2015 - $20 - 1 oz. Fine Silver Coin - 70th Anniversary of the End of the Italian Campaign

The Italian Campaign was Canada's first full-scale ground operation of the Second World War. By the summer of 1943, the Allies were revitalised by victories in North Africa and were seeking to open up a second battlefront by invading Germany's Axis ally, Italy. On the morning of July 10, 1943, Canada joined its allies in the planned invasion of Sicily; in September, they began their slow crawl up the mountainous Italian peninsula.  Although the Allies would ultimately be victorious, the 20-month operation proved to be a bitterly fought campaign against occupying Nazi forces who fiercely defended their hold at every turn. On the 70th anniversary of this strategic operation, the Royal Canadian Mint honours Canada's veterans of this Second World War campaign with a fine silver coin that offers a glimpse of the realities of the war in places such as Ortona, Cassino and Rimini.

Specifications
No.144042
Mintage 10000
Composition 99.99% pure silver
Finish proof
Weight (g) 31.39
Diameter (mm) 38
Edge serrated
Certificate serialized
Face value 20 dollars
Artist Joel Kimmel (reverse), T. H. Paget (obverse)