THE ROYAL TREATMENT
Local artist helps craft coin
While Joel Kimmel may not be attending the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on May 19, his connection to the soon-tobe royal couple will be forever etched in history.
The Ottawa-born artist was commissioned by the Royal Canadian Mint to sketch the couple’s image for the commemorative coin that was launched Wednesday, 10 days before the much-anticipated wedding at St. George’s Chapel on the grounds of Windsor Castle.
Kimmel, 37, who grew up in Orléans and now lives in Westport, has sketched more than 25 images for the mint. He spent the better part of the winter working on the special collector coin.
Kimmel began the creative process in his backyard studio — once a canoe repair shop — and sketched an image inspired by the couple’s official engagement photo, using both pencil and paper and a digital drawing program on his tablet.
“I can mimic different styles of brushes, different media, so I can have a brush in Photoshop that looks like a paint brush, that can act like a piece of chalk,” said Kimmel, a graduate of the Sheridan College illustration program.
The result is a sparkling, finesilver coin depicting the couple, edged with maple leaves intertwined with roses and escallop shells from Prince Harry’s coat of arms, and three Swarovski crystals to represent the couple’s threestone engagement ring: a diamond sourced from Botswana and two side diamonds from the personal collection of the late Diana, Princess of Wales. The reverse side of the coin features an effigy of the Queen by artist Susanna Blunt. Kimmel is pleased with the coin. “It’s beautiful. I’m very impressed with it. The portraits of Harry and Meghan are fantastic; even Harry’s scruffy beard comes across well. There is a really nice finish on the coin and the crystals really sparkle. It’s exciting to see,” said Kimmel, who also designed the packaging.
Royal enthusiasts will likely need to move quickly to get their hands on the coin. Only 15,000 will be produced, and given that the coins commemorating the 2011 wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton sold out, these likely will too.
The coins, with a face value of $20, will be sold for $104.95 at Mint.ca, through coin dealers across the country and at Canada Post outlets that carry coins.
Alex Reeves, senior adviser, external communications, at the mint, says collector coins are typically more expensive than their face value because of the possible price fluctuation of silver and the added detail and packaging.
“The price also accounts for the additional features like the crystals, the purity of the metal, the handcrafting, and top-quality engraving, and those are all features that collectors are used to seeing on our coins and they are ready to pay for,” Reeves said.