An important WWII battle that helped liberate the Netherlands is now the focus of a new Canadian silver coin from the Royal Canadian Mint.

The Proof 2019 .999 fine silver $20 coin is the newest in the RCM’s Second World War Battlefront Series.

The Battle of the Scheldt coin commemorates the bravery and sacrifice of Canadian soldiers who, 75 years ago, helped the Allies win control of the Dutch and Belgian shores of the strategic Scheldt River. This costly battle, fought from September to October 1944, secured a vital supply line that helped Canada liberate the Netherlands and made the Allied liberation of Western Europe possible. 

The coin was unveiled July 31 by Mint President and CEO Marie Lemay and Henk van der Zwan, ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Canada. This ceremony took place at the Perley and Rideau Veterans’ Health Centre in Ottawa, in the company of WWII veterans and Allied nations representatives.

Canadian artist Mary McPherson designed the reverse of the Battle of the Scheldt silver coin, which presents a portrait of a Canadian Ojibwa soldier in action in the fall of 1944. The insignia of the First Canadian Army appears above the infantryman, who wields a Bren gun while advancing past a tower windmill. A Wasp MKII C flamethrower Universal Carrier backs the infantry advance from atop an embankment near the Scheldt River. 

The obverse features the effigy of King George VI by T.H. Paget; he was the British monarch during the war.

“While victory at the Battle of the Scheldt ultimately helped pave the way for the Allied liberation of Western Europe, it came at a tremendous cost. More than 6,000 Canadians were killed or wounded during five weeks of intense conflict with well-fortified German forces along the Scheldt River,” said Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence. 

Unveiled July 31 but not yet available for purchase, the coin is expected to begin shipping in September. 

With a limited mintage of 8,500, the coin retails for $94.95 Canadian. 

To order the coin, visit the RCM website.

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