The Sun, a limited-edition 2010 silver proof dollar coin from Canada.

The Royal Canadian Mint is proud to issue this unique ultra-high relief silver proof coin featuring a cornerstone in the culture of Canada’s many First Nations communities representing life, abundance, healing and peace: the Sun.

Since time immemorial, the sun has been a powerful symbol for people throughout the world. It was carved on masks and totem poles and is the symbol that currently crowns the world’s tallest totem located in Alert Bay (British Columbia). One First Nations legend recounts how Raven released the sun from a box. People believed the Sun Chief could be reached by climbing a chain of arrows, and that he descended from the sky each day by sliding down the sun’s long rays.

The design has been crafted in ultra-high relief, an exceptional level of sculpting that requires significant hand crafting and polishing. Slight inconsistencies in the quality of the surface are normal for this ultra-high relief process.