2020 $20 Canada's Unexplained Phenomena: The Clarenville Event - Pure Silver Coin with blacklight

Our fascination with UFOs and unexplained phenomena is featured on this 2021 $20 fine silver coin which transforms as select elements of the full colour image luminesce with the included black light flashlight.  This is the third coin in an ongoing annual series, with both the 2018 and 2019 issues selling out immediately and becoming extremely difficult to obtain in the secondary market.

This 2020 $20 Unexplained Phenomena coin is a colourful retelling of a famous Canadian UFO event. The 1978 Clarenville Incident is a compelling account that can’t be easily dismissed since it involved several witnesses, including an RCMP officer who described a strange sight that has never been satisfactorily explained.   Mintage is limited to just 5,000.  GST/HST exempt.

October 26, 1978, 1:45 a.m.: Responding to a call, RCMP Constable James Blackwood arrived at the scene in Clarenville, Newfoundland where witnesses directed his attention to a brightly lit object in the sky. Using binoculars and a high-powered scope, they observed the fin-tailed, oval-shaped craft as it hovered above the water near Random Island. It emitted no sound; and when the officer flashed the lightbar on his police cruiser, the mysterious craft instantly mimicked the lights. It remained in the area for nearly an hour before rising up suddenly and vanishing into the night, leaving no trace of its passage — except a credible eyewitness account.

The Design: (Black flashlight included)

Rendered in a colourful and expressive art style, the landscape-oriented image shows the event from the perspective of the witnesses, including the RCMP officer whose police cruiser appears in the bottom right corner. The oval-shaped craft is seen hovering over Random Sound on a clear night. Black light-activated technology adds a bright glow to the mysterious object and its illuminated reflection on the water. The obverse features the effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Susanna Blunt.