This One's For Numoosematist

@ NathASE, those are mouthwatering medallions the artwork is fabulous. I've bookmarked the site. I'd love a few of those beauties!

I'm glad you folks are enjoying my Moose coins and medallion.

Thanks Nathan for the link to the Alaska mint. They sure have some great looking stuff. I'll have to show this site to my wife...

And here's another Moose teaser from my collection:



And yes, it was a gift from my wife. How cool is that?

P.S. More Moose to follow...

The 2004 $5 Moose!! (...with some artistic rendition)

@ Pocket Change: Thanks! I'm glad you like the 2010 Vancouver Olympics Moose. He weighs 12 grams of 14 karat gold, with a diameter of 27 mm. The coin was designed by Alberta wildlife artist, Kerri Burnett. (Perhaps you know her?)

The mintage was supposed to be 8,000 but the coin was not popular and overpriced so only 4,075 were actually produced, (source 2009 RCM Annual Report).

I've been coolecting Moose themed coins and other Moose related "stuff" for about ten years.

@ Canadian Coins: I have two of the 2005 Moose coin and stamp set. The set came in a beautiful wooden box. I bought one from our local post office only to arrive home and discover that my incredible wife had purchased one there too!

@ VancouverIslandCoinKid: You're right that Moose populations have been suffering from tick attacks, but there is some good news. See here: http://www.natureworldnews.com/arti...estation.htm

However, the problem still persists in many areas and it really ticks me off!

Coming soon:

Hi Silveroid!

I actually have all four!

I plan to reveal them one at a time with a little write up to go with each.

Keep your antlers tuned in...

Okay folks I think I'd better get started before Pocket Change starts to think that I actually have the prints and the originals, as well as a pet Moose...

So I'll begin with this RCM writeup of the Robert Bateman coins from the 2012 release:

The Importance of Family and Nature

Robert Bateman, world-renowned wildlife artist, is best known for his beautiful, lifelike paintings that capture the heart and soul of Canada's wilderness. His love for wildlife, kindled when he was a young child, has remained steadfast over a 50-year career spent depicting the glories of the Canadian wilderness through arresting realistic paintings.

The year 2012 marks the 50th anniversary of the Canadian Wildlife Federation, an organization that has achieved exceptional results in conserving the Canadian wilderness and educating citizens and government about environmental issues that concern us all. Mr. Bateman is also an unflagging proponent of wildlife conservation and education and is an Honorary Life Member of the Canadian Wildlife Federation.

The Moose Family was painted by Mr. Bateman to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Canadian Wildlife Federation. "The Canadian Wildlife Federation and I believed it was important in the painting to show family in nature, which was a large part of the symbolism behind the moose family. Unfortunately, people and their families have been edging away from nature. We believe this is now at a crisis stage, and the Canadian Wildlife Federation and the Bateman Foundation are making very strong links to make a big push to reverse this trend, to get kids and families away from all the screens and back to nature. All children are artists, and we strongly believe we need to put nature back in the lives of our families."
are always about capturing a moment of time."

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Canadian Wildlife Federation, the Mint is honoured to produce several coins, including:

• Two gold coins (1 ounce & 1 kilo) that feature a detail of a bull moose lowering its head and antlers in a challenge stance taken from Robert Bateman's painting, The Challenge.

• A 1-ounce platinum coin that features a detail of a bull moose's head and antlers in profile taken from Robert Bateman's original lithograph, Bull Moose.

• Two silver coins (1 ounce & 1 kilo) that feature a detail of a bull moose's head and antlers in profile taken from Robert Bateman's painting, The Moose Family.

For the coin designs, the decision was made that the theme would be moose. "Having a moose theme just seemed an obvious thing," said Mr. Bateman. "It just has a nice continuity and I like the whole harmony of moose. Moose have a very stately visage and powerful antlers, and have a nice big form to show on the coins. The moose represents Canada and represents the map of Canada as well. The moose has a power and a kind of awkward charm. Canada has charm, just not the kind of movie star charm that some other countries may have. We have an awkward charm."
The process of working with the Mint's engravers proved to be straightforward and enjoyable and he noted how he appreciated that the engravers understand the subtlety of design. "I simplified the paintings into a line drawing that the engravers used. I wanted the power and the forcefulness of the moose head. I am always conscious of the negative space, the element of the subject matter, the Yin and Yang. I wanted to keep the coin designs nice and clean. I like the clarity of the moose head, how it fills up the space on the coin and the sculptural forms of the moose's face."
And although Mr. Bateman never thought his paintings would be used for a coin design, that because he considers the Canadian Wildlife Federation the primary conservation body in Canada, he realized that the Mint's use of his moose designs for the 50th Anniversary of the Canadian Wildlife Federation commemorative coins was a perfect marriage of ideas.