1303) "Franklin's Lost Expedition", Canada: 175th Anniversary of the unsuccessful voyage for the discovery of the North-west passage in the Arctic resulting in the loss of both ships - HMS Erebus & HMS Terror: Year of Coin issue: 2020:
The Royal Canadian Mint has issued a new Silver Proof "mega-coin" which features an "ice-edge" rim, highlighting Franklin's lost expedition - which was one of history's greatest mysteries, until recently, when the two wrecks of the lost expedition were discovered.
The Obverse and Reverse of the $50 (Canadian Dollars) Silver Proof Coin with an ice-edge rim placed together
The lost Franklin Exploration/Expedition Ships mystery:
In 05/1845, John Franklin's expedition began in England when two ships - the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror sailed from Greenhithe to what is now the territory of Nunavut in Northern Canada. Franklin was a British Royal Navy officer and explorer of the Arctic. He had earlier made 3 unsuccessful attempts to find the Northwest Passage.
By the standards of that day, both ships were powerful and luxurious, with heating systems and vast supplies of preserved foods. However, the exact circumstances of the loss of the two ships remains a mystery to this day. Franklin's expedition ended in tragedy for him and his men and is chronicled as the worst disaster in the history of British polar exploration.
An artist's rendition of the fate that may have befallen the ships and crew members of Franklin's Lost Expedition
The search expeditions:
Since 1848, more than 90 different search expeditions have attempted to find Franklin's lost expedition or evidence of its fate. The only written record is a single sheet of Admiralty paper found in a stone cairn in 1859.
Handwritten notes indicated that the two ships had been locked in ice for 19 months before being abandoned on 22.04.1848, when the survivors moved onto King William Island and tried to reach the mainland.
The wrecks of HMS Erebus and HMS Franklin finally found:
John Franklin's lost expedition was one of the greatest sea-disaster mysteries and, until recently, it seemed fated to remain unsolved.
In 2008, Parks Canada's Underwater Archaeology Team (UAT) and partners embarked on a new annual search for the lost ships using underwater technology combined with Inuit traditional knowledge ("Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit"), archaeologists recently discovered two key pieces of the story that may yield more answers - Franklin's lost ships, including the one shown on this coin.
On 01.09.2014, a helicopter team uncovered two objects that shifted the focus to the shallow waters of Wilmot and Crampton Bay, where HMS Erebus was discovered the next day.
In 2016, HMS Terror was discovered nearly 100 kilometres South of the point where she was thought to have been crushed by ice. A resident of Gjoa Haven reported seeing a tall piece of wood rising up through the ice. Based on this account, a research vessel detoured to Terror Bay, where HMS Terror was discovered resting on the sea floor.
The Coin:
The Coin pays a tribute to Franklin's Lost expedition. The scene of the coin captures the bravery and sacrifices that are a part of the history of Arctic exploration that mapped the Canadian Arctic.
The Reverse of the $50 (Canadian Dollars) Silver Proof Coin features an artist's rendition of the doomed Franklin expedition (1845-1848). The coin's corrugated edge resembles jagged ice, which has the HMS Terror firmly in its grasp.
In a desperate attempt to survive, the surviving crew and officers are seen abandoning the ship - with one group in the distance hauling a lifeboat towards King William Island.
Several artistic elements have been added to the depiction, like - the Aurora Borealis appearing in the background, as the survivors abandon the ship. The extreme beauty of the Arctic landscape and its dangers have been minutely brought out on this face of the coin.
The inscriptions are - "CANADA" (on the upper periphery) and "2020" (on the lower periphery).
The Obverse of the $50 (50 Canadian Dollars) Silver Proof Coin shows an effigy of Queen Elizabeth II facing right.
The peripheral inscriptions are - "ELIZABETH II. D.G.REGINA, 50 DOLLARS" (meaning "Elizabeth II, By the Grace of God Queen").
The specifications of this Silver Proof Coin are:
Denomination: $50 Canadian Dollars; Metal Composition: .9999 Fineness Silver; Weight: 157.6 grams or 5.0 Oz; Diameter/Size: 68.81 mm; Coin Quality: Proof; Minted by: Royal Canadian Mint; Edge: interrupted serrations; Mintage: 750 pieces; Designers: (Reverse) Matt Bowen, (Obverse) Susanna Blunt; Year: 2020.
Remarks: The coin is encapsulated and presented in a Royal Canadian Mint branded maroon clamshell, with a black beauty box. The Presentation comes with a Certificate of Authenticity (COA).
For other interesting posts on the Coins and Banknotes of Canada, please visit the following links:
21) Northern Lights over Parliament Hill, Canada, revealed through Black Light Technology: A 20 Dollars Silver, Proof Coin with applied colour issued by the Royal Canadian Mint (RCM) on 06.08.2019
22) Centennial Flame Monument on Parliament Hill, Canada: A Double Crown Sized Silver 50 Dollars Coin issued by the Royal Canadian Mint: Coin issue date: 2019
23) "Canadian Horse", Canada: Royal Mint Canada issues a 20 Dollars Gold and Black Rhodium plated Silver Proof Coin: Year of issue marked as 2020:
24) Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice: A $20 (Twenty Canadian Dollars) Silver Coin issued by the Royal Canadian Mint: Coin issue date/year: 2016
25) Red Maple Coin, Canada: "Maple Leaf Annual Coin Series" from the Royal Canadian Mint (RAM): A $10 (10 Dollars) Silver coin issued in 2019
26) "Canadian Fun and festivities" Coin series, Canada: This 3 Dollars Silver Coin, minted by the Royal Canadian Mint, features bringing home a Christmas "Cut-your-own-Tree" from the Wild:
27) Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Canada: Centenary Anniversary (1920-2020): Silver Piedfort Bullion 10 Dollar Coins commemorate the milestone
28) "Franklin's Lost Expedition", Canada: 175th Anniversary of the unsuccessful voyage for the discovery of the North-west passage in the Arctic resulting in the loss of both ships - HMS Erebus & HMS Franklin: Year of Coin issue: 2020
22) Centennial Flame Monument on Parliament Hill, Canada: A Double Crown Sized Silver 50 Dollars Coin issued by the Royal Canadian Mint: Coin issue date: 2019
23) "Canadian Horse", Canada: Royal Mint Canada issues a 20 Dollars Gold and Black Rhodium plated Silver Proof Coin: Year of issue marked as 2020:
24) Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice: A $20 (Twenty Canadian Dollars) Silver Coin issued by the Royal Canadian Mint: Coin issue date/year: 2016
25) Red Maple Coin, Canada: "Maple Leaf Annual Coin Series" from the Royal Canadian Mint (RAM): A $10 (10 Dollars) Silver coin issued in 2019
26) "Canadian Fun and festivities" Coin series, Canada: This 3 Dollars Silver Coin, minted by the Royal Canadian Mint, features bringing home a Christmas "Cut-your-own-Tree" from the Wild:
27) Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Canada: Centenary Anniversary (1920-2020): Silver Piedfort Bullion 10 Dollar Coins commemorate the milestone
28) "Franklin's Lost Expedition", Canada: 175th Anniversary of the unsuccessful voyage for the discovery of the North-west passage in the Arctic resulting in the loss of both ships - HMS Erebus & HMS Franklin: Year of Coin issue: 2020
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DeleteAshok Borate has commented:
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