Vancouver 2010 Winter Games Commemorative Coin Collection

Art and coins come together in the launch of a series of commemorative coins for the 2010 Winter Games.

Beginning in February and spanning the period up until Games time, the Royal Canadian Mint will unveil an extensive Olympic and Paralympic-related coin collection. With expressive designs created by Canadian artists, these coins offer an opportunity to relive the Games for years to come.

The first modern Olympic-themed coins were struck to commemorate the 1952 Olympic Summer Games in Helsinki, Finland. Since that time, coins have been produced by the mints of the Games host countries and are an integral part of Olympic culture, history and art.

Over the next three years, 17 coins will be put into circulation encompassing the most extensive Olympic Games circulation coin program ever undertaken by a Mint: from two commemorative Lucky Loonies to 25-cent winter sport-themed coins to a unique series offering Canadians the opportunity to vote on the athletes featured in its design.

“Taking into account the subject and the sport as well as who the audience is, is integral to the designing of coins,” says commemorative coin designer Steve Hepburn of Richmond, BC. “It’s important to convey a sense of what makes that sport special or different from others, and to make it visually appealing while remaining true to the sport and its intricacies.”

Numismatic, or collector coins, are detailed works of art worth far more than their face value and are sought by collectors as commemorative treasures and gifts.

“The audience for collector coins is more specific than that for circulation coins,” says Hepburn. “When designing collector coins, there is more artistic freedom and room to be less conventional.”

Included in the limited mintage collection are sterling silver holographic coins, premium gold coins, and pure gold one-kilogram coins sure to satisfy the most ardent collector.

When designing collector coins Hepburn says “size and readability is a challenge. I worked on designs many times larger than the final product to ensure clean, crisp lines with good proportions. It’s very important to remove unnecessary details and information to make a strong-reading design at its final size.”

One of the design challenges Hepburn says is, “What looks good at 8 feet across may be a jumbled, unrecognizable mess when reduced to one inch. It’s important to involve the viewer when designing coins and to make them as interesting as possible by using perspective, angles and foreshortening.”

“I love sports,” says Hepburn. “When the Mint called, I was thrilled to be part of the project. I consider myself quite patriotic so the Olympic Games carry great importance to me. They’re always exciting and with them being in my backyard in 2010, it’ll be a year to remember. Go Canada, Go!”

Canadians can purchase the commemorative coins through the Royal Canadian Mint’s website. Circulation coins are available at RBC Financial Group and participating Petro-Canada locations. Canadians can also look for these coins in their change – the first coin, curling, will begin circulating on February 23.