The most powerful steam locomotive ever to conquer the Canadian Rockies, in one ounce of pure silver. Third in the Royal Canadian Mint's Great Canadian Locomotives series, this 2010 $20 proof honours the Selkirk class — the massive 2-10-4 engines built by Montreal Locomotive Works for the Canadian Pacific Railway's brutal mountain grades. The reverse, engraved from Canadian Pacific Railway Archives imagery, depicts streamlined No. 5935 at speed, and in a distinctive collector touch, the word SELKIRK is lettered along the coin's edge.
Struck in 99.99% pure silver with an authorized mintage of 10,000 — of which only about 5,874 were actually sold.
Collector Specifications
Country: Canada
Year: 2010
Denomination: $20
Composition: 99.99% Pure Silver
Weight: 31.39 g (1 troy oz)
Diameter: 38 mm
Finish: Proof
Edge: Lettered — “SELKIRK”
Certificate: See listing photos
Condition: Individually photographed — you receive the exact coin shown; any imperfections are visible in the listing photos
Mintage: 10,000 authorized (approx. 5,874 sold)
Designer: RCM engravers after Canadian Pacific Railway Archives imagery (reverse); Susanna Blunt (obverse)
Historical Significance
Introduced in 1929, the thirty-six Selkirk locomotives hauled freight and passengers through the Spiral Tunnels, up Field Hill, and through the Connaught Tunnel between Calgary and Revelstoke — oil-fired to cut wildfire risk in the mountain passes they were named for. Only two survive today, and No. 5935, the last Selkirk ever built, is preserved at the Exporail museum in Quebec. A tribute to the engineering that stitched Canada together.
Why We Love This One
The lettered SELKIRK edge is a detail most coins never get. Train lovers go for this one, and with only about 5,874 sold, it doesn't turn up often.
Please note: this item is sold as is, including its packaging. The photos show the exact piece you will receive.
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