A UNESCO celebration: Step back in time to the Viking Age

Supremely crafted from a half kilo of 99.99% pure silver, this coin takes you on a time-travelling adventure to the site of the first (and only) authenticated Viking settlement in North America. Its design shows L’Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site, N.L., as it likely appeared in the time of famed explorer Leif Erikson, who stands before you now…

From the sod buildings to the runic font, the selectively gold-plated design strikes the perfect balance between history and fine art. It is a beautiful celebration of a Viking heritage uncovered at L’Anse aux Meadows, where archaeological evidence of a meeting of two worlds earned it the first spot on UNESCO’s World Heritage list.

Designed by artist Rebecca Yanovskaya, the time-travelling reverse offers an artist’s rendition of the Viking settlement at L’Anse aux Meadows, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Norse explorer Leif Erikson stands in the foreground, where he observes the activities of his crew and proudly surveys the settlement he founded around the year 1000. Selective gold plating highlights the ornamental flourishes, which are inspired by Norse art and wood carvings. The word “CANADA” is inscribed in a runic font along with the double dates “1945 – 2020” which flank the UNESCO logo to commemorate its 75th anniversary . The obverse features the effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Susanna Blunt.

UNESCO at 75: L’Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site
It all began in 1968 when Norwegian explorer Helge Ingstad and his wife, archaeologist Anne Stine Ingstad, discovered a small bronze cloak pin and the remnants of a Viking encampment on the shores of Epaves Bay. Subsequent excavations, led by Dr. Bengt Schönbäck and Dr. Birgitta Wallace, uncovered hundreds of Norse artefacts and clarified L’Anse aux Meadows’ place in the Vinland sagas. The eight timber-framed turf structures (three dwellings, one iron forge and four workshops) were built in the same 11th century style as those found in Greenland and Iceland. Evidence of activities indicate the location served as a base camp for further exploration south, which seemingly confirmed the journeys described in the Old Norse Sagas. In 1975, the archaeological site was established as a National Historic Site of Canada before being declared the first UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978.