Gold Coin New France 2020 Proof

Early Canadian History: New France

An exclusive gold coin issued by the Royal Canadian Mint in 2020 in premium proof quality of the purest 99.99% gold is dedicated to early Canadian history.

This is the third coin in the series, chronicling the events and personalities that shaped Canada into what we know today. The series includes the previously released First Nations (2018 issue) and Arrival of the Europeans (2019 issue) coins.

On the reverse of the coin, Canadian artist Alan Daniel has created a stunning visual narrative of the epic task faced by Louis Hébert, considered Canada's first pharmacist and New France's first European farmer. Hébert is depicted with his family clearing the remains of an old forest and preparing the site for a new garden at the settlement founded by Samuel de Champlain. While Hébert picks up an axe to cut through the roots of a stump, his two children help him with a crowbar. From the river, Hébert's wife and youngest child come to them with water. The appearance of the settlement in the background is based on the historical records of "Champlain's Habitation" from 1608. The coin also bears the inscriptions "CANADA", the face value "200 DOLLARS", the year of issue "2020" and the initials of the artist "AD".
In the early 17th century, the first colonies of New France began to appear in what is now Canada. After Europeans shifted their focus from fishing to the fur trade, the need for permanent and fortified settlements arose. A variety of skills were needed to provide services and products to sustain the community. When Samuel de Champlain began to build his settlement in present-day Quebec, he acquired in one man the two professions needed. That man was Louis Hébert, a pharmacist and farmer who also performed the work of a physician and surgeon in the colony. To make the settlement self-sufficient, Hébert agreed to grow crops on donated land. He thus became the first European in New France to make a living by farming. He was rewarded for his work by being granted the fief of "Sault-au-Matelot", the first estate under the "Seigneur" system of New France. Until his death, he served as the King's Counsel in "Champlain".

The obverse shows a traditional portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Susanne Blunt with the inscriptions 'ELIZABETH II' and 'D G REGINA'.

The coin comes in a burgundy leatherette box along with a numbered certificate of authenticity in a limited edition of only 1,000 pieces for the entire world!