2002 50c Canadian Tulip Festival, 50th Anniversary - Sterling Silver Coin

This beautiful coin features a tulip, accented with 22 karat gold. Gratitude and affection in full bloom-during the second world war, the invasion of Holland forced its royal family into exile and Canada provided a welcome refuge where the honoured guests remained until the Netherlands were liberated in the fall of 1945.

To express her gratitude, Princess Juliana (later Queen) sent 20000 tulip bulbs to the nation's capital. Every year more Dutch bulbs arrived and the breathtaking blanket of colour that began to cover the city quickly established Ottawa as "the Tulip Capital of North America."