Royal Canadian Mint silver collector coin celebrates Alice Munro as recipient of 2013 Nobel Prize in Literature

Passage from Munro's "The View from Castle Rock" engraved on coin's reverse

VICTORIA, BC, March 24, 2014 /CNW/ - Today at the Greater Victoria Public Library, Canadian literary icon Alice Munro unveiled the Royal Canadian Mint's new collector coin celebrating her tremendous accomplishment of receiving the 2013 Nobel Prize in Literature. 

"The Royal Canadian Mint commemorates Canada's culture, values and heritage and celebrating Alice Munro's tremendous body of work and receipt of literature's most prestigious international award is yet another notable chapter in our Corporation's history," said Ian E. Bennett, President and CEO of the Royal Canadian Mint. "This coin is a beautiful and meaningful keepsake for readers, writers and collectors alike."

To honour Alice Munro's remarkable achievement and to encourage a thriving writing community in Canada, the Royal Canadian Mint is proudly donating $10,000 to the Writers' Trust of Canada.

"In 1986, Alice Munro became the first recipient of an annual Writers' Trust award in recognition of a Canadian writer's exceptional body of work," said Mary Osborne, Executive Director of the Writers' Trust of Canada. "Nearly three decades later, Ms Munro's work is lauded throughout the world, and through this generous gift the fruits of her success become an investment in future generations of literary icons. The Writers' Trust is honoured to receive this donation on behalf of the Canadian writers it will help to support and celebrate."

The reverse image of this 99.99% pure silver coin was designed by Canadian artist Laurie McGaw and features an ethereal female figure emerging from a pen as a representation of one of the many central characters from Alice Munro's beloved short stories. An image of a hand is seen resting against an open book, whose pages are inscribed with a passage from Munro's The View from Castle Rock, which reads: "And in one of these houses – I can't remember whose – a magic doorstop, a big mother-of-pearl seashell that I recognized as a messenger from near and far, because I could hold it to my ear – when nobody was there to stop me – and discover the tremendous pounding of my own blood, and of the sea." Above it, a laurel branch celebrates Munro's distinction as the first Canadian woman to win a Nobel Prize in Literature.

This coin, which has a limited mintage of 7,500, retails for $69.95 and can be ordered directly from the Royal Canadian Mint as of  April 1, 2014 at 1-800-267-1871 in Canada, 1-800-268-6468 in the US, or on the Internet at www.mint.ca. The coin will also be available at the Royal Canadian Mint's boutiques in Ottawa, Winnipeg and Vancouver, as well as through the Mint's global network of dealers and distributors, including participating Canada Post outlets.   

About the Royal Canadian Mint
The Royal Canadian Mint is the Crown Corporation responsible for the minting and distribution of Canada's circulation coins. An ISO 9001-2008 certified company, the Mint is recognized as one of the largest and most versatile mints in the world, offering a wide range of specialized, high quality coinage products and related services on an international scale. For more information on the Mint, its products and services, visit www.mint.ca.

Images of this collector coin are available by visiting ftp://communications:[email protected].

SOURCE: Royal Canadian Mint

Christine Aquino, Director, Communications and Public Affairs, Royal Canadian Mint, Tel: [phone], [email protected]