2016 - $20 - Star TrekTM - 1 oz. Pure Silver Coloured – Iconic Scenes - The Trouble with Tribbles

The Trouble with Tribbles

Your coin design recreates a key scene that has remained a fan favourite, even beyond the Star Trek community. Selective colour brings to life the engraved image of Captain James T. Kirk (portrayed by Canadian actor William Shatner) in his green Starfleet uniform. He stands half-buried in a pile of small, furry creatures known as Tribbles, which have fallen out of an overhead compartment. Engraved in a special Star Trek font is the word "CANADA", the face value "20 DOLLARS" and the year "2016".

Did you know…

The grain's Canadian origin is a reference to a 1953 breeding program at the University of Manitoba, where efforts focused on developing triticale (a wheat-rye hybrid) as a high-yield, drought-tolerant food crop.

It took eight different takes to capture the avalanche of Tribbles depicted on the coin's reverse.

Hundreds of Tribbles had to be created for this episode, which originally aired on December 29, 1967. Many were sewn using rolls of carpet, with surgical balloons or beanbags stuffed into them. Others were stuffed with a mechanical toy so that their movement could be captured on camera.

The sounds "emitted" by Tribbles are a unique combination of cooing doves, screeching owls and shrinking balloons!

Specifications
Mintage 11500
Composition 99% pure silver
Finish proof
Weight (g) 31.39
Diameter (mm) 38
Edge serrated
Certificate serialized
Face value 20 dollars
Artist Susanna Blunt (obverse)