2002 - 5 Cents - Proof Sterling Silver - Vimy Ridge

On April 9, 1917, near Arras, France, all four divisions - 30,000 men - of the Canadian Corps launched an assault on the German defensive positions atop Vimy Ridge. The brutal struggle lasted three days, but Canada prevailed.

The Canadian action at Vimy Ridge is considered Canada's greatest achievement of the First World War. More than a military victory, it carved out an independent role for Canada on the world stage.

The Vimy Ridge - 2002 5-Cent Sterling Silver Coin honours those brave, victorious Canadians. Its reverse depicts the towering pylons of the Vimy Ridge Memorial. In the foreground is one of the monument's most important elements, a heroic figure of Canada brooding over the graves of her valiant dead.