Manitoba’s 150th celebrated in silver

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This article was published 12/05/2021 (1753 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA — Manitobans can soon take their provincial pride to the bank, with a new commemorative coin to mark the province’s 150th anniversary.

The silver coin announced today features a hearty prairie crocus, an apt sign for a province persevering through a pandemic that delayed the release of the coin by a year.

Face value of the coin, bearing the words “Manitoba: 1870-2020” is $30.

But it retails for $199.95, for the 2,500 coin collectors with some extra cash on hand.

The Royal Canadian Mint was to launch the coin last spring, partially in recognition of the institution’s Winnipeg plant, which has issued every circulating Canadian coin since 1976.

The 63-gram coin spans five centimetres, and features the same design used on a 1970 Centennial nickel dollar, which was about half the size.

That coin holds special significance to Tracey Heminger, a retail supervisor at the Winnipeg mint.

“I have fond memories of my grandfather sharing his passion for coins with me as a little girl. He had a few 1970 Manitoba Centennial dollars in his collection, so I recognized this image right away,” she wrote.

“Coins have this way of connecting us to share memories.”

Just like the older coin, the one released today includes a 1964 effigy of a much younger Queen Elizabeth — but that image is surrounded by the heart logo used by the Manitoba 150 host committee.

The committee’s co-chairs say the crocus design has taken on a new significance.

“The prairie crocus is particularly meaningful in these challenging times,” wrote Monique LaCoste and Stuart Murray, in a statement.

“Just as the crocus bursts through the soil each year after a typical Prairie winter, to thrive and bring the promise of a new day, so, too, will Manitoba face the future with hope, resilience, and a spark of joy.”

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca