200 dollars - Arrival of the Europeans

The story of Canada spans millennia, and your coin is the second issue in the exciting series that takes you back in time to the remarkable events and people that have made Canada the amazing place it is today. Cabot’s voyage of 1497, and his reports of water so thick with fish that they could be scooped up by the basketful, inspired countless fishing ships to sail for the New World. They came from Portugal, France, Spain, and England, and would ultimately meet with the Indigenous Peoples who were already well acquainted with the bounty that could be found off North America’s eastern shores.
Canadian artist Alan Daniel has created a stunning visual narrative of a Mi’kmaq trading party paddling to meet a Portuguese ship caught in a summer storm off the coast of present day Nova Scotia. Their canoe is filled with furs and one man is waving an animal hide to indicate their desire to trade. The Mi’kmaq’s expertise as mariners is reflected in their skillfully crafted canoe, which has upward-curving sides and high ends designed to keep out the rough seas.