This five-kilogram masterpiece brings you one of the greatest works from the Pacific Northwest: the argillite chest by Charles Edenshaw (1839–1924), a renowned artist and pivotal guardian of Haida culture. Our master engravers have combined exceptional relief with multiple finishes to recreate the central figure in the original carving—alion's face with human features and the unique formlines that distinguish Haida art from all others.

This masterpiece will be the talk of your collectionfor years to come! Order yours today!

• A MINT FIRST! Includes a stunning collector case that is a Royal Canadian Mint first! The coin itself is housed in the Royal Canadian Mint's first circular capsule. The gorgeous burled-wood case, which bears the Royal Canadian Mint logo and wordmark, has been designed to highlight and display theexquisite artistry of the coin in the way you choose. You can display your coin inside its case—a round acrylic window in the lid is sized to the coin's dimensions. Or you can choose to display the coin in a custom frame that is included in the case. The 8x8-inch coin certificate is housed just below the display compartment in a special spring-loaded drawer. The entire interior is lined in velvet-like black flocking. The case is protected with a unique custom set-up box and is delivered in a Canadian-made Nanuk™ protective shipping case.
• BASED ON ART FROM 1882! Your coin's design was based on one of Edenshaw's carved argillite boxes, and highlights a unique lion figure from an Edenshaw piece dating to 1882 and now held in the collection of the Museum of Vancouver.
• 180-MILLIMETRE SURFACE DIAMETER! The precisely executed, flowingforms of Edenshaw's work make a fitting subject for this 5-kilogram coin. Its 180-millimetre surface diameter offers an ideal canvas upon which to capture the style and detail of Edenshaw's carving.
• A COLLABORATION WITH HAIDA ARTIST JAMES HART! The Royal Canadian Mint collaborated with renowned Haida artist James Hart on the design. A celebrated artist with works in galleries and museums around the world, Hart is also Charles Edenshaw's great-great-grandson and holds Edenshaw's hereditary title as Chief of the Eagle moiety. Hart is frequently commissioned to consult on the restoration and installation of Haida artefacts and to create original artworks for institutions and private collectors. His monumental work, The Dance Screen (The Scream Too), was featured on the Royal CanadianMint's 2015 500-Dollar Silver 5-KilogramCoin.
• FASHIONED FROM A SINGLE POUR OF PURE MOLTEN SILVER! Each of the 100 coins in this mintage was carefully fashioned from a single pour of pure molten silver. The design was painstakingly created to the finest detail. Production of the dies alone, from a state-of-the-art three-dimensional digital modelof the carving, took approximately four weekswith up to four engravers working simultaneously. This process was followed by about 200 hours onthe milling machine to engrave the die, then four weeks of hand polishing and texturing before the die was ready to be used to strike each coinup to eight times.
• 5 KILOGRAMS 99.99% PURE SILVER COIN! Your coin has no GST/HST!
• FIFTH OF ITS KIND! This coin is only the fifth of its kind produced by the Royal Canadian Mint.
• LOW MINTAGE: Only 100 coins will be made worldwide.

Your coin features a detailed interpretation by Royal Canadian Mint engravers, in consultation with Haida artist James Hart, of the 1882 Charles Edenshaw argillite box commissioned by Dr. Israel Wood Powell. The image centres on the central figure of the box: a lion with human hair and a humanistic nose and chin. Two human-like hands flank the face, which is encircled as though emerging from a cave. The background features flowing and organic ovoids, u-forms, and other key Haida forms as well as detailed negative space cross-hatching—all characteristic of Edenshaw's work. The reverse is engraved with the word “CANADA” and the date “2016.” The obverse features the coin's face value of “500 DOLLARS” as well as the weight and purity indicators “5 kg 9999” and the effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Susanna Blunt.

Tahayren: The Man Who Became Charles Edenshaw

Called Tahayren, the man who came to be known as Charles Edenshaw was born at Skidegate in British Columbia's Haida Gwaii in 1839. In 1885, he became Chief Eda'nsa of the Eagle moiety. He and his wife,K'woiyang, were baptisedthat year and given the European names Charles and Isabella Edenshaw.

Edenshaw became one of the Haida's most important cultural guardians at a time when the Haida people underwent immense challenges to their way of life—including the near-decimation of their population by smallpox in the 1860s. His devotion to Haida oral history and visual language helped to preserve theculture. Beyond creating some of the finest examples of Haida sculpture, Edenshaw assisted the researchers of his day in understanding Haida figures and stories. By the 1890s, he was known among collectors and anthropologists as the Haida's greatest living carver and was being commissioned by museums to create original works and models of Haida monumental pieces, such as totem poles, to preserve theseartefacts before they disappeared.

Charles Edenshaw's passion for and devotion to both his craft and the ways of his people continued to resonate long after his passing. He becamean inspiration to the generations of Haida artiststhat followed—including some of today's most well-known artists of the West Coast, suchas James Hart, Bill Reid, and Robert Davidson.

Artistry in Argillite

Argillite is a rare product of the geology of Canada's northwest coast. Found only in the Haida Gwaii, it is a form of extremely solidified clay. Because it is made of very fine, highly compacted particles, it does not share most shale's tendency to split and chip—making it exceptionally well suited to carving. Though Haida carvers had long worked with this unique slate, its popularity among European customers transformed it into an important commodity in the nineteenth century.

Now held in the collection of the Museum of Vancouver,the argillite box from which this coin design was developed was originally created by Charles Edenshawand purchased by Israel Wood Powell, a businessman, doctor, and Superintendent of Indian Affairs for British Columbia (1872 to 1889), who was also an avid collector of the artefacts of the Haida and Tsimshian.  Mr. Powell commissioned this box, along with one other, to give to Queen Victoria's daughter, Princess Louise, when she visited Victoria, British Columbia in 1882. The lion that appears on the box, along with the two boar heads at either end, are elements of the coat of arms of PrincessLouise's husband, the Duke of Argyll. In the end, this box was not given to the princess but to Dr. Powell's wife.

Includes a stunning collector case that is aRoyal Canadian Mint first! Your coin itself is housed in the Royal Canadian Mint's first circular capsule. The gorgeous burled-wood case, which bears the Royal Canadian Mint logo and wordmark, has been designed to highlight and display the exquisite artistry of the coin in the way you choose. You can display your coin inside its case—a roundacrylic window in the lid is sized to the coin's dimensions. Or you can choose to display the coin in a custom frame that is included in the case. The 8x8-inch coin certificate is housed just below the display compartment in a special spring-loaded drawer. The entire interior is lined in velvet-like black flocking. The case is protected with a unique custom set-up box and is delivered in a Canadian-made Nanuk™ protective shipping case.

Order your coin today!