May 8, 1945: After years of wartime sacrifices, the first opportunity to celebrate peace had finally come. News of the war’s end in Europe unleashed a wave of joy and relief that swept over both sides of the Atlantic, spilling into countries that Canada had helped liberate.

“What a celebration! People were cheering, some were standing numb, some were hugging, tears coming down their faces and people crying. Thewar was over!”
Clarence Mitchell, Royal Canadian Navy

Introducing the 2020 75th Anniversary of Victory in Europe (V-E) Day collection.

Our 2020 75th Anniversary of Victory in Europe (V-E) Day collection is the multi-part story of Canada in 1945—a story of wartime contributions and a peacetime legacy. It begins on the 2020 Proof Dollar, where the design strikes a balance between celebration and remembrance and sets the tone for coins to come. Our own past is present, with the 1945 Victory nickel servingas the inspiration for design elements that are thehallmarks of this collection—from the Victory privymark to the holographic decal on each beauty box. This is our way of paying tribute to all who contributed to the fight for freedom, wherever Canada was needed.

Inspired by the 1945 Victory nickel, a large “V” for Victory dominates your 2020 Proof Silver Dollar. Order today.

• OUR FLAGSHIP PRODUCT SETS THE TONE: Our flagship product sets thetone for a yearlong commemoration of a major anniversary in 2020: the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe.
• THE END IS THE BEGINNING: Your proof dollar is the starting point for a historical journey that spans several coins in 2020. It is the story of Canada leading up to V-E Day, of a nation’s contributions and its reaction to the endof the Second World War in Europe.
• WE CELEBRATE THE END OF THE WARIN EUROPE: We remember the fallen. Every branch of the Canadian Armed Forces is represented in the three silhouettes on this coin.
• NEVER BEEN DONE BEFORE: A new engraving technique made it possible to fade out the crowd at the top without impacting the silhouettes in the bottom portion.
• A VICTORY PRIVY MARK: Every coin in our 2020 V-E Day collection—including your Proof Dollar—features a special privy mark that was inspired by the 1945 Victory nickel. An updated version ofthe historic 5-cent coin is available as part of the 2020 Proof Dollar Set , which includes a selectively gold-plated version of this proof dollar.
• ANOTHER NOD TO OUR HISTORY: Canada’s Victory nickel also inspired the “V” seen on this coin’s reverse.
• INCLUDES HOLOGRAPHIC V-E DAY DECAL: A holographic V-E Day decal extends the celebration beyond the coin and onto the beauty box. This logois the hallmark of our 2020 V-E Day collection.
• HISTORIC OBVERSE: Another collection-wide feature is the obverse design, which features the effigy of the reigning monarch in 1945.
• INCLUDES SERIALIZED CERTIFICATE: The Royal Canadian Mint certifies all of its collector coins.
• LIMITED MINTAGE: Only 25,000 coins are available worldwide.
• 99.99% PURE SILVER COIN: Your coin has been expertly crafted in 99.99% pure silver with a proof finish that accentuates every detailto stunning effect. In addition, your coin has no GST/HST.

“Victory in Europe Day was the start a period of rebirth for Europe, as the Nazi yoke of oppression had finally been lifted and many people were looking forward to better times. Canada played a major role in that victory, which came at a cost of 45,000 killed with many thousands more wounded. We had established ourselves as not only determined warriors but compassionate victors who could look back withpride at our defence of Britain and liberation of Sicily, Italy, France, Belgium and The Netherlands. At the same time, we were willing to work with our defeated adversaries to help build a better Europe. This legacy lives on not only in the faces of our ageing wartime Veterans but also in the peaceful and prosperous Europe we as a nation helped establish.”
Ed Storey, CD (CME Retired): Expert

Inspired by the 1945 Victory nickel, a large “V” for Victory dominates the reverse design by artist Pandora Young. The crowd represents jubilation on the home front on May 8, 1945, a day when Canadians poured into streets and public places to celebrate Victory in Europe (V-E) Day. The spontaneous celebration gradually fades behind the “V” to become a scene of remembrance, with three silhouettes representing the different branches (navy, army and air force) of the Canadian and British Armed Forces in which Canadians and Newfoundlanders served. The obverse features the effigy of King George VI by T. H. Paget and a Victory privy mark.

“I was moved by the opportunity to commend all who supported, hoped, sacrificed and finally celebrated on the home front between 1939 and 1945—especially since there are fewer opportunities to commemorate the roles women and children played in Canada’s war effort. While designing this coin, I studied scenes ofV-E Day celebrations in Canada and other Allied countries, and strove to recapture some of that exuberance and joy!” Pandora Young:Artist

“There’s no real way to fade out a design so I had tocreate a raised surface or plateau that was about 50 microns higher than the field— any higher risked interfering with the strike. This is something we’ve never done before but it gave us the right volume ofmaterial to achieve a sharp impression on the bottom half of the coin.” Alex Tirabasso, Engraver

• Dressed in her Women’s Auxiliary Territorial Services uniform, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (then Princess Elizabeth) was secretly among the crowd that celebrated V-E Day outside Buckingham Palace in London.
• V-E Day marks the end of the war in Europe but not the end of the Second World War. War continued in the Pacific until Imperial Japan’s surrender on August 15, 1945, also known as Victory Over Japan (V-J) Day.Canada played a limited role in the Pacific but waspreparing to transfer a large force from Europe when the war ended.
• V-E Day celebrations had a false start on April 28 when rumours ofGermany’s surrender proved to be premature. While May 8 was officially designated V-E Day (and a publicholiday), some Canadians began celebrating on May 7, the day the surrender agreement was signed in Reims, France.
• Between 1939 and 1945, more than a million Canadians and Newfoundlanders served in the Second World War. Over 45,000 lost their lives while 55,000 more were wounded. The war touched every aspect of life in Canada and shaped who we are today.

Your coin is encapsulated and presented in a Royal Canadian Mint-branded clamshell with a black beauty box.

Order today.