2004 Canada $20 Fine Silver Coin – Natural Wonders: Aurora Borealis (Hologram)

The northern lights, captured in silver for the first time this way. This 2004 $20 coin from the Royal Canadian Mint's Natural Wonders series was a technical milestone: the Mint's first coin to pair a double-image hologram with frosted relief on the same face, and its first hologram coin struck without a raised border. Gary Corcoran's design lets the shifting holographic sky — greens, violets, reds and blues that dance as the coin tilts — pour seamlessly into an engraved northern wilderness of snow-laden forest and mountain peaks below.

Collector Specifications

• Country: Canada
• Year: 2004
• Denomination: $20
• Composition: 99.99% Pure Silver
• Weight: 31.39 g (1 troy oz)
• Diameter: 38 mm
• Finish: Proof with double-image hologram and frosted relief (borderless design)
• Edge: Serrated
• Certificate: Included — RCM COA booklet (“Aurora Borealis / L'aurore boréale”)
• Condition: Individually photographed — you receive the exact coin shown; complete in original mahogany-tone RCM display case
• Mintage: 34,135 (issue limit 35,000)
• Designer: Gary Corcoran (reverse); Susanna Blunt (obverse)

Historical Significance

The aurora borealis has stirred northern imaginations for millennia — Cree tradition speaks of the dancing spirits of ancestors, while science traces the lights to solar wind meeting Earth's magnetic field above the Arctic. The Natural Wonders series (2003–2005) celebrated Canada's most breathtaking landscapes in fine silver, and this Aurora Borealis issue — alongside 2004's Iceberg and Hopewell Rocks coins — pushed the Mint's holographic artistry further than it had ever gone. It pairs beautifully with the 2013 Northern Lights hologram issue also in the shop.

Why We Love This One

No border means the lights seem to spill right off the edge of the sky. If you love the northern lights, pair it with the 2013 Great Hare coin.

Please note: this item is sold as is, including its packaging. The photos show the exact piece you will receive.