Last Updated on February 16, 2023 Posted by Colonial Acres Coins
Valentine’s Day is a celebration of love. Most people take the occasion to celebrate romantic love, but there are so many other forms of love that are all equally worthy of celebration: the bond between parents and children, brothers and sisters, extended family members, and friends. The Royal Canadian Mint is releasing new commemorative Canadian coins in 2023 that celebrate love in all its forms. The selectively gold-plated, 99.99% fine silver, $20 Celebrate Love coin would make an excellent gift for someone who is close to you and to whom you would like to demonstrate your love and undying loyalty.
Here is an in-depth look at elements of the coin’s design and why they are significant.
Jasmine Bouquet
In the background of the coin’s reverse image is a bouquet of jasmine flowers. Jasmines are believed to originate in Asia near the region of the Himalayas. Through trade, they spread to other parts of Asia, Africa, Oceania, and eventually to Europe. They need a mild climate to grow, but it is possible to cultivate them in greenhouses.
Jasmine consists of small, delicate-appearing blooms that belie a strong, sweet fragrance. In many cultures, they symbolize beauty, love, and sensuality. They also have associations with purity and innocence.
While most jasmine flowers are white, they can also come in several other colours. As with roses, there is a different symbolic meaning associated with each colour variation of jasmine:
- Blue: Trust and honesty
- Pink: Affection; new love
- Purple: Inspiration
- Red: Passion
- White: Respect or high esteem; also innocence
- Yellow: Friendship, happiness, or optimism
In the coin design, the jasmine flowers are not coloured, meaning that you and the person you give the coin to have the latitude to interpret its symbolism in the way that is most appropriate for your relationship.
Infinity Heart
In the foreground of the coin, emphasized by its yellow gold plating, is the image of a ribbon that has been twisted into a heart shape intertwined with the sideways figure eight that represents infinity. There are no visible ends to the ribbon, and that’s the point. The heart shape has been used to represent love since at least the Middle Ages, and the infinity symbol was invented in the mid-17th century to represent a mathematical concept but came to represent infinity in a metaphysical sense as well. Together, the two symbols represent a love that is boundless, unlimited, and everlasting.
When you buy this coin from a Canadian coin shop and give it to someone you are close to, whether a family member, friend, or significant other, you say that your affection for that person is immeasurable and eternal, transcending death, distance, and other human limitations.
Other Features
The infinity heart is not the only part of the coin that is plated with gold. The outer ridge is also plated, as is the effigy of Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse. To mark Her Majesty’s recent passing and the years that she spent as Canada’s monarch, the obverse features a small notation of her dates of accession to the throne and death, separated by four small “pearls,” markings that represent each of the four effigies of Queen Elizabeth that graced Canadian coins during her long reign.
Collecting Canadian Coins
There are many keepsakes that can make appropriate presents for people you love, but several specific reasons to buy Canadian coins as a gift. Each coin comes marked with the year of its mintage, meaning that you can use it to mark a special occasion, such as a wedding or the birth of a baby. Furthermore, coins are made to last a very long time, so the gift you give today could become an heirloom passed down to future generations.