2008 Canada $350.00 Pure Gold.99999 Purple Saxifrage For Sale

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2008 CANADA $350.00 PURE GOLD.99999 PURPLE SAXIFRAGE

Theme:

Canada's youngest floral emblem—

Nunavut's purple saxifrage

At first glance, the harsh Arctic tundra may seem

barren, but every spring, one of the world's great

botanical beauties makes a stunning, yet short-lived

appearance there. It is the purple saxifrage (Saxifraga

oppositifolia), also known as French-knot moss or

aupilaktunnguat in Inuktitut, the aboriginal language of

Nunavut, Canada's youngest territory that adopted this

flower as its floral emblem on May 1, 2000.

Without its blooms, the purple saxifrage looks decidedly

unkempt; one would hardly guess this brownish mat

growing in the dust could ever produce such gorgeous

star-shaped flowers. But it does—and every year, a great

carpet of purple blooms will cover exposed ridges and

hilltops as if to defy the northern bleakness. Each

blossom is only 1 cm (.5 in) wide but looks large against

the tiny (3-6 mm or .1-.2 in) pairs of overlapping greygreen

leaves that appear scale-like.

Unfortunately, few people get to see this northern

beauty at its best; by the time the weather is warm

enough to attract tourists, its purple blooms are long

gone.

Product specifications:

Mintage: 1,400

Composition: 99.999% gold

Weight (g): 35

Diameter (mm): 34

Edge: Serrated

Finish: Proof

Certificate: Serialized

Artist: Celia Godkin

Special features:

This is the eleventh in a series of provincial flowers

that started in 1998.

Crafted in 99.999% pure gold, hand polished to

proof perfection and struck to mintage of only

1,400 coins worldwide.

Packaging:

Coin encapsulated and presented in a maroon clamshell

case lined with flock and protected by a black sleeve.

This item has been shown 3903 times. 2008 Canada $350.00 Pure Gold.99999 Purple Saxifrage: $3,000