Designing a nation's character

The Coat of Arms for Nova Scotia (NS) is the oldest of any province or territory. It was granted in 1625; the first Coat of Arms the British monarchy assigned to an overseas colony. As the same "Nova Scotia" suggests, these Arms reflect strong Scottish ties. Its Shieldfeatures the Cross of St. Andrew, with the colours reversed (a blue saltire on a white background) in order to differentiate it from Scotland. The royal lion at the center of the Shield and the crowned unicornto the left are two more elements from the Royal Arms of Scotland. The aboriginal man to the right of the Shield represents the province's First Nations People.

A royal helmet sits immediately above the Shield. It faces forward as opposed to the customary sideview. Above the helmet are two crosses hands. The thistle represents Scotland and the laurel sprig is a symbol of peace; but one interpretation suggests the armoured hand represents the vow by the King of the Scots to protect his subjects while the bare hand symbolizes the conquest of hardships to be met in Nova Scotia.
This coin is the eighth issue of the Coats Of Arms of Canada collection and contains 14 coins thathave been released between 2008 and 2014.

COATS OF ARMS OF CANADA - COAT OF ARMS OF NOVA SCOTIA - 2011 CANADIAN COINS 08 is categorised COINS AND PAPER MONEY / 08- ROYAL CANADIAN MINT / 04- 14-KARAT GOLD and sold by l'Imaginaire, a store and specialised website.