Designing a nation's character

The Coat of Arms for Ontario incorporates the Provincial Shield that was originally granted by Queen Victoria in 1868. This Shield featuredthe Cross of St. George on a white background (representing England) above a sprig of three gold maples on a green background (representingCanada). The province's Coat of Arms was created 41 years later in 1909 under Royal Warrant from King Edward VII.

Three animals indigenous to Ontario's wilderness were placed around the Shield; a moose to its left and a deer to its right act as supporters while a black bear stands above the Shield on a green and gold wreath.Absent from its design are any royal symbols (i.e. a royal crown); a distinction shared with a few other Provincial Arms. The Latin motto that appears at the bottom of the Arms reads UT INCEPIT FIDELIS SIC PERMANET (Loyal she began; loyal she remains), and reflects the province's Loyalist history - the British refugees from the American Revolution that settled throughout various regions of modern-day Ontario.

In 1972, an Order-in-Council of the Ontario government adopted a highly-stylized version of its Arms in order to update its traditional heraldic design for a modern world. In 1994, to clearly differentiate the Ontario Coat of Arms from heraldic devices, the word "Ontario" was made a permanent part of the design. It is the only province or territory in Canada to utilize a graphic representation of this centuries-old art form.

This coin is the eleventh issue of the Coats Of Arms of Canada collection and contains 14 coins that have been released between 2008 and 2014.

COATS OF ARMS OF CANADA - COAT OF ARMS OF ONTARIO - 2013 CANADIAN COINS 11 is categorised COINS AND PAPER MONEY / 08- ROYAL CANADIAN MINT / 04- 14-KARAT GOLD and sold by l'Imaginaire, a store and specialised website.