In 1976 the Olympic flame crossed the Atlantic with neither aircraft nor torch: in Greece the flame was placed before a sensor that detected its ionised particles and turned them into impulses, the signal travelled by satellite to Ottawa, and there a laser beam lit the flame anew. This 1976 silver 5 dollars is dedicated to that flame.

From Ottawa the relay brought the flame to Montreal’s Olympic Stadium, where the Games were officially opened by Elizabeth II as Queen of Canada. Her profile on the obverse and the flame on the reverse thus belong to the same day in 1976.

The coin belongs to the seventh and final series of the Olympic programme, «Olympic Souvenirs». All four designs are by artist Elliott John Morrison: the flame and the Olympic Village on the 5 dollars, the stadium and velodrome on the 10. The reverse shows the Olympic flame with «OLYMPIADE XXI OLYMPIAD», «MONTREAL 1976» and «5 DOLLARS»; the obverse carries Elizabeth II in profile wearing a tiara, «ELIZABETH II», «CANADA» and the date 1976.

The Olympic flame is the symbol with which every Games begins, so the coin sits naturally both in the Montreal series and in a themed selection of Olympic symbols from around the world.

Grade UNC: the coin never circulated, has no wear and keeps its mint lustre, with the tongues of flame on the reverse rendered intact.

A themed selection that includes this coin is easy to expand with other items from the VPcoins catalogue.