The End of the Italian Campaign Coin

Description

The End of the Italian Campaign

The Italian Campaign was Canada’s first full-scale ground operation of the Second World War. By the summer of 1943, the Allies were revitalised by victories in North Africa and were seeking to open up a second battlefront by invading Germany’s Axis ally, Italy. On the morning of July 10, 1943, Canada joined its allies in the planned invasion of Sicily; in September, they began their slow crawl up the mountainous Italian peninsula. Although the Allies would ultimately be victorious, the 20-month operation proved to be a bitterly fought campaign against occupying Nazi forces who fiercely defended their hold at every turn. On the 70th anniversary of this strategic operation, the Royal Canadian Mint honours Canada’s veterans of this Second World War campaign with a fine silver coin that offers a glimpse of the realities of the war in places such as Ortona, Cassino and Rimini.

Internationally renowned craftsmanship and exceptional engraving bring to life the finely detailed image of a Canadian tank and soldiers moving through the rubble-filled streets.

The End of the Italian Campaign -a beautiful collectible for commemorators, and a prestigious addition to any Canadian military- or history-themed collection.

Designed by Canadian illustrator Joel Kimmel, your coin recreates the sense of danger and the fierce fighting that awaited Canadian soldiers in the narrow streets of Italian towns such as Ortona during the winter of 1943. In the background, the crumbling remnants of stone buildings are indicative of the sheer destruction caused by combat that was often fought in close quarters. In the centre, a Canadian Sherman tank rumbles through the rubble-filled streets, causing dust to fill the air behind it. The tank is flanked by two Canadian soldiers who, despite the risk of sniper fire and landmines, bravely move along the streets as they clear the town and search for survivors.

Your coin is encapsulated and presented in a Royal Canadian Mint-branded diorama case with graphic beauty box.

• Mintage 10000

• Composition99.99% pure silver

• Finish proof

• Weight (g) 31.39

• Diameter (mm) 38

• Edge serrated

• Certificate serialized

• Face value20 dollars

• Artist Joel Kimmel (reverse), T. H. Paget (obverse)