229720
232884
BC  

Renowned BC artist designs pure gold coin for Canadian Mint

BC artist designs $200 coin

Whatever the future has in store for Kwakiutl artist Richard Hunt, the world-renowned Victoria carver and painter will always have at least $200 close at hand, thanks to a recent ­commission.

As part of the compensation for his design for a new $200 pure gold coin, worth nearly $4,200, Hunt was given one of the 500 coins produced by the Royal Canadian Mint.

“I told them it might be nice for the artist to have one of them, and they agreed,” he said with a laugh.

The coin, weighing in at just over 31 grams and released for sale this week, features a shining sun surrounded by two engraved pairs of bighorn sheep across its 30-millimetre surface. Two of the sheep are enhanced with brightly coloured backgrounds, while two others have been finished in gold.

The coin also sports a ring of mountain peaks that frame the battling sheep. The sheep also feature the eagle crest representing Hunt’s home village of Fort Rupert and the raven crest of his father, Henry Hunt, on their hooves.

The flip side of the 99.99 per cent gold coin is a picture of the Queen.

It’s the fourth coin Hunt has designed for the mint. “They saw my website years ago and said they liked my work and wanted to work with me,” he said. “It’s really nice to see your work on a coin.

“I was honoured they liked my work.”

His first, in 2005, showed two native groups coming together, while a second one he designed in 2012 to mark the 25th anniversary of the loonie featured two loons kissing.

In 2015, Hunt designed a $10 silver coin with a mother eagle giving a minnow to her eaglet, while the father flies toward them carrying a salmon.

Hunt said in his experience it won’t be long before the coins are worth more than their $4,199.95 sticker price (they’re available online at mint.ca).



More BC News

233021