2014 Canadian 25-Cent Haunted Canada: Ghost Bride Coloured Lenticular Coin

2014 Canadian 25-Cent Haunted Canada: Ghost Bride Coloured Lenticular Coin 

Built in 1888, the iconic Fairmont Banff Springs hotel has long been a premier mountain getaway for nature lovers, travellers and even high society. Its architectural beauty and breathtaking vistas of the surrounding Rocky Mountain landscape have long cemented its reputation as an elegant, romantic setting for weddings and special events.  

And as legend has it, one bride has also made it her eternal home since the early 1930s.

The wedding day itself held nothing but promise for the young lovebirds. The groom stood in the library, waiting for his bride to arrive, before they made their way together to the glamorous Cascade Ballroom for the evening's celebrations. As the newlyweds stepped onto the winding limestone staircase, the numerous lit candles that lined the steps cast a soft amber glow on the bride, who was resplendent in her white lace gown and veil. 

Perhaps the bride caught her heel in the hem of her dress, or some movement caused her dress to brush up against a candle's flame – something startled the bride, who suddenly stumbled then fell down the stairs ultimately meeting her demise. It was a truly tragic end to a love story, and a life that was cut all too short.

But this bride's story doesn't end with her death. For years, stories have circulated about an apparition in a white wedding dress that moves quietly up and down the aforementioned staircase in the hotel. Some claim to have seen this otherworldly bride dancing alone in the solitude. It is believed that this Dancing Bride is seeking to relive that fateful day, when death denied her and her beloved their first dance as husband and wife. "Till death do us part."

A beautiful gift for those who love both ghost stories and tragic love stories, and a great addition to any specialty coin collection.

Features

•   Your "hauntingly" beautiful cupronickel coin is the first in the Royal Canadian Mint's exciting new Haunted Canada series, which brings to life some of Canada's legendary ghost stories.
•   The image on your coin tells the story of the Ghost Bride: Legend has it that a bride has made the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel her eternal home since the 1930s when, upon stepping onto the staircase, she suddenly stumbled and tragically fell to her death! Since then, some claim to have seen an apparition dancing in the hotel's ballroom or walking down the staircase, as she did on that fateful day when death brought a tragic end to her love story – "Till death do us part."
•   Tilt the coin and the bride's eyes suddenly open while behind her, the once-black background is filled with lit candles – the same candles that lined the staircase on her wedding day. But tilt the coin again... and the eyes close shut!
•   Mintage is limited to 15,000 for your coin.

Design

Coin features a portrait of a bride with her eyes closed, her bridal headdress softly cascading over her shoulders. Thanks to the creative use of lenticular technology, a uniquely haunting effect is produced when the coin is tilted: the bride's eyes suddenly spring open, while the candles that lined the staircase light up the once-black background. Below the Ghost Bride is the familiar image of the setting for our story: the majestic Fairmont Banff Springs. 

Packaging

2014 Canadian 25-Cent Haunted Canada: Ghost Bride Coloured Lenticular Coin is encapsulated and presented in a Royal Canadian Mint-branded maroon clamshell with a black beauty box and Certificate of Authenticity.

Specifications

Face Value: 25 cents
Mintage: 15,000
Composition: Cupronickel
Weight (g): 0.5
Diameter (mm): 35
Finish: Specimen