent work of beauty. The date and denomination are also indicated. Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. 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. REGINA (“Elizabeth II, Queen by the Grace of God”) also appears. 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. 9999 Fine (Pure) Silver. The Largest Terrestrial Carnivore – Endangered. Is a bear native largely within the Arctic. Circle encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is the world’s largest land carnivore and also the largest bear (together with the omnivorous Kodiak bear, which is approximately the same size). An adult male weighs between 770 and 1,500 pounds (350680 kg), while an adult female is about half that size. Although it is closely related to the brown bear, the polar bear has evolved to occupy a narrow ecological niche, with many body characteristics adapted for cold temperatures, for moving across snow, ice, and open water, and for hunting the seals which make up most of its diet. Although most polar bears are born on land, they spend most of their time at sea (hence their scientific name meaning “maritime bear”) and can hunt consistently only from sea ice, so they spend much of the year on the frozen sea. As of 2008, the World Conservation Union (IUCN) reports that the global population of polar bears. Is only 20,000 to 25,000, and is declining. In 2006, the IUCN upgraded the polar bear from a species of least concern to a vulnerable species. It cited a “suspected population reduction of great than 30% within three generations (45 years)”, due primarily to global warming. The IUCN also cited a “potential risk of over-harvest” through legal and illegal hunting. A little good news – on 15 May 2008, the United States listed the polar bear. As a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act and banned all importing of polar bear trophies. Importing products made from polar bears had been prohibited from 1972 to 1994 under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and restricted between 1994 and 2008. Under those restrictions, permits from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service were required to import sport-hunted polar bear trophies taken in hunting expeditions in Canada. The permit process required that the bear be taken from an area with quotas based on sound management principles. Since 1994, more than 800 sport-hunted polar bear trophies have been imported into the U. Unfortunately, Canada has not followed suite with a hunting ban. The territory of Nunavut. Accounts for 80% of Canadian kills. In 2005, the government of Nunavut increased the quota from 400 to 518 bears, despite protests from some scientific groups. In two areas where harvest levels have been increased based on increased sightings, science-based studies have indicated declining populations, and a third area is considered data-deficient. The Government of the Northwest Territories maintain their own quota of 72103 bears within the Inuvialuit communities of which some are set aside for sports hunters. The item “Canada 2015 Canadian Icons Polar Bear & Cubs $20 Silver Proof with Jade Insert” is in sale since Tuesday, May 12, 2015. This item is in the category “Coins & Paper Money\Coins\ Canada\Commemorative”. The seller is “talismancoins” and is located in Saint Louis, Missouri. This item can be shipped worldwide.

• Circulated/Uncirculated: Uncirculated
• Country/Region of Manufacture: Canada