CANADA
2020
Floral Emblems of Canada - Quebec Blue Flag Iris
$3 Fine Silver Coin
Specifications:
RCM Number: 177345
Face Value: 3 dollars
Mintage: 4,000
Composition: 99.99% pure silver
Weight: 7.96 g
Diameter: 27 mm
Edge: Serrated
Finish: Reverse Proof
Artist: Lisa Thomson-Khan (reverse), Susanna Blunt (obverse)
This Quebec Blue Flag Iris $3 fine silver coin is the second in a 13 coin series that features the floral emblems of Canada. While Iris versicolor can be found in marshes and along shorelines in central and eastern Canada, it has special meaning in the province of Quebec. This violet-blue wildflower is synonymous with wetlands, rivers and lakes in La belle province, where the provincial emblem blooms between late May and early July
Quebec was one of the first four Canadian provinces established by the British North America Act `’Confederation’’ in 1867. This coin’s reverse features a colourful depiction of the blue flag iris, which gained official status as the floral emblem of Quebec in 1999
The reverse design by Canadian artist Lisa Thomson-Khan features a stylized floral pattern on the outer ring, while the inner core features a colour portrait of the official floral emblem of Quebec, the blue flag iris (Iris versicolor). The obverse features the effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Susanna Blunt.