BREACHING WHALE Three Dimensional 3D Silver Coin 20 Dollars Canada 2017

The reverse design by Canadian artist Matt Bowen features a three-dimensional depiction of a breaching humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) in all of its breathtaking splendour. Engraved in outstanding detail, the background depicts the waters off Canada's coastline, where a lighthouse can be found on the headland rocks in the distance. The surface of the ocean is itself filled with magnificent detail, alternating between soft waves and the smooth ripples caused by the whale's sudden emergence. But the star of the show is undeniably the whale itself: fashioned through a thermoforming process, the embossed whale stirs up foamy waves and a stream of ocean spray as it launches itself almost clear out of the water! Colour highlights the rough textural details along its tremendous pectoral fins, as well as the distinctive bumps on its head and neck. Throughout the reverse, light is cleverly conveyed by the coin's silver surface, which shines like sunlight on a bright summer day. The coin's obverse features the Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.