Canadian celebrity Martin Short partners with the Royal Canadian Mint to design a special collector coin

OTTAWA, June 6, 2013 /CNW/ - June 6, 2013 - One of Canada's most treasured personalities, comedian Martin Short, has partnered with the Royal Canadian Mint to deliver his own touching and intimate perspective of Canada on a new $3 fine silver collector coin.

"The Royal Canadian Mint is pleased to have partnered with Martin Short to showcase Canada's natural beauty from a unique perspective" said Ian E. Bennett, President and CEO of the Royal Canadian Mint. "The Mint is always looking for new ways to celebrate Canada, and working with one of our country's most famous performing artists to design a finely crafted collector coin is an exceptional way to achieve this with emotional and visual appeal."

The Martin Short Presents Canada coin features his summer home in Muskoka, in rural Ontario.  "In my international travels all these years, I've never met anyone who wasn't rather envious when I proudly proclaimed that I was indeed Canadian. As they should be. Multi-cultural, multi-faceted, multi-hip; that's Canada to me" said Short. "And as much as I adore the excitement of cities, it's rural Canada that has always had my heart. I am lucky enough to own a cottage on a lake roughly three hours north of Toronto in a staggeringly beautiful part of Canada, which I'm thrilled to share on this coin I had the privilege to help design."

Short consulted extensively with Canadian artist Tony Bianco on the design of the coin, an inviting and serene interpretation of Short's summer home based on his personal photos and stories. The design features a sailboat gliding across a serene lake towards a boathouse, while pine and maple trees provide a canopy over two Adirondack chairs.  Nearby, Canada's national flag waves from a marine-inspired flag pole standing on one of the region's signature whaleback rocks.

The Martin Short Presents Canada $3 Fine Silver Coin can now be ordered directly from the Mint at 1-800-267-1871 in Canada, 1-800-268-6468 in the US, or online at www.mint.ca. As of June 11, 2013, the coin will also be available at the Royal Canadian Mint's boutiques in Ottawa, Winnipeg and Vancouver, as well as through the Mint's global network of dealers and distributors, including participating Canada Post outlets.

About Martin Short
Canadian Martin Short is a celebrated comedic performer known for his clever wit, versatility and superb comedic timing.  Although Short originally studied for a career in social work, his true path quickly materialized when his friend Eugene Levy encouraged him to give television a try.  Success with CBC's Second City, the SCTV and Saturday Night Live led to film and Broadway, and a continually remarkable career.

For over forty years, Martin Short has done it all.  His awards list is equally diverse and includes a Gemini, an Emmy, a Tony, the Order of Canada, plus a Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal.  Short currently lives in California, but his all-time favourite place remains Lake Rosseau in Ontario's famed Muskoka region.

About the Royal Canadian Mint
The Royal Canadian Mint is the Crown Corporation responsible for the minting and distribution of Canada's circulation coins. An ISO 9001-2008 certified company, the Mint is recognized as one of the largest and most versatile mints in the world, offering a wide range of specialized, high quality coinage products and related services on an international scale. For more information on the Mint, its products and services, visit www.mint.ca.

Images of the Martin Short Presents Canada $3 Fine Silver Coin are available by visiting ftp://communications:[email protected].

SOURCE: Government of Canada

For further information:

Alex Reeves
Senior Manager, Communications
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