The Library of Parliament, one of the most recognizable buildings on Parliament Hill and the sole survivor of the devastating 1916 Centre Block fire, is being commemorated on two new collector coins released by the Royal Canadian Mint.

The Sept. 1 releases mark the library’s 150th anniversary with a $200 pure gold coin depicting its ornate interior and a $20 fine silver coin featuring the historic building’s neo-Gothic exterior. The pair leads a broader slate of new collector products being introduced by the Mint for September.

The Royal Canadian Mint’s new $200 pure gold coin celebrates the 150th anniversary of the Library of Parliament with a design by Canadian artist John Mantha. The reverse offers a dramatic view of the library’s richly ornamented interior, looking upward from the base of the Queen Victoria statue toward its vaulted ceiling and lantern dome.

Canadian artist John Mantha designed the reverse of the $200 gold coin, offering a view upward through the library’s circular interior from the base of the Queen Victoria statue. The composition emphasizes the height of the vaulted ceiling and lantern dome while incorporating the wood panelling, pillars and bookcases that line the historic room.

The silver coin takes collectors outside the building. Designed by Canadian artist Tony Bianco, the $20 coin presents the octagonal Library of Parliament at the rear of Centre Block, with its High Victorian Gothic Revival architecture rendered in Ultra High Relief. Selective colour depicts the surrounding trees in fall foliage above the Ottawa River.

An open book incorporated into the design bears the dates “1876” and “2026,” marking the library’s sesquicentennial. The obverses of both coins feature Canadian artist Steven Rosati’s effigy of King Charles III.

Opened in 1876, the Library of Parliament became an important survivor of Canadian history four decades later. When fire destroyed the original Centre Block in 1916, the library was spared, leaving the distinctive structure as a physical link to the original Parliament buildings.

The two anniversary coins headline a busy September release from the Mint, with several other themes represented in silver and gold.

Source: Canadian Coin News