Canada. New Gold Proof Coins Depict Elegant Ketch Rig in Tall Ships Series

First launched in 2022, the fifth coin in this annual series offers another window into the past, capturing both a ship at work and the people whose lives were tied to the waters of the St. Lawrence River. Throughout the St. Lawrence Valley, or St. Lawrence Lowlands, primarily encompassing the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario,  the St. Lawrence sailing schooner or ketch typically carried goods, families and stories between riverside villages. Ultimately, they evolved over the last two centuries to master the river’s varied navigation conditions as well as adapting to the region’s harsh winter weather. With their flat bottoms and adapted rigging, these sailboats became symbols of community and ingenuity, embodying the spirit of a maritime culture that shaped both Quebec’s identity and Canada’s broader nautical heritage.

For more than two hundred years, communities along the St. Lawrence Valley built such ships as the ketch rig to serve their transportation and communication needs. Valued for their stability, strength, and ease of handling especially in varied winds, these vessels carried a tall mainmast and a shorter mizzenmast. The Ketch’s flat bottoms also allowed them to remain perfectly vertical when running aground at low tide, which facilitated access for loading and unloading goods.

Designed by artist Yves Bérubé, the reverse side features two detailed views of a ketch, under sail in the distance and aground at low tide in the foreground. A horse-drawn wagon takes on logs, unloaded from amidships of the beached ketch, which waits for the tide’s return to carry it onward. Above and off-centre to the left along the rim is the text CANADA. Below and off-centre to the right along the lower rim is the denomination and year, 200 DOLLARS 2026. The obverse side includes the effigy of HM King Charles III created by Canadian artist Steven Rosati and depicts the King facing to the left surrounded by the legend CHARLES III D G REX.

Available from the 24th February, each gold proof coin is encapsulated and presented in a custom-branded matte black Royal Canadian Mint case and accompanied with a certificate of authenticity. For additional information, please visit the e-webshop of the Royal Canadian Mint.