2005 $5 Silver Proof Coin – Alberta’s Centennial

SPECIAL EDITION

FROM MANY PEOPLES STRENGTH - Celebrating 100 Years of Alberta Pride and Optimism (1905 – 2005)

The early development of Canada was driven in large part by the fur trade as it expanded west across the continent. In 1867, Nova Scotia. New Brunswick. Ontario and Quebec were entering Confederation, but the West was still in the throes of European settlement. Any land beyond Ontario fell under the jurisdiction of the Hudson's Bay Company and did not have provincial status.

After more than 30 years of confident growth, the region that was then known as the North-West Territory was divided into two provinces - Alberta and Saskatchewan. They joined Confederation on September 1, 1905.

Designed by Canadian artist Michelle Grant, the coin depicts the sun setting behind the Rockey Mountains with the foothills and the prairie in the foreground. Three of Alberta's main industries, oil, cattle and wheat are tied together by the floral emblem, the wild rose. The obverse shows the effigy of Queen Elizabeth by Susanna Blunt.

The coin is encapsulated and presented in a Royal Canadian Mint-branded maroon case and protected by a black beauty box.

Denomination - Canadian Five dollars

Composition - Silver Proof (99.99%)

Weight - 25.175g

Diameter - 36.07mm

Worldwide Mintage Limit - 20,000

Mint - Royal Canadian Mint